Before I started writing about technology, I was a Beltway Bandit. That is, I was an IT contractor working for NASA and the Department of Defense. In those days, my job skills were Unix and mainframe system administrator, database programming, e-mail, and network administration. I never lacked for a job. But that was in the 80s. Today, if you want a job, the skills you need are in the cloud. And, what does the cloud use — even Microsoft Azure? Linux and open-source. It’s that simple.

So, to land a job like that, you need to either learn or prove you have mad open-source developer skills or Linux sysadmin abilities that employers want. You must be able to prove that you can actually walk the walk and not just talk the talk. One way you can prove you’ve got what it takes is to take and pass well-regarded classes and get certified in these technologies.

The Linux Foundation is an IT certification pioneer, offering its first certification exams back in 2014 in a remote format. Before this, it was virtually unheard of to take an IT certification exam outside of a testing center. The Linux Foundation established verifiable, secure remote proctoring processes, which remain in place. This makes it much easier, especially in the days of the coronavirus pandemic for qualified individuals to obtain certifications without traveling.

Here are some of the best of the best of their class programs. I’ve focused on the ones leading to certifications because having a certification can always help. Many techies don’t respect certifications, but to get a job in IT, you must first get by the human resources gatekeepers. And, if they don’t see the certifications they’re looking for, you’ll never get a chance to show your prospective boss your technical chops.

Best Linux Foundation classes in 2020: Intro to Linux, Cloud Engineer Bootcamp, and more More>