I understood fully, what you said the first time. There are no areas that would interest me in college catalogs. Have you ever seen any courses that even brush upon the process of compiling the Linux kernel? I haven't. And I was an electrical Engineering/Computer Science major at three different University of California campuses and have attended several community colleges since, to take language-specific courses. In any case, there are no pertinent (as in computer technology-related) courses offered anywhere within an hour of here.

In general, I've found college courses to be largely irrelevant to my interests. My focus here is to become adept at compiling Linux source, and figure out how to assemble the best drivers, etc. to make the most efficient, optimized and compact systems possible. I am at the opposite end of the spectrum from people who seek to simplify their requirements to get Linux up and running, or to use it to run applications. Given the dearth of helpful material available in this area, I think that it will be much faster for me to engage a live, helpful person than it would for me to wade through resources aimed at the general public.

I am about an hour east of PDX, on the Washington side of the river.

I should have stated out the outset, that I don't want to take any classes, nor improve my marketability. But thanks anyway, for the thought.

It's often a problem for me, when I try to engage with people on forums like this. Most people look at these things much differently than I do. It's common for people who are new to Linux and Open Source, or computers in general, to be in positions where career issues are relevant. So I understand why I might be seen as being in that category. But I'm not. I will never become an employee in the computer industry (nor in any industry, for that matter). So things like certifications, sheepskins, etc. don't do anything for me. Nor do I have any inclination to gain a general overview of the technology landscape. I've had my hands in this stuff for a long time. What I want is to find somebody who is comfortable with compiling/optimizing Linux (and/or other such OSs) who can go through the process with me, in my own lab. Maybe this is just a pipe dream. It wouldn't surprise me very much if there really aren't any such gurus, at least ones who want to bother doing this. I just figured that posting here might be worth a try.

OP -- PM me if you want; I can help with Debian, primarily.

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I'm about an hour east of Portland. And actually, since I'm very far from being a Linux guru myself, anybody willing to "pal around" with me while I'm figuring it out would be a help. But if you're very far away, that would probably not be very practical for you.

Thanks for being somebody who seems to get why I'd like to have the helper physically present.