Want a career in Linux? Take this edX course

There comes a point in every person's life when they must grow up and plan for their future. It is important to remember that you can be anything you want if you try hard enough. Of course, some jobs such as astronaut, President of the USA or NBA player are harder to get than others!

A smart choice in today's world is to be involved with Linux. There are many careers in Linux that are in demand nowadays. If you want to be a Linux Systems Admin, I have good news -- you can now become qualified online thanks to a partnership between edX and the Linux Foundation.

To sign up and learn more, you can check it out here.

"LFS201 is the second course The Linux Foundation has made available on the edX platform. The first, a free course, was Introduction to Linux (LFS101), which to date has enrolled over 400,000 learners, making it one of the largest courses available on the edX platform. The new course, which is appropriate for those who have completed LFS101 and want to take the next step, as well as individuals who have worked in IT positions but not directly with Linux, will be offered for a fee of $499, which includes a Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator exam attempt, a $300 value which includes one free retake if not passed on the first attempt. The course will be offered at an introductory price of only $399 for two weeks from today", explains The Linux Foundation.

The foundation further explains, "LFS201 enrollment is open now on edx.org, and students will be able to begin taking the course on August 3, 2015. This exam is offered online and can be taken anytime, from anywhere, making it a convenient option for individuals around the globe. It is completely performance based, so tests skills rather than rote memorization, which makes these certifications attractive to potential employers. As the jobs report found that 54 percent of hiring managers expect a certification or evidence of formal training from applicants, certified professionals will have a leg up on the competition".

According to the course page, you will learn the following.

• Edit text files on the command line
• Manipulate text files from the command line
• Archive and compress files and directories
• Assemble partitions as LVM devices
• Configure swap partitions
• File attributes
• Find files on the filesystem
• Format filesystems
• Mount filesystems automatically at boot time
• Mount networked filesystems
• Partition storage devices
• Troubleshoot filesystem issues
• Create backups
• Create local user groups
• Manage file permissions
• Manage fstab entries
• Manage local users accounts
• Manage the startup process and related services
• Manage user accounts
• Manage user account attributes
• Manage user processes
• Restore backed up data
• Set file permissions and ownership
• Access the root account
• Use sudo to manage access to the root account
• Write basic bash shell scripts
• Install software packages

Unlike many other edX courses, this one is not free. With that said, it is far more in-depth and valuable than the typical course found on the site. Quite frankly, $399 is a steal to become a Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator. Remember, the best investment you can make is in yourself.

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