i apologize to the moderators if this post is inappropriate, but i have a few questions for slackware users about how they describe their skills.


i'm in my early 20's, and i'm looking around for work. i am a college graduate with a bachelors in classics (latin). other than a couple introductory courses in c++ and java, i have no formal education or certifications in computers, but it's something i've always enjoyed and had a real knack for. i fix computers for all my friends and family, including re-installing OS's, cleaning up infections, and setting up home networks. i'm very comfortable in windows, getting comfortable in slackware, and decent in Mac OS X. this probably describes a lot of people who read this forum, which is why i'm asking for advice here.

so my question is for slackware people out there who either have experience in the computer industry or some advice to offer. i'd like to find work as a system admin, i would particularly love being a junior admin on a *nix system so i could learn more. is that feasible? are there jobs like that out there? and if so, what's the best way to find them? also, how do you describe yourselves, and how do you describe your skills? if i say on my resume that i can set up a small network of windows and *nix computers using samba...is that descriptive enough? too descriptive? should i emphasize which programs i've used (ie norton, adaware, tcpdump, etc) or should i just say that i have experience detecting and removing infections? (if it would be helpful, i can post the "computer skills" section of my resume that i'm working on).


again, i apologize if this is off-topic or out of place, but i have tremendous respect for everyone here and i'd be very interested to hear people's responses.

thanks,

mcd

Resumes are tricky different jobs/companies require different things. You may want a couple of different versions. I've sent resumes to some companies that could really care less what it says concerning computer skills, because they have a test or something like it to determine your skill level. By the same token, I've sent resumes to companies which only look for skill level, and/or certs on the resume itself.

With that said, your best bet may be to do some research of the companies you're interested in and see what requirements, tests, etc. are required. Once you're armed with this information you can "tailor" your resume to best suit the company or organization.

I hope something there makes sense.
good luck.