people go for LPIC ,RHCE etc etc.But what after that?isnt there any cert/goal like CCIE (for Cisco guys) and M$ certs (for Micro$oft)?
a CCIE earns 100K+.isnt there anything similar for Linux people?
I heard/read somewhere that RHCE also go for Solaris Certs. Is It so? I mean which are the Grand certs of Linux? Linux + --> RHCE --> ????
In a nutshell what linux guys dream of getting? (careerwise of course!!)

plz share ur thoughts
Thanks & Regards

You might want to enlighten me, because I don't quite get what's the point in all these "certificates"? Ok, maybe in USA or someplace similar they're hot stuff, but in other parts of the world I imagine a worker is paid for what s/he knows can can really do, not for what certificates s/he has done some twenty years ago. Here the employees can show their certificates and other fancy papers when hunting for a job, but ultimately the papres are rubbish unless the employee can do what is asked. Most of the time they don't, even if they have taken 20+ years of different studies, but still need to learn the specific tasks at the workplace before they can fully begin.

So..at least I don't dream of any certificate. I take it it's just a waste of time and energy for me; if I can do what it takes to complete such a thing, I don't need the paper - and if I don't, there's no point in trying to get one. And if my future employer would be interested in my papers more than my actual skills, and wouldn't even want to see what I know (would rather just ask "hey, where's your [name here] cert?", I would reconsider the place. If you know and can, you won't run out of jobs - and if you don't know and cannot, then you don't do much with any papers.

b0uncer,I agree with u word by word that paper knowledge wont fetch u anything untill U know ur stuff.
I just asked "WHATS THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF A LINUX PERSON IN EDUCATION/TECHNOLOGY/CAREER/KNOWLEDGE"?

i gave example of CCIE since its the ultimate in cisco world in knowledge.I just want to know what after ,say, RHCE? is it solaris or what?

Yeah I got what you meant. I assume it depends on what you're aiming at. If there was a "ultimate goal", then why would anyone bother for the rest? And if you were aiming at a certain working place or branch, you could always ask them (or just quietly find out) which certificates they want to see, and go for them.

I'd say the ultimate goal is to be able to say "hire me, I can do anything you want". The only problem in that is that it is impossible

To be honest, I thought of getting a Linux certification (which one I don't know) not because it will help me further my current profession (IT Consultant), but for personal satisfaction.

My ultimate goal since you asked is to be a developer or contributor to a Linux distribution, to be able to answer questions on here intelligently and to help others further their Linux knowledge base. I would also like to bring Linux to the enterprise when ever I can.

Most employers that do hire on certification status do it because it gives them a sense of security that the person they hired has "the right stuff" .

I am going for my RHCE. Personally, if I were to hire someone, I would look for their experience, certification, and degree(s). Having a certification won't hurt you, but NOT having one may hurt your chances of getting a job. If you have time, then a certification may be worthwhile. For me, my work pays for it and it keeps me up to date with Linux by doing certifications. I already have several, as you can see from my signature. I will keep getting more and more until my work stops paying for them.

The certifications come in very handy in a job search. They help you get past the HR department and to someone whom you can actually talk to about your qualifications. They are also good for getting contract work.
Of course you have to prove yourself once your in but they can be the difference in getting you past the non technical hiring department.

yup, frndrfoe is right. They do come in handy.
Certifications are more then just a peice of paper. I've seen guys talk big for weeks about things they've done, then fail their A+ hardware exam multiple times.

To me certifications are a "Test" to show what you know.

Think of it like this; if you were a company looking for someone to maintain the backbone of your entire global orginization, wouldn't you want more then "ya, i can do that for you.

As for the dream certification. For me it would be a combination linux+,rhct,rhce,rhca.

I say this because, they build on each other.

Certs prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you can pass the certification test. Their usefulness is directly proportional to the lack of experience of the person you are trying to impress.

<dilbert fiddling with computer, geek standing behind him in caped outfit>

Caped Geek:Step away from that network server! I'm certified!


(next frame)
<caped geek sitting at console, dilbert looking on in stunned amazement>

Caped Geek: I SUMMON THE VAST POWER OF CERTIFICATION!!!!!!


(last frame)
Caped Geek:WEll, this is embarrassing; that's all I remember from the classes...

I've seen MCSE's scratch their head over how to connect to an ftp server, really really.

-Viz