Q: What is your background, and how did you get into Linux?
A: I worked as a professional musician for a few years before launching my career as a Unix and Linux System Engineer in 1999. I’ve been privileged to use my Linux skills at Xerox, UPS, Hewlett-Packard, Amazon.com, and other great organizations.
Early in my career, I fell into the Linux wormhole. I studied everything I could find. The more I learned about Linux, the more my career took off. Soon, other people on my team began coming to me for help.
I found I had a knack for mentoring and teaching others, and I get much satisfaction out of helping people upgrade their skills.
Linux has been very good to me — it’s allowed me to buy houses and cars, support a family, and feed people and a cat or two. I want others to experience that possibility as well.
After writing multiple books and teaching over a dozen courses, nothing gives me more satisfaction than getting an email from one of my students who say, “Hey, I got that job because I took your course!” or “Thank you, your book helped me get a raise!”
That’s why I do what I do.
Q: What are your goals with Linux Training Academy?
A: I’m on a mission to take Linux resources and instruction from theoretical to applied, and from the classroom to the workplace. I only teach techniques you can use on the job, right away.
I want Linux Training Academy to be the place IT professionals and aspiring IT professionals come for real-world, practical Linux training.
Every time someone sends me a thank-you email telling me about their new job or their promotion, it lets me know I’m doing the right thing. I love helping others.
Q: Have you considered expanding your classes to real-life classrooms?
A: Teaching online and in-person are two distinct skill sets. We are currently focused on 100% online education. We do get requests for in-person classroom training, but up until this point, we always turn them down. This might change in the future, but for now, we’re committed to online education.
Q: Why hasn’t Linux Training Academy offered any certification training?
A: We focus on what I like to call actionable education. For example, many people who take our use our project instructions as implementation plans. They bring exactly what they learn from us and put it in production.
Teaching those types of courses is much more rewarding for us, and more importantly, for the students. It’s better than teaching them how to pass a multiple-choice test to get a certification. To get certified, you have to know random bits of information such as how to copy files, how to change permissions, how to use a package manager, and so on. We not only teach those specifics, but we teach them in the context to do real work. This way, our students not only learn and retain the information, but they also understand when, why, and how to use that information.
Q: Are Linux certifications worth it?
A: I do believe certifications can be beneficial for those who are new to the field. It is one way to prove that you are committed to this career path because you were willing to put in the work required to obtain a certification. Once you have on-the-job experience, certifications become less important. For example, I’ve rarely seen where certification is necessary for a Linux job, especially for an intermediate or advanced position. Even when a job posting lists certification as a requirement, it is mainly there to eliminate wholly unqualified people for the position. If someone has the skills required for the job, they are more often than not hired even if they don’t have a certification.
Q: Do you have plans for Linux certification preparation courses in the future?
A: Yes. We are currently designing certification courses. Again, it’s important to me that people leave our courses with skills they can use. Our certification courses will not only help people pass a test, but give them actual skills.
Q: Your latest course is , what makes it stand out from the others?
A: First off, it’s a project-based course. You get to immediately use all the Linux commands and techniques you learn throughout the course to build and deploy real-world Linux solutions. These projects are just like the ones you would be expected to perform on the job. It’s a very practical, hands-on course that students love.
Next, you get eight full weeks of instructor support. During those eight weeks, you can join live calls as well as participate in a very active class discussion forum. This gives students the chance to get individual help from myself or one of our other instructors. Also, all the lessons are pre-recorded, so you can study at your own pace, yet you can get live teacher interaction when you want or need it.
The class contains at least as much material, if not more, than a traditional week-long in-person course. Those classes typically range in cost between $2,000 and $3,500. Linux in the Real World is priced well below that. This makes training affordable, especially if you are paying for your training.
Finally, we’re not some heartless corporation. We care about our students. That’s why we offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you don’t find the course helpful, we don’t want to keep your money! You won’t find other training companies who stand behind their courses as we do.
Q: What advice do you have for those looking to make a career in the field of Linux?
A: Keep your goal in mind and take massive action. Your career is your responsibility. That means you have to be your own best supporter. Don’t wait for someone else or some company to pay for your training. Find a way to pay for your training. Don’t wait for someone to find you and ask you to apply for a job. Actively seek out and apply to open Linux positions. If you want it and stick to it, you’ll succeed.
Q: How can someone enroll in one of your courses?
A: You will find a list of our courses and classes here. We’d love to help you level-up your skills!