Exchange Student would like to Learn System Administration
-
@DustinB3403 said in Exchange Student would like to Learn System Administration:
@scottalanmiller said in Exchange Student would like to Learn System Administration:
@DustinB3403 said in Exchange Student would like to Learn System Administration:
So my exchange student (not MS Exchange) ...
OMG that's totally what I was thinking, too.
So any pointers? Should I have him start with something basic, like installing the Hypervisor. or go deeper into it and have him create the array, and go from there?
Start with... what does he know now? And what makes him interested in IT?
-
@scottalanmiller said in Exchange Student would like to Learn System Administration:
@DustinB3403 said in Exchange Student would like to Learn System Administration:
@scottalanmiller said in Exchange Student would like to Learn System Administration:
@DustinB3403 said in Exchange Student would like to Learn System Administration:
So my exchange student (not MS Exchange) ...
OMG that's totally what I was thinking, too.
So any pointers? Should I have him start with something basic, like installing the Hypervisor. or go deeper into it and have him create the array, and go from there?
Start with... what does he know now? And what makes him interested in IT?
He knows nothing currently, so starting at the basics of system troubleshooting would be where I started. But I also started with a job. I learned while being paid to learn.
He's interested in IT because he knows he can't make a good income back home as a history teacher.
-
@DustinB3403 said in Exchange Student would like to Learn System Administration:
He's interested in IT because he knows he can't make a good income back home as a history teacher.
Where is back home?
-
@scottalanmiller mainland China.
-
@scottalanmiller so no pointers?
-
@DustinB3403 said in Exchange Student would like to Learn System Administration:
@scottalanmiller mainland China.
Worth considering that some jobs will be more prevalent than others as that is an outsource to, rather than out outsource from, nation. So while system administration is lean in the US, it is very heavy there. But while network administration is heavy in the US, it is more lean there.
-
@scottalanmiller So you're thinking have him learn how to configure firewalls and networks and VPN's and skip things such as hypervisors and system administration overall?
-
screw up the ip, dns, etc. have him connect a desktop pc to a domain you set up. etc.
-
I always start with a computer, then work inward to the rest of the network. That computer touches services like DNS, DHCP, AD, etc. So I explain networking, then from there I explain a domain controller. Once we get through that, then storage. From there, virtual machines and hypervisors. Then email systems. That'll be about 6 months to a year worth.
-
Notice I didn't say anything about Windows or Linux... teach whatever you want (I would do both, personally... at least the desktops). Linux is arguably more easy to grasp. So whether you want to cover CentOS, or just Windows Server, that's up to you. I would at least cover BASH at some point though, personally I would have him learn on Mint for the Linux desktop.
-
All layers of the OSI model, of course. That should be around the time you're covering networking. I mean there is a lot of information to cover... it just depends on how much of the basics you want to cover, and how much time you have. You can just start from the beginning, lightly toughing on as much as you can, and see how far you get.
If it were me learning, I would want to hit major points, and then I can get into the fine details myself. Though that runs the risk of someone misunderstanding something small, which could be a big thing later on. They could also develop some pretty bad habits. But at least they hit on the major points so they can then start learning on their own.
-
@DustinB3403 said in Exchange Student would like to Learn System Administration:
@scottalanmiller So you're thinking have him learn how to configure firewalls and networks and VPN's and skip things such as hypervisors and system administration overall?
Opposite
-
What does "he knows nothing" mean? From my perspective, knowing nothing is what I did when I was 6. After that I always knew something about computers. On a scale from 1 to 10... 1 being "The cup holder in my computer is broken!" and 10 being entry-level job ready... how do you rank his current knowledge?
Teaching him about hypervisors would be pointless without a knowledge of system architecture. Teaching him about the OSI model would be pointless if he doesn't know what TCP/IP is. You need to gauge where he's at and go from there. Maybe have him pick up a (not too dry) A+ book. Maybe watch some videos about how TCP, IP, UDP work. Ethernet, switches, routers?
-
@TAHIN said in Exchange Student would like to Learn System Administration:
What does "he knows nothing" mean? From my perspective, knowing nothing is what I did when I was 6. After that I always knew something about computers. On a scale from 1 to 10... 1 being "The cup holder in my computer is broken!" and 10 being entry-level job ready... how do you rank his current knowledge?
Teaching him about hypervisors would be pointless without a knowledge of system architecture. Teaching him about the OSI model would be pointless if he doesn't know what TCP/IP is. You need to gauge where he's at and go from there. Maybe have him pick up a (not too dry) A+ book. Maybe watch some videos about how TCP, IP, UDP work. Ethernet, switches, routers?
A+ isn't really an IT cert. So recommending it doesn't make a lot of sense. If they really want to learn Systems Admin tasks they need to do some work in it. Get a cheap server install a hypervisor and then send them the task list that @scottalanmiller made/recommended a few months ago.
Learning networking is great. Having a basis in that is a good idea for sure... but that's not really Sys Admin work if that's what they are interested in.
-
A Network+ could make sense.
