The Linux Professional Institute offers vendor and distribution neutral certification for those looking for a broad set of Linux skills. There are also a host of no-charge learning materials available for developers and administrators in places like IBM developerWorks. At last count, developerWorks was home to more than 70 articles and resources to help developers get started and improve their Linux skills, and draws 311,000 unique monthly visitors to the Linux Zone alone.

Once you you've landed that coveted position, what can you expect? New employees with expert Linux skills will see a significantly higher salary than professionals with a similar job title. Second, with increasing its share of enterprise computing, and mobile applications continuing to permeate the markets, we're looking at an extremely stable, resilient career move.

So, Linux professionals or Linux professional wannabes, happy hunting, and may the penguin be with you!

in Network World's Software section.