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Hey Reader,
Some tech "influencers" will tell you to learn AI to get a tech job.
But the best skill to learn to land a tech job in almost any tech domain is Linux.
A hiring manager who interviewed 50+ tech candidates said:
“Good Linux skills almost always get candidates to the next round. Failing this is enough to disqualify someone.”
By the way, if you are looking for a tech job:
Apply for the Kube Career Accelerator >> Click Here <<
I Made a Massive Mistake Learning Linux
One of the biggest mistakes I made in my tech career is this:
I kept watching videos and reading books.
When I was learning Linux, I read several books before I even touched the keyboard.
This is not the way to learn Linux.
The best way to learn Linux is to start using it.
Just jump in and start using it and all the rest flows from there. I will show you exactly how to do this without breaking anything.
But first, let me tell you why this matters.
If you're reading this you should be learning Linux
If you are reading this, it is likely that you are using your computer 8 hours a day or more.
It might be more time than you spend with your wife or family.
Doesn’t it make sense to learn more about the computer you are working on?
Linux is an open-source operating system that powers 96% of the world’s web servers, every Android phone, and most cloud infrastructure.
It’s free, customizable, and runs on almost any hardware.
Most of the important computers in the world are powered by Linux.
This means that there are a lot of jobs that require you to know Linux.
This is true for many domains in tech.
It will help you if you want to work (or already work) as a software engineer, system administrator, DevOps engineer or cloud engineer.
Windows is spyware
Operating systems like Windows or MacOS work sufficiently well most of the time.
But you pay the price with your data.
Windows gathers data about the applications you use and even records what you type on your keyboard and sends it to their cloud for analysis.
None of that happens on Linux.
With Linux you get full control over your operating system again.
And the best part: it’s completely free!
The benefits of learning Linux
1. Breathing Life into Old Hardware
That old laptop with 4GB of RAM that’s “too slow” for Windows? It becomes perfectly functional on Linux.
You can turn dusty hardware into capable machines for free.
A base installation of Ubuntu Desktop will only use about 1.5GB of RAM!
It will feel super fast again!
2. Sovereignty: Owning Your Device
With Linux, you control what runs on your computer.
No forced updates, no data collection, no mystery processes running in the background.
Your device is much safer from viruses and malware attacks.
3. Self-Hosting
Want your own cloud storage, media server, or email?
Linux makes it possible to build your own private infrastructure instead of renting from big tech companies.
“But Won’t I Run Into Problems?”
I know what you’re thinking.
“Stuff doesn’t work” — Screen sharing, audio, gaming, and professional software all work fine on Linux now. The past 2 years have seen a huge amount of progress.
“It’s too hard” — Modern distributions like Ubuntu work out of the box just like Windows.
The command line feels hard because it’s unfamiliar, not because it’s complex.
“Too much work” — Flash a USB drive, boot from it, click through the installer. You’re done in 20 minutes.
“What if I break something?” — I will show you in the next section how to do this without breaking anything.
How to Start (The Risk-Free Way)
Here’s what I recommend to my students in KubeCraft:
Instead of switching to Linux and burning all bridges, you can first run Linux on a second device.
Try it out for a few weeks and slowly move over your workflow.
This way you keep it risk free.
What should I use as a second device?
Almost anyone has an old laptop in their closet.
Remember that machine from 5 years ago that became too slow to run Windows?
That machine will run Linux just fine.
Don’t have a laptop yourself?
Ask your family and friends. I will guarantee that your mother, father, uncle, aunt or best friend will have an old laptop lying around in their closet.
Choosing Your Linux Distribution
Linux is open source. This means that the source code of Linux is publicly available.
But the code won’t help you much as a beginner. This is why linux distributions exist.
There are thousands of different distributions.
You can see these as “flavors” of Linux.
But here’s the one I recommend you start with:
Ubuntu Desktop
This is by far the easiest one to install and to get up and running quickly.
Your First Linux Installation (Step-by-Step)
This is what you need:
- laptop or desktop computer
- usb stick
Got those in place? Let’s go!
Preparation
Download Balena Etcher
This program will work on Windows and MacOS.
Next, download Ubuntu Desktop here:
https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop
Now you have a choice, you can go for the LTS or the latest edition.
LTS means Long Term Support.
In short, LTS will be stable in the long run.
But the latest version will have some newer features and packages built in.
I recommend going for the latest edition. You are probably going to switch to a different distribution in the future anyway.
Flash your image
Insert the USB stick into your computer.
Open Balena Etcher.
Find the ISO you downloaded in the previous step.
Click Flash.
Install to your computer
NOTE! This will remove all the data on your computer. Make sure you’ve made backups.
Insert the USB, restart your computer, and press F12 (or F2/Del/Esc depending on your laptop) during startup to enter the boot menu.
Select your USB drive from the list and press Enter to boot into the Ubuntu installer.
Follow the on-screen installer, it will guide you through the process in plain English.
Awesome, you have successfully switched to Linux!
What Happens Next
Now use it daily for basic tasks: browsing, email, notes.
Try to move your daily workflow to your new Linux system.
Explore your new system, and figure out how things work.
There is a whole new world of free and open source software for you to explore.
No more paid subscriptions for “apps” on your computer.
Now you just download programs and run them again!
Beyond Ubuntu
You now have a completely functional operating system that is ready to use.
But if you want to land a job as a system administrator or DevOps engineer, you have to go deeper than installing Ubuntu.
If you want to land a tech job with a six figure salary, CLICK HERE to learn more.
So here’s my question for you:
What’s stopping you from installing Linux this weekend?
Is it the fear of breaking something? The time investment? Or do you think you need to “learn more first”?
Reply and let me know. I read every response.
P.S. We only allow 10 students into the KubeCraft Career Accelerator per month. Claim your spot by clicking here.
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