[ubuntu-za] linux opportunities/training

[Helge Reikeras]

On Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:28:36 +0200, Hannes Coetzee  
<scorpking at scorpking.za.org> wrote:

>> Good day
>>
>> I have a family member who is yearning to get out of the hospitality
>> industry into perhaps IT/support/development.
>> Another is already established in the Bill Gates' fold namely MS.
>> I'm however a proposer of the younger brother going LINUX against the
>> proposals of the elder.
>>
>> To add substance to my preference i've been seeking info on the web;
>> i.e skills demands, growing corporate use of LINUX etc., and not
>> really finding substantial information.
>> I mean it is pointless gaining/developing skills and then not being
>> able to make a living from that.
>>
>> We need some answers to questions, from people in field of experience
>> please:-
>>
>> 1. Is there life in LINUX, i.e is there a demand for LINUX skills? and
>> is it growing?
>>
>> 2.Where/Who in Pretoria (preferably) would be the best fast-track
>> skills development Company/group/site?
>>
>> 3.Any advice for a novice to start a career in this OSS field.
>>
>> greetings
>> Ken
>>
>>

Hi Ken

IT is a huge field, requiring a diverse set of skills from both  
individuals and groups. Learning the most in-demand skills is likely to  
result in more job opportunities, although sometimes learning a scarce  
skill might land you a lucrative position for which no else i qualified.

Note that platform is not necessarily always the main issue. I think the  
best thing to do is to first decide on a general area in which you are  
interested, and then consider which platform is most appropriate to work  
on, if that is in fact a necessary consideration. Some skills can by  
nature be more "platform independent" (development) than others (support).  
Many system administrators have to manage both GNU/Linux, Windows and OSX  
systems on their networks, which requires cross-platform skills. In  
general, GNU/Linux systems tends to be more used in back-end systems, e.g.  
servers, while Windows systems for desktops, although the desktop issue is  
something the FOSS community is trying to change (see  
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1). Also, you should not equate  
*linux* with *OSS*. Indeed, it is quite common for both open source and  
proprietary software projects to develop cross-platform applications, e.g.  
Mozilla Firefox/Thunderbird, Gimp, Skype.

If you are an aspiring developer, I would recommend choosing a well  
established and platform independent language to begin with. Java is  
preferred by many educational institutions and also popular in industry.  
Java also has a lot in common with other languages so the transition to  
e.g. C/C++ or Python is usually not all that difficult.

I believe that FOSS is uses widely throughout the industry, although  
seldom exclusively. I am not aware of any surveys on this in SA. The  
LinkedIn group "FOSS Professionals of South Africa"  
(http://tinyurl.com/yfbp3rq might be a good place to ask also.

If you do make further investigations into this issue, it would be very  
interesting if you could post you finding.

-Helge

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