David,
I agree that we need a definition and basic taxonomy for our field.
Here is my take on it...
I view system administration as the process of designing, implementing,
and managing a system of computing devices, the network connecting them,
and the applications that run on them.
This includes technical skills such as knowledge of the operating
system, patching, etc., but it also includes soft skills such as writing
up RFP's, project management, and understanding what the systems are
used for. A system admin is a person who makes a system work, not just
one part of the system.
What this means is that people who spend all their time racking
machines, pulling wire, configuring one kind of router over and over
again are not system admins. It also means that people who use and
maintain a single laptop or a cash register are not system admins.
I feel like there are different specialties within system administration
such as computer admin, network admin, database admin, storage admin,
virtualization admin, telecom admin, etc. Most system admins do more
than just one specialty.
I also feel that there are different levels of system administration
which require different levels of education. I view education and
training as:
Certificates (1wk - 18mo):
These are focused on learning how to use a single vendor's product (e.g.
Microsoft, RedHat, Cisco, EMC, VMware). You can get them directly from
the vendor, via a 3rd party training vendor, or via a community college.
I view this as training rather than education as it is very focused
and does not really teach you how to think or solve problems. Just how
to use a device.
Associate Degrees (2yr):
These are focused on a system admin specialty such as network admin,
security admin, computer admin, helpdesk admin, web admin, etc. They
are taught at community colleges and consist of several technical and
non-technical courses such as English, Ethics, Communications, Math,
etc. These degrees are education in that they start to teach you how to
think and solve problems.
Bachelor and higher Degrees (4 - 6yr):
These are not focused on any one specialty, but include courses in most
of specialties along with many non-technical courses, They are designed
to teach you how to think and solve problems irregardless of the problem
domain. A person graduating from these courses should be able to get
into general system administration or pick a specialty depending on
their interest and do well.
So in my world, DevOps, PostOps, SRE's, System Engineer, Infrastructure
Architect are all system admins because they deal with systems.
cheers,
ski
On 11/10/2013 01:54 PM, David Lang wrote:
Calling out the elephants in the room, the two biggest problems are
defining:
"the field"
and
"professionalized"
we've had lots of arguments over the second, so let's argue about the
first for a bit.
what exactly do people have in mind as "the field" that is going to be
addressed here? Keep in mind trends like Dev-Ops and Cloud Computing
that reduce or eliminate the System Administrator titled job at the high
end and the low end of small businesses with single-digit employee counts.
David Lang
On Sun, 10 Nov 2013, Willard Dennis wrote:
Hi Tom,
In my opinion, there was general assent that the field should be
professionalized[1] to provide a better path for the instruction and
guidance of new and current systems administrators, which would not only
benefit them, but also their employers, and society at large (due to the
ever-increasing reliance on computers.) There were some folks there who
voiced concerns about things such as licensure, regulation, and the
artificial limiting of who could practice as negative outcomes of
professionalization.
As far as the strategy to achieve it, it was proposed at the end to:
1) Continue general discussion of this topic on this list [which I
understand is open to anyone to join], and
2) Form a committee [which may or may not be an official project of
LOPSA]
to come up with a strategy and action plan.
Others who were there might chime in with they remember and thought.
(I am
hoping to get some notes from some people who wrote down what they heard
there, and will share that if/when I recieve them.)
Would be very interested in your thoughts on this...
Thanks,
Will
[1] Did not get to any consensus on a definition of professionalization;
there are many to choose from it seems, and I presented a few as a
part of
a handout ( https://db.tt/qNTMYbX1 ) I provided at the BoF. This would be
one of the first things to get some agreement on ;)
On Sun, Nov 10, 2013 at 8:33 AM, Tom Limoncelli <[email protected]> wrote:
Will,
For those of us that weren't there, can you state in simple terms the
goal
agreed upon, and the strategy proposed to achieve it?
Thanks,
Tom
On Sat, Nov 9, 2013 at 7:51 PM, Willard Dennis
<[email protected]>wrote:
Hi all,
Very humbled that so many folks came out to the "From Occupation to
Professional" BoF last Thurs evening at LISA'13. Being up against
Google is
tough ;) Thanks to all that came out and participated.
I thought we had a good discussion there, and that most folks who spoke
up were basically in agreement that it's a worthy goal, and should be
worked on.
So we already have a few folks who have volunteered to work on this,
but if anyone is passionate about this topic and wants to devote
some time
to it, please speak up. I'll throw out a straw-man for further
discussion
on how we might approach the work after I have a few days to
recover, and
think about it.
Of course, your comments, questions and ideas are very welcome, and
feel
free to discuss them here...
Thanks again,
Will
_______________________________________________
Discuss mailing list
[email protected]
https://lists.lopsa.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss
This list provided by the League of Professional System Administrators
http://lopsa.org/
--
Email: [email protected] Work: [email protected]
Skype: YesThatTom
Blog: http://EverythingSysadmin.com
_______________________________________________
Discuss mailing list
[email protected]
https://lists.lopsa.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss
This list provided by the League of Professional System Administrators
http://lopsa.org/
--
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it
connected to the entire universe" John Muir
Chris "Ski" Kacoroski, Director of LOPSA, [email protected],
206-501-9803 or ski98033 on most IM services
_______________________________________________
Discuss mailing list
[email protected]
https://lists.lopsa.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss
This list provided by the League of Professional System Administrators
http://lopsa.org/
