RHEC

[max]

Randy Easley wrote:
> To whom it may concern:
> 
> I would like to begin a career as a red hat engineer. I have used linux
> for a few years and my company has decided to send me to red hat
> classes. 
> 
> I wondering how to best prepare myself and get an early jump on a new
> life. I've thought of joining Fedora as a tester also. 
> 
> If anyone has been down this path or has just started, can you please
> direct me to some references and maybe a great way to get started for
> the red hat exams?
> 
> Thanks and mucho appreciated!
> 
> Randy 
> 
I am also a beginner in the linux world. Subscribing to this list is a 
good start and a great way to learn things. The classes will teach you 
alot, but you only get out what you put in. I haven't gotten around to 
taking red hat courses but its on my agenda. In any field a strong 
desire to learn is always the key ingredient to success, along with the 
belief that you can succeed. I would say forget the exams. I have spoken 
with many teachers, the general consensus is that the curriculum gets 
tossed out the window when it comes time for FCAT's or whatever other 
standardized test they have jumped to now and the student's long term 
education suffers because they now teach only the things covered on the 
test. Everything revolves around the test. Well the test is just a 
series of questions to test general knowledge but its key points are 
well know. Memorization of facts becomes the norm and while memorization 
of certain things is certainly important, its only true if they never 
change, multiplication tables can be learned this way but science 
cannot. Facts can change. Everyone used to think the earth was flat 
until someone proved them wrong. The atom was long held to be the 
smallest of the building blocks, now we know it is not. I probably 
couldn't teach you even a tenth of what there is to know about linux but 
its not about knowing every fact you can cram into your head, its about 
understanding what holds up the few facts you do know, the underlying 
principles and design philosophy are more important than knowing every 
command and associated option, understanding that the limits are meant 
to be pushed, that the reality is, there is no limit. It doesn't matter 
if I memorize every command and option, if I can't read the man page for 
a totally new command and understand it, if I don't have the courage to 
hose my system and set myself the task of fixing it. Learn to depend on 
your own knowledge and not that of others. So I shouldn't take advice? 
No, that is not what I am saying. I regularly seek out advice right here 
on this list, but I take responsibility for what I do(that is my 
ultimate goal anyway, we all stumble) If i choose to listen to someone 
who tells me to log in as root and run : rm -rf  /  who's fault is that? 
Their's? because they took advantage of my naivete or mine? because I 
chose to trust in someone else's judgement more than my own. We often 
wish each other good luck but the truth is there is no such creature. We 
make our own luck. Keep your eyes and your ears open and just because 
someone, anyone else says so, doesn't make it so. Let the force be with you.

Max