I am not sure how to write this. Usually writing is what I am becoming a master of in my abilities. Sorry if it may get messy, without me even noticing, even after I've read through all of this for quality assurance (fuzzy words I start using here). I've been gone from this forum so strongly, that I already feel like a stranger again. Some of you guys may recognize me. (I hope you remember the moments where I was rather great, and not an idiot :)_) By the way: gnumber if you read this, thanks for the help recently with my last forum topic. I dropped you a private message recently. (I am unsure if I've written my E-Mail 100% correct :/)
As you guys have perhaps noticed with the title, I am going to ask for suggestions based on your experiences, on what I should do next. Now there was a long phase where I was not learning, but rather more of recovering to get my discipline up, to do things. Now is the time to do.
Coming closer to my dilemma: I am interested in everything. Seriously. To make it more exact: Hardware is awesome, software is awesome. I would like to tinker around with both. Repairing: no problem. Making: no problem. I like it. What my problem is: I want to learn in a way, so I learn what I want. I see people, who go the: "I love being an antisocial nerd, who acts like I am an overlord genius compared to you little minds." route.
That's not the person I want to be, and I am afraid that I will land into these folks like a bird that didn't know which way was the way to his destination. My specialty software wise became linux. I want to work mainly on linux. It's not that I am not interested in other operating systems. But if I spend most of my time in Windows, I lost. Because I don't like it. I can't stand it, the deeper I go into linux. Now, this has robbed me time. I should have made this topic like a year ago. Now I am 19 years old. With this comes the pressure of independence. Not just because I am 19, but especially because I am actually really becoming independent.
There are several routes I could go. You could call it "career wise", if you want to. And with this comes the first problem: I have no idea about this industry. I have not met anyone in person having to do with this industry, (it will change) besides of a guy, who was talking so much Windows, that I slapped linux metaphorically in his way, especially because he was talking things like: it's too hard, don't want to go that road yet... and the usual other standard stuff you would expect from a sided Windows user. Guess what? He liked it ;). The only source I ever used was the internet. This is the reason I made this topic.
There are some possibilities in my head, on how to start off working wise (and income). I just don't want to see myself being fully educated with linux, and not getting a job. Thinking of these possibilities, when wanting to be on a level, on which I am accepting myself, and somebody maybe me as a worker. What I could do: (what's on my mind)
1.) make an apprenticeship (Lehre in german, I count on you Austrians, Germans, and others with European experience to, just as I count on anyone else)
2.) or do certificates
3.) and there is a university, which I knew for a while, and check out if they could offer me to mess, or at least look at stuff
http://portal.tugraz.at/portal/page/portal/zid/hpc/support
just the line "linux and unix are operating systems for servers" is kind of not OK for me. Since the Desktop experience is gorgeous.
Edit: you can translate the page in English, with Chromium, Chrome, or a Firefox plugin, or whatever^^.
You guys noticed, I used the word "career". I don't like that word. Because it says you have just decided in which drawer you fit in. I don't fit. I like writing, movies, novels, and other forms of storytelling. Sometimes I caught myself on something like reading up the Wikipedia page of CG Jung. And just as I drop in the what I call; flow with that, I also stream into the flow with linux. The command line, the system, how and especially why it works. I want to grab a book in the coming months, and learn the command line from the ground up.
I am afraid of the apprenticeship side: 3,5 years. What if the company is going the Microsoft route? I don't know honestly if I should do an apprenticeship. Does it depend on the company? I ask myself. If you have thoughts on this, please share. If I do certificates on the other hand: Will it be enough? I've seen the video of teksyndicate with getting a job in the tech industry. Lets say worst case scenario: I don't find the real linux savvy guys. Will a Certificate be enough? Where is the difference between the linux LPI, and a red hat certificate? Is LPI better for a generalist?
I want to know, and learn linux generally. I am a generalist. If I would make a movie about myself, it would be called: THE GENERALIST.
I am also very interested in hardware. Modifying it, and organizing it, and knowing it, etc. Is there some kind of Certificate, which teaches me linux and hardware fixing. I will learn it anyways, but if I do a certificate, well is there a combination with linux and hardware?
On the apprenticeship side, I don't find many apprenticeships, which emphasize, that they are using linux. Or they don't mention any operating system at all (the last one is mostly the case). Once there was a company. It was some kind of company working on engineering of cars. And even though there was no mentioning of operating systems, I immediately knew from theyr presentation that everything was leaning on: linux, linux some linux here and there to... did I mention linux? The answer was a no to my applying, but the person was answering with that she searched through the whole company, if there is a need for one more. I was impressed. A second time I nearly got in a company I've been walking past by. I was reading all kinds of stuff. Open Source, servers, website hosting etc. I walked in with a resume, the guy stopped me from talking, and wanted to hire me on the spot. But then I realized: I have seen some kind of job display on his webpage, and I immediately knew he is searching for a trained linux employee. But what I was here for, was actually learning. Just throw me in here, let me mess with stuff. With results! (the result part just didn't get as much emphasizing from me though). Later he wrote me back, and said that he didn't have the necessary requirements for me :/. But he was nice. The atmosphere seemed good.
Now here is the biggest problem: I want to move out in 1, or maximum 2 years. My family is too much of an conservative environment. To make the story short. How would you take the steps on my place? If you would be in my situation, with my motivations, what would you recommend me? Damn, I don't even have a drivers licence yet. Number 1.) scares me, because I try to watch out for companies that rather like linux. The question is, do I have to that much? Or will most companies try hard to teach me linux anyways? 2.) scares me, because I am maybe going to be not as "attractive" for somebody, who for instance needs somebody to look at Microsoft environments sometimes, and has linux environments to, and I've not made a stupid certificate yet for Microsoft environments, even though I probably could fix anything at that time point.
I've made the mistake already once, that I was interested in something, and just picked the wrongest place I ever could. It did not end good for my well being. Now I don't want to make that mistake again. I don't care if I am the right guy at the right place. Or even "the right guy, at the wrong place" (if I understand that satirical sentence right by the G-Man from Half Life?). What I definitely don't want to be, is the guy, who was at the wrong time, at the wrong place.
What would you do in my shoes? I live in Austria, maybe even special recommendations how to do this in this country could come from you guys. I've not very seriously started with the searching. Cause these questions are kind of rambling me. I have no idea. I have tried on perhaps less than 10 companies.
I hope this will be an interesting discussion.
I invite you to share your thoughts. This forum screams effort, and intelligent people. It's the only forum I trust.
By the way: I am also very interested in hardware. It just did not get out so well, while I was writing about my lack of knowledge. And something I am lacking in exploration, is programming, because I just have let this sit aside. I remember recalling #Brennan, saying C++ is the language to start, if you want to understand. I am asking myself now: C first? Or C++ first? Sorry, for this crazy topic.
Today, I won't be able to participate much into the discussion (I have to work on my sleeping hygiene, keep in mind, I live in the middle of Europe time wise), and tomorrow probably only in the evening (I feel so bad now). But I will come back as soon as I can!
Now, if an admin wants to change my category from linux to general discussion, or something else: I WANT TO WORK ON LINUX, and other operating systems. Well... you see. Please don't change it. If I could, I would throw these categories into a nutshell:
#Linux__________________#Hardware
#Unix
#Windows
If I have to pick one, it should be linux, and Hardware. (damn, can't pick just one)
And I also want this to be in the linux section, so the linux guys see it for sure.
P.S.: What is a good book to get an understanding of linux (file system, what linux is, etc.), and learning the command line? Perhaps even trying to master that to a certain degree? I have no problems with English. If there has been a forum topic already specifically about this, maybe just throw the link here. Thank you.