Open source knowledge is very valuable in today’s job market. The 2016 Open Source Jobs Report from The Linux Foundation clearly showed that hiring managers are placing much value on open source cloud, networking, and security skills. It also showed that DevOps is emerging as a red hot job category.
The good news is that there are fast tracks emerging for gaining valuable skills with open source skills. Some of these options can lead directly to rewarding employment opportunities. Here are some possibilities to consider:
Hack Reactor and App Academy
The 12-week code bootcamp that Hack Reactor offers has made enough waves that it was one of the topics at a recent conference headed up by President Obama. Leaders at Hack Reactor claim a 98 percent hiring rate for its graduates, with the average graduate salary at $104,000 per year.
“I came to Hack Reactor with a strong web design background and came out with mastery of the full stack,” said recent graduate Elle Beal, who is now employed at Nodeprime. You can apply for Hack Reactor’s program here, and the program includes building fully realized applications and leveraging open source tools and platforms.
The Code Bootcamp offered by App Academy is similar to Hack Reactor’s program, but consider this difference: App Academy does not charge you for its educational program until you are hired. “Your success is our success” is the company’s motto.
From Ruby to JavaScript, App Academy’s 12-week program emphasizes in-demand tools and platforms, many of which are open source. Average graduate salaries in San Francisco are pegged at $105,000 per year, according to App Academy.
Linux Foundation Training
The Linux Foundation offers very doable training offerings that can equip you with open source skills that are currently highly valued in the job market. According to The Linux Foundation’s 2016 Open Source Jobs Report, more than half of surveyed hiring managers say knowledge of the OpenStack cloud platform has a big impact on hiring decisions.
At the recent OpenStack Summit, The OpenStack Foundation announced the availability of a Certified OpenStack Administrator (COA) exam. Developed in partnership with The Linux Foundation, the exam is performance-based and available anytime, anywhere. It allows professionals to demonstrate their OpenStack skills and helps employers gain confidence that new hires are ready to work.
The Linux Foundation also offers an OpenStack Administration Fundamentals course, which serves as preparation for the certification. The foundation also offers comprehensive Linux training and other classes. You can explore options here. Additionally, Red Hat and Mirantis offer very popular OpenStack training options.
Take the Big Data Path
The Big Data trend stretches as far as the eye can see, and picking up skills with open source data analytics tools can line you up for promising jobs.
The Apache Kafka project is making such a difference in the Big Data space that it is being aimed at cutting-edge streaming data analytics efforts. It is a Top-Level project at Apache and is being leveraged along with Apache Spark in many streaming scenarios. The engineers who created Kafka at LinkedIn also created Confluent, which focuses on Kafka. Confluent University offers training courses for Kafka developers, and for operators/administrators.
Hadoop, of course, is one of the kings of the hill in open source data analytics, and you can find many good options for Hadoop training. Hortonworks, a spin-off of Yahoo, has been providing many kinds of Hadoop training for a long time now and runs Hortonworks University, which focuses on teaching beginning to advanced Hadoop skills.
Meanwhile, Cloudera has been providing Hadoop training for years, and there is very likely a class near you. Check the Cloudera site for details. Cloudera’s training ranges from architectural instruction to fundamentals of MapReduce and powerful analytics. The company also offers certification.
Additionally, take a look at MapR’s free Hadoop training offerings, as described here. The company has attracted tens of thousands of students to its online classes.
Companies like IBM are pouring billions of dollars into Apache Spark initiatives, and you can find very accessible Spark training, too. MapR offers free Spark training options, and Cloudera also has an expanded Apache Spark training curriculum, although many of its classes are available for small fees. For more information about the courses on Spark and to register for a class, visit university.cloudera.com.
Also, on the Spark front, Databricks, which is the company founded by the team that created Apache Spark, has announced the General Availability of Databricks Community Edition (DCE), a free version of a just-in-time data platform built on top of Apache Spark. It comes with access to free, online courses that can arm you with top-notch Spark skills.
