I have been using different version of Linux personally since 1998 and professionally since 2005. I been thinking about taking the RHCSA exam. I would really love to take a weeks training course then the exam, but that is no financially feasible. Can anyone here recommend a good book, materials, website that you used to get your certification? Thanks in advance.

The Michael Jang book is the only thing you need, other than practise. But TBH, if you've been using linux professionally for 7 years, you should surely be able to do the whole RHCE without any preparation, let alone the RHCSA. It's not hard.

Moved: This thread is more suitable in <Linux-Certification> and has been moved accordingly to help your thread/question get the exposure it deserves.

You know, if you have been using Linux professionally for half a decade, what you might actually need is simply a copy of the training materials for self study. Don't spend money unnecessarily for a piece of paper that might not add commensurate value to your existing and considerable body of practical experience. There is no substitute for experience, just as there is always something new that even the most experienced people can learn.

Training materials are an excellent source of concentrated information, arranged in a pragmatic way by experienced instructional designers. You can therefore use them in pursuit of a piece of paper, or, as might be in your case, as a professionally prepared meal for you to carefully digest. You might never have covered all of these topics in your experience to-date, but, "here they are, artfully paired with just the right glass of wine and presented in measured courses." The certificate itself, and the associated sometimes-considerable expense, might well be unjustified for you.

Or, maybe not. ... "know thyself" ...

I, myself, do collect these materials .. usually last years' editions bought at second-hand book shops .. and I do read through them carefully before, usually, passing them on. And, every time I do so, I get something new out of them. These things obviously are the work of skilled instructional designers, they are applicable to many distributions besides Red Hat, and I am certainly not "dissing" them. Quite the opposite. But I have never sought a certification in thirty years; nor will I ever.

Thus, my IMHO recommend: Self study the material first. If, after having done that, you conclude that a piece of paper would be icing on the cake, purchase the icing at that time. You probably don't need an instructor or a large invoice egging you on.

(Of course, if you do feel that the presence of an instructor etc. would be of valuable benefit to you, do so with blessings, and be sure to itemize your tax-return next year so that you can write off the professional education expense.)

I'll take a look at the book and training materials. Thanks for your help.