I want to reply in length to all of these, I'll get back to you in the morning. Right now it's to hot to think =/
T. On Tue, Jan 6, 2009 at 11:37 PM, Daniel Pittman <dan...@rimspace.net> wrote: > Blindraven <blindra...@gmail.com> writes: > >> Is there such a thing as a job that'd be willing to put someone >> through the starter ropes with Linux in a Junior SysAdmin role and >> whiz them of to places for certifications? (or not?) Is this more of >> a dream then a reality? > > Yes, and yes, probably. Specifically, there are places in Melbourne > where I have worked in the past that might look to doing this, and I > presume that Sydney would be the same — mostly smaller businesses. > > OTOH, especially in the current economic climate you are probably short > on luck: it is hard to get hired anywhere, and that isn't going to > change in the next few months. > > On that basis anyone who needs extra hand-holding is going to be at a > significant disadvantage, so finding somewhere ... will be a challenge. > >> I've heard time and time again people say employers prefer attitude >> and willingness to learn then a piece of paper, But is this just >> elitist fluff? > > That doesn't entirely make sense: usually people call the requirement > for the degree "elitist fluff" rather than the willingness to overlook > the lack of a degree or certification. ;) > > Anyway, um, generally employers vary wildly, but when hiring I have > always been of the opinion that a degree is a good sign but hardly the > be all and end all.[1] > > Having a degree shows three things: first, that you can complete a > degree course at university, second, that you know how to study and > research things, and finally that you might have some vague knowledge > of the area you studied. > > > There are other ways to prove the same thing, but the degree is a good > shorthand, and when you have a hundred (or even thirty) resumes to > review it can be a useful first pass filter... > >> One of the Junior roles I tried for quite some time ago in the city >> was one of the most depressing wank-shop's I've ever had the >> misfortune of embarrassing myself in > > If you are hoping to have folks help you find somewhere you really want > to do one of two things here: either don't talk about it, or explain > what you mean. Don't name names, obviously, but details count. > > After all, I now have no idea how you embarrassed yourself, or why you > considered the junior role to be at a "wank-shop", but I have to wonder. > > My first thought is to the various people I have worked with over the > years who had very high opinions of themselves. When presented with > actual work, found that they were not able to perform, and concluded > that the employer or the job was at fault, not themselves... > > Now, that is a terrible thing to think about someone and I have no > reason to believe that you *are* like that — but in the absence of any > facts the concern is hard to escape. > > >> since this interview I've just been to self concious to bother >> applying for anything else. > > The secret to getting a job when you don't have a good set of academic > results, and you also don't have a lot of experience, is to apply for an > awful lot of jobs. > > Most of them will reject you, but eventually you will get lucky and be > able to find something, then start building the experience you need to > show that you can, in fact, actually do things. :) > >> Does anybody have any advice on good places to look for these types of >> roles? > > Everywhere. Seriously, talk to your friends and family, strangers you > run into at the cafe, read user groups, join SAGE-AU for the job list, > network, and generally apply for anything that looks interesting, no > matter what. > > Be flexible, and willing to put up with less than perfect conditions, or > to do scut-work for a while to get experience, since you want > *something* to convince an employer to take a chance on you next time. > >> I'm talking novice/intermediate every.day administration, comfortable >> with bare CLI etc. > > Publish a resume, and point people to it. :) > > Regards, > Daniel > > Footnotes: > [1] I don't have one myself, after all. ;) > > -- > SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ > Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html > -- "None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free." -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
