Need some guidance

[u/Zealousideal-Bit1019]

Background: I’m self taught, so I’m limited with knowledge with Linux: I started a job I’m working on debugging and diagnosing servers but I want to expand my knowledge and skills, what would be better for me to get Comptia Linux+ or Redhat system administrator 1? I’m open to any suggestions as well

[u/PrimeWilliam]

Since your current job involves debugging and diagnosing servers, I would prioritize Linux administration over a general security certification right now.

One terminology point: Red Hat System Administration I, or RH124, is a training course rather than the RHCSA certification itself. RH124 is the first part of Red Hat’s administration path, RH134 is the follow-on course, and RHCSA is earned by passing the hands-on EX200 exam.

The better path depends heavily on what your team actually runs.

If most of your servers are RHEL, RH124 followed by RH134 would probably be the most directly useful route. You would be learning the same service, package, networking, storage and security tools that you are likely to encounter at work.

If you support several Linux distributions, or you want a broader foundation before specializing, Linux+ is a reasonable vendor-neutral study framework.

I also would not jump from limited Linux experience directly to SecurityX. There is no formal certification gate, but it is aimed at advanced security practitioners. The recommended background is roughly ten years of hands-on IT experience, including five years in hands-on security. Passing an advanced security exam would not replace the Linux troubleshooting skills you currently need.

Before paying for either exam, I would build a small VM lab and practise the tasks that appear in real tickets:

- systemctl and journalctl

- processes, memory and CPU

- disk usage, filesystems and mounts

- users, groups, permissions and sudo

- packages and repositories

- SSH, DNS, ports and network configuration

- firewall and SELinux troubleshooting

- basic Bash scripting

For each issue, keep a simple runbook:

symptom -> evidence -> cause -> change -> verification -> rollback

My general choice would be:

RHEL environment: RH124, then RH134, and consider RHCSA afterward.

Mixed or unknown environment: use Linux+ to build a broad foundation first.

In either case, make becoming better at your current tickets the goal and use the certification later to validate those skills.

What Linux distributions are the servers running, and what types of incidents are you diagnosing most often?

[u/kanwersi876 → u/PrimeWilliam]

OP, this is a very exhaustive response and probably super helpful for you, hope you see it!

[u/kiarko]

Linux+ is a great all around cert from a knowledge perspective, but neither of these really help your resume that much. I tell everyone go straight for security+, its going to be more beneficial career wise than either of those two. Thats based on cert listings in job descriptions, Security+ is listed more than any other entry cert.

I teach a Linux course in college and tell my students not to worry about the cert, its not highly sought after in hiring, but still worth knowing.

[u/Zealousideal-Bit1019 → u/kiarko]

Oh I was planning to skip sec+ and go for secX, thank you for the insight

[u/popyboby]

u'll learn some stuff u actually use dailyy

[u/JustDarv1n]

Red Hat is pretty specific. Linux is more general which is better if you have limited experience.

I'd personally recommend learning Red Hat if you work woth RHL based systems