Thesis pertaining to finances to get RHCE

[Copperhead]

I didn't know where to put this, so I thought that I'd start with The Lounge. Please move it if it is not appropriate.

This is going to be a long post, as I am going to give everyone the entire run-down.

Basically, I am trying to get into a local school to gain my RHCE. I will be earning my A.S. in Computer Science (Programming) in July, and I am going to have a lot of free time until Spring, when I am allowed to enroll in a a State University.

As you may or may not know, RCHE courses are extremely expensive, which will require me, as much as I hate to, to leech some money off of my parents. I know they have student loans, company funding, but I am really trying to avaoid paying off a loan, and I am currently unemployed, so that takes care of part B LOL.

Neither of my parents are very computer saavy and my mother wanted to talk to the guy in the IT department in her office before she came up with any type of decision. So, I get the call today, saying that she talked to the guy in her IT department, and (I am going to limit the basis of this thing to the RHCE) here is the run-down of what he said:

- RHCE is a good certificate, but I should really look into MCSE. Most, if not all businesses are using M$ based products, and if I went forward with the RHCE, I would "be a big fish in a small pond." (We all know this to be not true, even in the slightest. )

- The M$ .NET "foundation" (as he put it) is a simpel solution to many complexities that cannot be solved using Linux.

- (On the topic of servers) Most business are using M$ servers because Linux is open soure, which makes it very vulnerable to hackers. M$ servers are all closed source, which make them far less perviant to hacker attacks. (I have done work with Apache servers, and I know that anyone with even a remote knowledge of security, can make their site virtually hacker-proof.)

- (HERE IS THE KICKER) Since Linux is open source, it is far less easier to program viruses, and expose it to malicious activity than it is on Windows because you cannot see the source code. (Yeah, show me a virus written in C. One that works)

This is making me want to puke just typing this.

The problem herein lies with my mother. Since this blockhead has 20+ more years experience than I, this guy could tell her that a brick of Bill Gates's turds are made of gold, and she'll believe it. You know, and I know, that this guy is a waste. But, I need to prove her, and him wrong.

So, if you guys have any bookmarks about anything mentioned in this post, could you please post them? I am doing a bit of research myself, and I really want to get finances to try for this certification. I know this could be beneficial to me, and the more that I can learn, the more I can pass on to others. That is the beauty of Open Source. How many MCSE guys do you see out there on the web that can offer any more insight to someone's problem except to direct them to a wizard? This guy is a aimpleton pointer-and-clicker, and I would really like to prove him wrong. I plan on doing a presentation in either C++ or Java, to prove my point. Of course, I am going to pass it along to mom, and to Mr Point-and-Click. It will NOT be binary either. They will have to compile it, and then run it. LOL...good luck on Windows!

[Calum]

well it sounds like you are perfectly capable of finding out proper information about this yourself, the real issue is this hurdle of getting your mother to put up the money in my opinion,

if your mother wants you to get an MCSE (Minesweeper Consultant, Solitaire Expert, in void main's words) then you either get an MCSE or get an RHCE under your own steam, no?

i could easily give you a detailed rundown (as i am sure most posters here could, or you yourself could) of why open source software is infinitely more secure than proprietary/closed software, and i could easily quote jargon/statistics about how fast the *ix base is growing and how many percent of systems and servers run on red hat alone, and how anybody who wants to be doing anything other than deskside or helpdesk applications support for microsoft word will want to steer well clear of the MCSE as a waste of time and money but you can dredge all that up off of google yourself as well as i can i suspect.

I used to work with a woman who had finished her MCSE, we worked in a call centre. odd that she couldn't get a computer related job what with her universally lauded MCSE and all...

of course her MCSE would be totally void by now, since she did it in 2000, that's another thing about the MCSE, they keep changing it so it's not appropriate anymore every once in a while, presumably to get you to keep coughing up the bucks.

if i were you i would save up till i have the money or take out a loan.

[Linux Frank]

Well if you need something to prove him wrong how about this.

http://news.netcraft.com/archives/web_server_survey.html

This is the netcraft survey of servers. As you can see M$ have never had a lead in the market, and are now actually on a downward turn.

Proving him absolutely wrong on one point may be enough to discredit him.