Considering a Linux career? Four tips for new college grads - sailerimalk1982

'Tis the season for college graduations, and that means there are countless fresh grads out there superficial for their first real, professional jobs.

Those in IT would be in a bad way to find with a better area to focus on than Linux, which is consistently shown to offer high salaries and more opportunities than do other parts of IT. On that point's tremendous call for for Linux skills today, so those World Health Organization possess them are in a discriminating position A they move into the job commercialize.

But how to begin? I had a chance recently to speak with Jim Zemlin, executive director at the Linux Foundation, for some suggestions. Zemlin fresh gave a talk at TEDx (integrated infra) focused on lessons helium thinks the technical school industry has learned from Linux and its Lord Linus Torvalds, and helium thinks those lessons terminate be applied equally well to college grads starting out in a Linux career.

Tip 1: 'Preceptor't dream big'

"In my TEDx talk I share the narrative of how Linus started Linux," Zemlin explained. "He didn't have big dreams, meet a sincere desire to create, learn, and share. That's entirely you ask. Flavour at Linus' creation today. Literally, no more one could have dreamed it would be this big."

Tip 2: 'Give it all gone'

"The point hither is that people make a lot of money by handsome software away," Zemlin said. "Companies do pretty shucks well if they're in the Linux and undefended reservoir business. Only for college grads, I have a slightly variant take for you on this one."

Specifically, "give your time to an open source project," helium suggested. "Give it away. Build your take up and your reputation. Your cipher is your resume. If you fare this well, in that respect is absolutely no doubt that a keep company will pay off you same well to be on its payroll.

"If you're not sure how to get started, see finding a Linux kernel developer mentor (ace example) or a Linux training opportunity direct from the informant," he added.

Tip 3: 'Don't have a plan'

"The trust to create, learn, and share that I spoke about in tip 1 will result in self-forming communities consisting of you and your peers and focused on authoritative forg that you collectively are prioritizing," Zemlin explained. "If you're prioritizing it, and then are others, and you will get detected very chop-chop."

Tip 4: 'You don't e'er have to be nice'

"None one likes a jerk, but I make this point seriously," Zemlin said. "Collaboration is about rigorous debate and the power to defend your ideas. This results in the best ideas, equally we've witnessed time and clock once more in the Linux community of interests. And, as Facebook founder Mark down Zuckerberg famously put it, 'the best idea and implementation should e'er win.' Don't exist afraid to prove yours is the best."