UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

I'm really not sure where to start. I can hardly get a job with anything right now(I'm only 16... I hope you guys don't hate me for it... I'm a geeky kid who loves computers and I really do want to "jump in feet first". I just don't really know where to start. I don't know too much.
reborg - I want to get the book Unix Power Tools, I've heard it's good. and there were a few other books I'd like to get to help me get started with Unix. Another one was Unix Network Programming(by rich stevens). I also know a site called cprogramming.com it has tutorials for both C and C++. I'm guessing I'd have to learn those too. My problem is really just where to start. It seems like there is a LOT I'm going to have to learn. I'd probably be fine after I get started, it's just right now I don't know where to start being I hardly know anything.
Neo - you say do something hard... would starting with building linux from scratch be a good start for me?
Sorry for all the questions guys
Thanks

One idea is to get involved with an open source development.

For example, the Apache Foundation, has so many interesting projects.

However, that might be a bit "over the top".... but there are so many interesting development communities working on open source projects.

There was a recent post on the Apache Mahout developers list where one of the senior guys said folks he interviews for a job rarely make it past the first interview if they have not contributed to an open source effort. These virtual teams are a great place to learn.

No, especially since I never finished the thought.

I had intended
"Also the industry has moved on, when I started what Neo described was possible or even normal, now in a bigger and more structured industry you will rarely find an employer willing to give you that opportunity"

I agree - this is probably more or less how most of us SAs started - and what I meant with some solid IT background that makes our jobs so much easier.

I started my IT career with Cadmus (doesn anyone remember 'Munix' ?) and Mainframes and VMS, moved through Dec Alpha, Irix and OS/2, Windows and finally ended up with AIX - most of these jobs had been on contract base delivering a CAD or ERP environment from scratch - including Hardware, network, databases, OS and customer training - but you cannot contract forever, so at some point the logical next step had been to become a sysadmin in a perm position

Kind regards
zxmaus

Grab a machine, install Linux or Solaris and get used to the commands and normal usage, don't worry too much about anything major. Figure out connecting it to the web and that kind of thing. Get used to the environment first.

I can't say, I don't have that particular one. Here's a good starting point for books: I'm new to Unix. Which books should I read? - The UNIX and Linux Forums

Unix Network Programming(by rich stevens).
Probably a bit advanced to start out with, but a very good book and you can't go wrong with Stevens' books in the long run anyway. http://www.kohala.com/start/#books

That's a good place to start.

Reminds me of what I did at your age, only difference was that it was the only way to get linux at the time. A very good idea, but just make sure you can still get to google some other way



EDIT: zxmaus, your last post got moderated, but I have no idea why

By questioning "germane to the discussion" I was talking about my comments (as perhaps drifting off topic), not your comments, reborg.

I find your comments excellent (as always) and excellent reading. I was concerned that I was the one changing the course of this excellent discussion.

I had the same thought about my own statement, it could read as a bit flippant in particular to someone like the OP who hasn't seen first hand the changes of the past 10-15 years from the inside.

hpicracing,

there is one other thing that all good SAs,systems programmers, integrators and Unix people in general have and you should not underestimate this one: A complete hard-headed determination to make things that don't quite fit together work, it's almost as much the attitude as the code that forms the "glue" described by Neo.