[Tfug] experience

[Zack Williams]

> I've lurked on the list for a while now without posting so let me introduce
> myself a little before I get to my questions.  My name is Christopher Burch
> and I currently work as an avionics technician on Davis-Monthan while also
> providing computer support for users in my unit.  I am going to school for a
> degree in network security and I would like to acquire some operational
> experience in the IT world.  The list seems like a good place to ask this
> question since it appears most of you work in or around an IT environment
> and would be in the know.

Sounds like a plan!

> Now to my questions, aside from having multiple versions of *nix installed
> around the house, what or where would you recommend I look to acquire some
> formal experience?  My current experience, in addition to work, includes
> administering a web server for a school project running CentOS 5, a personal
> web server running Slackware 11, dual booting Windows 7 and Kubuntu 8.10 on
> my laptop, and dual booting Vista x64 and  Slackware 12.2 on my desktop.  Is
> this enough to count as experience when applying for an IT position or
> should I look for more formal venues like volunteer/internship positions
> down town?  If so, where is the best place to find out about said positions?

It looks like you have a ton of Linux/Windows experience.  That's a good start.

The next step I'd recommend would be to try out a BSD variant.
OpenBSD is what I generally recommend, as it's easy to learn, has
great documentation, and can be practically deployed as a firewall or
security appliance.   It's probably up your alley as you're already
interested in security.

Also, if you're going to be getting into any sort of system
administration, I'd recommend the book "The Practice of System and
Network Administration" by Limoncelli/Hogan/Chalup:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0321492668/

There's a big gap between running a few Unix systems at home, and
being an admin over a larger network.  That book should get you
pointed in the right direction.

- Zack