In today's open source roundup: Linux professionals face a red-hot job market. Plus: Steam now has more than 500 Linux games, and what happens when you hook Ubuntu up to a barbeque grill?
The Linux job market has been red-hot for a while now, with many companies desperate to find Linux professionals. But what's driving this huge demand for people with Linux skills? Opensource.com takes a look at what makes Linux professionals so valuable to businesses.
Linux has been around for decades, so why the sudden interest?
Flexibility.
Sure, I mean Linux is flexible, but more than that, Linux System Administrators are flexible. It's not news to anyone that Linux is gaining popularity in part due to its dominance in the cloud and the datacenter. And certainly that large install base needs sysadmins who understand Linux and how it works. More importantly, however, companies need sysadmins who can make those cloud based services work with their particular internal needs.
If you need someone to integrate your homegrown database system with a cloud based Linux infrastructure, you need a Linux professional.
There's no doubt that Linux professionals are in high demand. But how much are they getting paid? I took a peek at the average Linux salaries page on SimplyHired and it was quite interesting to see how much various Linux jobs paid. See for yourself in the image below. You can also compare Linux salaries on that page, and you can search SimplyHired for Linux jobs in your area.
If you're in the market for a new Linux gig, be sure to check out PC World's article about how to get a Linux job. There's some good information there for those of you who already have Linux job skills, including tips about networking, cover letters, resumes, and interviews.
If you're totally new to Linux, you may want to start by auditing the Linux Foundation's Introduction to Linux class for free.
Here are some Linux certification sites that you might also want to check out:
