Given that no one can know EVERYTHING, (in the whole world - obvious, in the linux world - just as true if less obvious) there are many here that ARE experts, just unwilling to CLAIM that!

If they keep bringing up insights, solutions, and answers that make you wonder if they wear a wizard cap with moons and starts, you can call them an expert. One defining characteristic of a true expert is humility, because they have a pretty good idea about how much they do NOT know!

The problem for someone new is that they cannot tell someone with 20 years of experience who claims NOT to be an expert, from some kid that just finished Linux 101 and thinks they know EVERYTHING but claims not to be an expert.

As for how to become a linux expert, make 20 years worth of mistakes. Preferably with a wide range of distributions on an insane range of hardware platforms. (I have had managers that could do that on ONE year!) The expert may not be the guy who MADE the mistake, he is the guy who LEARNED from them.

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Since you're working in the field, concentrate on being good at all the associated talents involved with your job. You listed quite a few of them. I'd worry less about the certification unless the employer you are with happens to require it. But instead concentrate no refining my the list of other skills you mentioned, bash, python programming, sed/awk, ...

Devil's advocate: Registered here in 2004. 1 year anniversary as Linux admin. Sort of a disconnect there.

What are you "OK" at now? Make it so that you're much, much better at it. Such as BASH or Python programming. And you can include sed/awk/tr in all that too.

You may be either being too self-critical or you may be being too complacent.

Yes, it takes time. How I do things is that I persist and put in hard work to accomplish my goals, and also step back to wonder if I'm approaching something incorrectly, or losing my focus.

I don't know your age, but once again, you are working in this field, it is your mainstay, and I'm presuming your career, and not just for fun. For me it's pleasant and enjoyable, but it is also my career and thus not solely for fun. I also don't know if you're just asking a question for question's sake, or if you're sitting there thinking that you're not getting stuff and wondering really when you may consider that you won't find some of these talents to be so difficult to grasp.

One way to also approach this, providing it means something serious for you, such as a career that you also do like, would be treat it nearly like a New Year's resolution such as losing weight or eating properly, and put in strong effort, devise a plan, and be persistent. Because if you seriously look at things and conclude that you're "mailing it in", a.k.a. "doing the minimum and just going through the motions" then you won't so easily break through to higher levels of knowledge and understanding. If you find that you are mailing it in because you're just not interested in your job and the many different associated tasks, then that's an entirely different story where you ought to consider how to change that.

Sorry. As I say, I really don't know your full situation. But my experience is that I decided I love what I do, and decided I did like it long ago; however also long ago in being youthful, I assumed things just would come to me by osmosis and I'd just be entitled to greater responsibilities over time, not realizing that it was very flawed thinking. At some point I realized "Hey, this is my career, I want to guide it in a certain direction."

And what others are saying by the way, "there are no points where one gets some 'title', or rather it's not about calling yourself an expert, but instead being capable of taking on these greater tasks with the confidence that you can accomplish them". At that point, you won't care what they call you either by the way.

Didn't realize there was some traction behind this thread, and also didn't realize that there were other threads like this as well.

First, thanks to everyone who has chimed in. I try to make here everyday to look at questions and answer them, however life works out oddly.

For my job, getting Red Hat certified is required, so I'm slowly working at it.

Yes there was a disconnect with me registering here in Jan 2004 and 1 yr Linux sys admin anniversary. I've been using Linux since 2000, however the entry into a Linux role is tough and I finally made it and I don't want to look back.

Everyday, I'm trying to work on some sort of skill or expand my knowledge and its humbling to see others with much more experience and knowledge say they aren't an "expert." Thanks for that and I'm in awe.

You know good what you do daily that's the only expertise you can claim.

The same way you get to Carnegie Hall ...