Running Head: LEARNING LINUX

Learning Linux: Archaic or Advantageous?

Kimberly Workman
Ivy Tech Community College
CINT 108 Section 01F Fall 2013
November 16, 2013

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Learning Linux: Archaic or Advantageous?
Many different computer operating systems have been used in the past or are
being used on current computers. You may have even used or heard of MS-DOS, Mac
operating systems, Solaris, MorphOS, Unix, Android, and/or the Microsoft Windows
operating system. The Microsoft Windows operating system is the most well-known and
most frequently used operating system among computer users today; however, there is
another operating system that was developed by Linus Torvalds, a software engineer and
hacker from Finland, that can be advantageous to learn despite it being developed in the
early 1990s (Goldsborough, 2011, p. 12).
The Linux operating system, while not maybe as well-known as the Windows
operating system or the Mac operating system, may offer advantages to those who take
upon the task of learning how to use this operating system. The advantages of taking a
course on the Linux operating system may prove to expand the opportunities of the Linux
student in their future careers. Based on the key findings from the Linux Jobs Survey and
Report (2012) completed by the Linux Foundation, the demand for Linux talent is on the
rise, but finding those professionals is difficult (Dice &The Linux Foundation, 2012). With
the demand for Linux professionals being on the rise and the availability of Linux
professionals not growing as steadily, the individual who learns the Linux operating
system may become an invaluable asset to a corporation seeking Linux professionals.
This supply-and-demand of the skilled Linux professional could provide for many lucrative
outcomes especially in the field of mobile technology including tablets, PDAs, and
smartphones.

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Mobile technology is a booming field in todays society. Many of the mobile devices
being used today are running a Linux-based operating system. The well-known mobile
operating system, Android, uses the kernel of Linux in its technology. Besides Apples
iOS, formerly known as the iPhone OS, Android is the major mobile operating system
packaged on tablets and smartphones. Cisco, a worldwide leader in networking
technology, predicts that the growth in the use of smartphones and tablets will see more
than 7 billion the worlds current population in use, with huge growth in Asia, the
Pacific, and Africa (Arthur, 2013). What this means for the individual who has learned the
ins and-outs of Linux is that the possiblities of doors opening for them in the workforce
which may have been closed will increase dramatically, and along with those doors
opening, will be the purse strings of the employers.
Linux professionals could potentially expect to earn higher wages and better perks
including job security within the workforce than those without the knowledge and
experience learned in a Linux course or through practice with the Linux operating system.
Based on the Linux Jobs Report (2012), Linux professionals saw a five percent increase,
year-over-year, in their pay as well as a 15 percent jump in bonus payouts (Dice & The
Linux Foundation, 2012). The report also cited additional steps employers were taking to
retain Linux professionals including flexible working schedules, additional training and
certifications, salary increases above the company norm, and additional stock options
within the company.
These added perks along with the prospect of secured employment in a time
when the economy has been in dire straits could compel a reasonable person to
understand the importance in participating in a Linux course when pursuing an

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education in a computer-related field. The more experience a person can gain in Linux
appears to be well-worth the effort, not only financially, but for job security and the
stability of ones future. While learning a command-line interface based operating
system such as Linux may seem archaic to some, it appears that Linux may prove to be
the wave of the future with its use and integration into the ever-growing field of mobile
technology.

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References

Arthur, C. (2013, February 7). Mobile internet devices will outnumber humans this year.
The Guardian. Retrieved from
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/feb/07/mobile-internet-outnumberpeople
The Linux Foundation & Dice. (2012, February 16). 2012 Linux jobs report: Strong
demand drives higher salaries, more perks for Linux professionals. Retrieved from
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/sites/main/files/dice_lf_linux_jobs_report_2012.pdf
Goldsborough, R. (2011, October). Twenty years of Linux. 71, 12. Retrieved from Ebsco
Host:
http://web.ebscohost.com.allstate.libproxy.ivytech.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?s
id=b0bcccf0-1cce-4b73-be3a-f4ca3e506e7e%40sessionmgr15&vid=22&hid=26

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