Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am currently working in the help desk field. i've had a couple of positions mentioned to me that they were looking for someone w/familiarity w/more then one OS. I'm pretty familiar with XP and i'm currently studying for Linux + cert. I'm a Linux newbie in the sense that I have installed the OS and an vaguely familiar with the foundation of Linux, but haven't played with it indepth yet.
Anyhow, i was considering getting a Macbook this way i could have something to learn "Leonard". I think it's going to be too confusing to attempt to install Leonard on a typical PC and even then, there might be compatability issues - so if i'm going to learn it, i'd rather learn it in a stable environment.
needless to say, the macbook would set me back over 1K. However, if the investment could help broaden my knowledge base which could potentially lead to a better paying job, one that would be more fun as i'd be supporting multiple OS - it might be worth the investment.
So, i'm wondering if anyone has any opinions on the validity of adding knowledge of a Mac OS to one's resume, how much that could potentially add to one's resume - in contrast to the money needed to be invested in a macbook to get to that point. I'd prefer the macbook over the mac mini because i'd rather be able to roam with the system instead of being limited to a desktop.
Not to be a grammar/spelling nazi, but its Leopard.... not Leonard (I thought it was a typo at first.. but you had it multiple times).
I'd say from an employment perspective, you'd be better off getting experience with Linux or even BSD (where OS X's Mach Kernel came from). This is unless the specific job you are applying to states they want OS X experience. Bottom line, having good knowledge of Linux/Unix will make picking up OS X much easier - from a sys admin stand point. Which is the logical step after helpdesk.
Not saying having OS X won't help... but Linux will be even more helpful.
Well, at least to me it makes sense to include Mac OSX in the applications to learn. The more you know, the better it is for the resume. You will notice that the Macintosh is very popular at the media departments at universities, and there are PC as well as Mac computer technicians being hired not only at the computers shops, and labs (universities), but at repair shops in town. A friend of mine has been a computer technician for over 25 years, and he works with both PC and Mac computers at the local university.
Actually, i've done help desk with Dell for about 3 1/2 years before moving out to Seattle. With that experience, I can say that troubleshooting XP can be quite more extensive than simply "plug it in and turn it on" - it really all depends on how far down the rabbit hole one wants to go.
I've come across a couple of job offers (that didn't span out) that were looking for knowledge of two OS, XP and Linux or Mac - so they didn't single out Mac OS X specifically. I figure the reason being is as the MAC OS is based on BSD, which is a unix variant anyway - it's probably akin to six in one hand, half a dozen in the other.
Anyhow, I haven't seen much offerings for Mac aside from those two positions - so i'm thinking to simply focus on Linux as my newbie learning experience.
Actually, i've done help desk with Dell for about 3 1/2 years before moving out to Seattle. With that experience, I can say that troubleshooting XP can be quite more extensive than simply "plug it in and turn it on" - it really all depends on how far down the rabbit hole one wants to go.
I've come across a couple of job offers (that didn't span out) that were looking for knowledge of two OS, XP and Linux or Mac - so they didn't single out Mac OS X specifically. I figure the reason being is as the MAC OS is based on BSD, which is a unix variant anyway - it's probably akin to six in one hand, half a dozen in the other.
Anyhow, I haven't seen much offerings for Mac aside from those two positions - so i'm thinking to simply focus on Linux as my newbie learning experience.
thanks....
I also do PC support. It most definitely is a lot more extensive than plug it in, turn it on. I wasn't aware you had worked at a company for any period of time. I've found (from my experience in Seattle) that most people who don't have experience with some decent company, are really only suited for tier 1 support, and in my experience... the tier 1 folks tell me to plug it in, and turn it on. I attempt to restrain my urge to strangle them as they methodically go through their step by step scripts, and eventually either start thinking, or they transfer me to someone else who can.
/rant.
Sorry, I work in tech support, and I detest most of the people who I've worked with.
Your thoughts on Unix/Mac OS X are right on. I would suggest learning the linux commands and such, because while Apple is taking a larger and larger bite out of Microsoft, the apperance of linux distros in stores is also very comforting, and I think that people will be more akin to using those once they are aware that they are supported by the brands they know and trust (HP, Dell) and that while Apple makes a phenomenal product, and now that they use similar hardware as the rest of the PC community, theres still a very large weird factor "one button mouse?! How do I do ___?!!". Where with linux distros we are getting closer and closer to user interfaces that closely resemble Windows, and thats what people flock to, because thats what they're comfortable with.
Though, as more and more people who have grown up knowing that Apple exists and is a contender (products like the iPod and iPhone come to mind), Microsoft will lose more and more of its grip to that market.
/monologue
Anyway, they're both unix based. I think learning straight linux will be more beneficial as I believe its more translatable into either a) A different distro, or b) to Mac OS X (which is really just another unix distro.
ADDITIONALLY: Lots of corporations run linux servers for various things, and learning the console commands will go a long way if you choose to go into network operations.
well, of course you weren't aware of my previous work experience - if you were, that'd be downright freaky - i might add....
"strangling" = still illegal in 50 out of 50 united states (or, at least don't admit to it in a public forum - hehehe)
Seattle is a tough town. In one sense there's lots of IT job, but of course there's lots of IT people as well. Also, if i was willing to work for $15/hour - i could be working steady - no problem but heck, isn't that umm what i worked at Dell for almost four years for, so i could ~reasonably hope~ for a better salary . The thing i've noticed about Seattle (and this might be a national trend, who knows...) is that many companies are outsourcing their jobs to agencies. So basically, you end up working for an agency, sans benefits and security of full time employment. I've seen a few positions which are contract to "possible hire" - where the contract position is advertised for like, a year - yikes! The pay on some of those is spot on (mostly because of the lack of benefits) but what ever happened to companies y'know "hiring people" - ugh!
I think if i had access to a Powerbook or Macbook, it'd be worth it to try and learn Tiger or Leopard but at the same time, it's definitely not something to warrant the expenditure of buying such a system (darn, there's goes a perfectly good excuse to buy a new toy ). So for now, i'll trudge along using Puppy Linux on my usb thumbdrive which can boot directly, or i can run it in windows using QEMU (so simple, that even i got it to work, w/the help of LinuxWorld magazine...) and my soon to be new installation of Open Suse 10.3.
PM me, and I'll give you some of my recruiter contacts. One of the things I do like about the agencies in Seattle, is that they do the job searching for you. And, yeah... you get some temp jobs, and yeah some of them don't pan out, and no you don't have job security necessarilly. But, the agencies do offer benefits once you've worked with them for like 3 months or something.
But, then again, when I was looking for a job there... I wanted temp work because I was moving in August. But my wages started at $12/hr for the first job, jumped to $25/hr (that job was... easy doesn't even begin to cover it. It was a little high-stress, but once I wrote my batch script, it was golden), and then stabilized at around $18/hr.
Then again, cost of living is a little tough out there.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
(or, at least don't admit to it in a public forum - hehehe)
. The thing i've noticed about Seattle (and this might be a national trend, who knows...) is that many companies are outsourcing their jobs to agencies. So basically, you end up working for an agency, sans benefits and security of full time employment. I've seen a few positions which are contract to "possible hire" - where the contract position is advertised for like, a year - yikes! The pay on some of those is spot on (mostly because of the lack of benefits) but what ever happened to companies y'know "hiring people" - ugh!
). So for now, i'll trudge along using Puppy Linux on my usb thumbdrive which can boot directly, or i can run it in windows using QEMU (so simple, that even i got it to work, w/the help of LinuxWorld magazine...) and my soon to be new installation of Open Suse 10.3.
