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In today’s world, you may interact with Linux and not even know it. From common computer users to IT Security Personnel, Linux is continuing to grow and become more prevalent between work and home. However, Linux is not just an operating system, it’s a skill that can boost your career and income. Linux is the preferred platform for cybersecurity professionals, and knowing not only what it is, but how to use it, can give you the competitive edge in the job market.
The best way to get into Linux is to install it as your main operating system, try it out for 30 days. Chris Titus has a video “The first 30 days in Linux” which inspired me to restart down the Linux journey. I used it prior to starting my IT career, but was never serious.
Self-hosting web servers, file servers and VPN’s is another solution to learning Linux, as long as you utilize Linux as the base operating system to better understand how to install the programs on top of it.
Living in the command line, either within the terminal or by using SSH to access a remote Linux environment. The CLI is the heart of Linux, don’t rely on the GUI to do everything, in fact, try to do everything in the command line.
Try to learn how to do the basics – Setting up a new user, set up networking, root privileges, using text editors (nano, VI, VIM, eMACS, etc), and learning Linux Logging. Speaking of logging, find out where things are being logged and how to search and analyze the logs. Pay attention to error messages and other variations of an error message, and searching up what they mean on the internet.
If you want to certify in Linux, there are two exams I would recommend – the LPIC-1 offered by the Linux Professional Institute (https://www.lpi.org/our-certifications/lpic-1-overview/) and the Red Had Certified System Administrator (https://www.redhat.com/en/services/certification/rhcsa) . You can also read books such as “The Linux Command Line: a complete introduction” by William E. Shotts Jr., which is a comprehensive guide to the Linux command line. Joining online communities, such as the GitHub linux-admin-roadmap (https://github.com/infinite-education/linux-admin-roadmap) or the r/linuxupskillchallenge subreddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxupskillchallenge/), is where you can find useful tips and advice from other Linux enthusiasts.
Overall, the market share for Linux continues to grow, most backend services are ran on Linux as well as embedded systems (something around 90+ %). If you venture into information technology or Cybersecurity, there is a better than good chance you will have to interact with a Linux operating system, even as a Windows administrator. Recruiting and hiring managers alike are looking for cybersecurity engineers and IT professionals who are at least knowledgeable of the Linux operating system. Just like programmers are expected to be “full stack” these days, IT and Cybersecurity personnel are expected to know and understand both Windows and Linux (and use the command line).