These three courses from Pluralsight could be your breakthrough in the tech industry.
Linux is one of the world’s most popular open source operating systems, so if you want a career in engineering, it’s helpful to be at least a little familiar with Linux. Fortunately, there are many inexpensive ways to learn about Linux, and if you already have a subscription to an online education platform, chances are you already have access to Linux courses – you may not know it yet.
TO SEE: 40+ Open Source and Linux Terms You Need to Know (Tech Republic Premium)
Today, we’re highlighting Linux courses on Pluralsight, an online learning platform that focuses on helping those in the tech workforce develop the skills necessary to progress in their current career path or switch jobs.
What is Pluralsight?
Pluralsight courses cover many different topics, including engineering onboarding, talent mobility, software delivery, agile transformation, technical fluency, and more. Pluralsight issues certificates of completion for video courses, but not for interactive courses, labs, projects, or sandboxes. Pluralsight distinguishes between ‘courses’ and ‘learning paths’. A learning path is essentially a collection of courses grouped around a particular theme, and the courses in a single learning path often increase in difficulty as you progress through them.
In addition to the courses, Pluralsight also provides additional tools to help technical teams optimize workflows. The Flow solution helps teams compare old and new code, visualize pull requests, and more. For enterprises with a large workforce that need hands-on support, Pluralsight ProServ provides an excellent customer service experience and instructor-led training.
Most people looking to use Pluralsight to learn more about Linux will be interested in the Skills section of the platform. You get a 10-day free trial to decide if Pluralsight is right for you, then sign up for a monthly or annual Skills subscription. Individual plans start at $29/month per person or $299 per year, with premium upgrade options. Business team plans start at $33.25/month per person or $399 per year, and premium upgrade options are also available.
Best Pluralsight Linux Courses
Since Pluralsight charges a monthly or annual subscription, it makes sense to try to maximize your learning opportunities if you’re already paying for it. Fortunately, if you’re interested in learning Linux, Pluralsight offers dozens of different courses on the open operating system. Here are a few you should definitely consider:
Getting started with Linux
This introductory course, Getting Started with Linux, is perfect for beginners looking for an introduction to the open source operating system. The course has an average rating of over 4.5 stars and includes nearly two hours of video instruction.
Getting Started with Linux covers topics such as installing Linux, configuring the Linux environment, configuring the Linux desktop experience, and working with the Linux server. By the end of the course, students should have the knowledge to plan, deploy, and manage their own simple desktop and server Linux machines. If you’ve never worked with Linux before, this is the Pluralsight course you should start with.
Linux Basics
This Linux Fundamentals learning path actually combines three courses in one cohesive study. It starts with the Getting Started with Linux course above, then progresses to the intermediate Getting Started with the Linux Command Line course and ends with the Advanced Getting Started with Linux System Administration course.
All in all, this learning path includes 4 hours of instruction covering topics such as using the command line, managing processes, managing user and group accounts and related system files, and securing Linux. The course description states that a general familiarity with operating systems can be helpful, but not necessary to complete the learning path.
CompTIA Linux+ (XK0-004) Exam Preparation
The CompTIA Linux+ certification is one of the most popular and respected Linux certifications you can earn. Taking the exam currently costs $358 for each sitting, so it makes sense to study hard so you can pass on your first try. This extremely thorough CompTIA Linux+ learning path includes 10 individual courses and 45 hours of instruction, plus a 10% discount on your next CompTIA exam. The subjects included in the learning path are:
- Learning the fundamentals of CentOS Enterprise Linux 7 administration
- CentOS Enterprise Linux 7 Operation Essentials
- CentOS Enterprise Linux 7 User and Group Management
- CentOS Enterprise Linux 7 Storage Manager
- CentOS Enterprise Linux 7 Network Management
- CentOS Enterprise Linux 7 Service Management
- CentOS Enterprise Linux 7 Virtualization Management
- Managing software in Linux with Debian Software Management
- Creating Shell Scripts in Enterprise Linux
- Managing SELinux Policies in Enterprise Linux
By the end of this course, students will be well prepared to sit for the CompTIA Linux+ certification exam.
Pluralsight offers many more courses than the ones discussed here on Linux and other technical topics. If you don’t currently have a Pluralsight subscription and are looking for other ways to learn about Linux, check out our Linux course overviews with lessons from The Linux Foundation and eDX, udemy, Skill sharing and Learn LinkedIn.
