The Linux Talent Draft is On

Make no mistake: the Linux draft is on.

While the NFL season prepares to get underway there is an ongoing, intensive draft for Linux talent taking place right now.

We hear this from companies large and small, universities from all over the world and from the Linux kernel community, but we also know demand is high for Linux professionals based on our Linux Jobs Report issued this year (produced in partnership with Dice.com). Eighty-one percent of the hiring managers surveyed for the report said that hiring Linux talent this year is a priority. Sixty-three percent are seeking more Linux professionals relative to other hires. But 85 percent said finding Linux talent is difficult.

When they do find it, they pay. Nearly one-third of companies say they’re offering above normal pay increases to Linux pro’s, who also command better bonuses and perks.

Developers and IT staff have told us that the really compelling thing about working on Linux today is the double bottom line: the financial reward and the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than any one company or one person. These folks are collaborating on the most interesting work in computing, the most cutting-edge, latest software challenges are theirs to solve.

Today we’re releasing a new video that illustrates this double bottom line, or as we’ve put it: working for “coin and cause.” We invite you to check it out and see why people are lining up for Linux training opportunities and why even 20 years into Linux, we keep having to increase the capacity of our venues for events like LinuxCon.

We know that this year’s Linux Scholarship Program is going to surface some amazing talent. We’re in the process now of going through more than 500 applications from which just five will receive Linux training scholarships. There are a lot of things in our daily lives that are Linux-based, but so, too, are the majority of technology careers.

For more information about training opportunities, including our newest enterprise Linux training courses, please visit our Linux Training website.