RHCE - is it worth it?

[Kairo]

Has anyone here done the Red Hat Certified Engineer test? I'm thinking about doing it, but wanted to talk to someone who had done it, beforehand. Also, do you think this would be of any benefit in a job hunt? I am currently a network tech (Cisco and such) and I am currently looking to broaden my career opportunities by getting certifications in administration and such. Any info would be apprecitiated.

[kshim5]

RHCE definately worth it . Linux is making huge inroads so it would definately be a excellent investment for you and for the employer.

there are also cheaper alternatives such but the RHCE is more challenging.

http://www.lpi.org/

[bwilliam79]

I earned my RHCE about a month ago. I started searching for a new job shortly after, and I am still searching. It may be expensive, but overall I feel it is worth it. I would like to get my LPI certs as well, just to prove I understand Linux thoroughly, not just the Red Hat way.

[evac-q8r]

bwilliam79,

I am curious about these courses. Did you feel like you gained alot by taking them. I know that they are rather short in duration (like less than a week -- actually a couple of days.) Do you feel like they glazed over things or that they provided too much information over the time in which you had. Did you feel like they presented too many things that you already know?

EVAC

[Kairo]

On the troubleshooting portion, were the problems logical? The last troubleshooting thing I did, like this, was when I was a ground radio tech in the air force, and our final block of instruction was a troubleshooting block. 3/4ths of the problems they created for us to troubleshoot were completley obscure and non logical. An example is, they would undo a cable on the inside of a radio, and tell you, that you can't lift the cover of the radio. Now granted you could eventually make an educated guess to get to the problem, but if something is horridly messed up, your gonna lift the lid to check it out. What I am getting at, is do they jack something up and then limit your resources to find the problem?

[bwilliam79]

evac -

I really enjoyed the courses, they are 4 or 5 days in length depending on which one you take. I think it helped reinforce concepts and confidence in my abilities. The instructors are extremely nice and very knowledgeable, and they were willing to take time to discuss things which weren't even part of the course. All of them came in from out of town, so they were even willing to stay late to discuss things. All in all, I was pretty pleased. Some things were redundant, but other things weren't. If you are already familiar with Linux, skip the first course (obviously). I took it because I was just getting started, and I already knew 90% of what was covered.

Kairo -

I (for legal reasons) can't discuss what the test consisted of, but I can tell you that they do give you everything you need to fix problems. As long as you know what you are doing, and have good analytical/troubleshooting skills, it's a piece of cake. That said, if you aren't familiar with how things work, it can be a real nightmare.

[Kairo]

Cool, thanks for the info. I was just wondering wether they limited your capabilities or not. Like in the example I gave before, lifting the lid of a radio to see if any cables had come undone. Simple, normal troubleshooting procedures that they specify that you can't do.

Didn't know they offered a course too, instead of just a test. Was just going to buy a study book and go take the test, but I think I will do the class too. Too much info never killed anyone, thanks again :)

[Jinx]

The RHCE is one of those Certs that you can not just brain cram for (like some other certs out there...). It is designed so that you will only pass if you know what you are doing.

If you pass you are definately going to know at least the fundamentals of the Redhat OS and the basic troubleshooting portions of it. Because of this, I think it is highly regarded in the industry. I think it is worth it... but be warned, you need to know your stuff... you can't go in half prepared and expect to pass.

I enjoyed it when I did it... you actually learn something about Redhat/Linux in the process which is half the fun!

Cya round
Jinx