RHCE for Not Yet Techies

"Computer Careers: Red Hat Certified Engineer is the Current Networking Certification for the High Tech Jobs with the Open Source Operating System Linux"

by Richard Stooker, President Info Ring Press and author of Secrets of Changing to a Computer Career

RHCE background:

RHCE comes from the company Red Hat. It has stepped into the Linux networking certification gap by introducing the first Linux networking certification, Red Hat Certified Engineer, and that's what RHCE stands for.

Type of RHCE certifications for computer careers:

Vendor

RHCE worth it?

Standard disclaimer:

Whether or not any certification is "worth it" is an individual decision. You alone must decide what your career goals and needs are.

Look at certifications from a cost/benefit or Return On Investment (ROI) basis. If they help you get a better paying job or make more money at your current job, they are obviously "worth it."

The problem is, there is no real way of measuring how much you can expect your income to go up as a result of any given certification. It also depends on non-related job search skills such as how well you network.

Linux is the up and coming operating system for personal computers. It is based on Unix, and was originated in 1991 by Linus Torvalds. It is deliberately "open source" -- which means it is free for the downloading, and can be tweaked at will.

Linux is currently fast increasing in popularity. It is the rallying cry for every techie who wants to strike a blow at Microsoft's dominance of the PC operating system market. That seems to include a lot of techies.

Until about two years ago, its greatest weakness was that nobody except techies could download and put it on their computers. A number of companies have formed to package Linux into a more user-friendly format. Red Hat is one of the biggest of these.

Linux can be adapted to networking PCs as well. Since it is much cheaper than either Windows 2000 or Novell NetWare, that option is potentially extremely attractive to small businesses who want the advantages of linking their PCs, but cannot afford the licensing fees charged by Microsoft and Novell.

However, this market has hung back from using Linux networking software for the simple reason that there is no pool of qualified experts they can hire or call upon when necessary. Windows 2000/NT and NetWare businesses can hire or contract with MCSEs or CNEs. Until recently, they had no way of connecting up with equivalently qualified Linux experts. Since Linux is new, it's also true that relatively few such Linux experts even exists.

Red Hat explains that the RHCE certification is for people who already are or who are aiming to be Systems Administrators and Systems Engineers. It is to certify their qualifications.

Red Hat has come out with their Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) certification.

This certification is designed to ensure competency is these areas:

Install and configure Linux
Understand the limitations of hardware
Configure basic networking and file systems
Configure the X Window System
Configure basic security
Set up common network (IC) services
Carry out basic diagnostics and troubleshooting
Perform essential Red Hat systems administration

Two RHCE Tracks

Red Hat offers courses to teach people the skills you need. If you are already an experienced systems administrator or engineer with Unix or Linux, you can take their Rapid Track. They still suggest you take their RH300 course.

It is not required to take their course, though certainly they want you to. You can go directly to take the RHCE Exam RH302.

Pass RH302 and you get the RHCE certification.

There are books and CDs available to help you study and prepare for this test, either in place of the course or to supplement it. That is your choice. Red Hat does not guarantee that any study guides outside its course will help you pass the test.

RHCE - Page 2

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