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UNIX family Systems Programmers Solve Problems

by Mary Hobson
mary.hobson@hqpublications.com
Technology Schools Columnist

Systems programming is an area of work that is kind of shrouded in mystery. Before the advent of PCs and operating environments, we had operating systems that programmers – and even users – had to interact with.

Windows and similar operating environments gradually took the need for this kind of knowledge away from most PC type day to day programming, and so the idea of the systems programmer also sank below many people's horizons.

Linux and UNIX Jobs need systems expertise

But just because we don't meet them everyday doesn't mean they don't exist any more, and anyone who works with the larger intranet installations, or even some of the smaller ones, will tell you that systems programmers are alive and kicking – very hard at times.

As the need to network more and different platforms becomes greater, systems programmers and systems engineers are coming into their own. In particular, people who can write in a UNIX or Linux program environment are in demand, and the amount of UNIX and Linux jobs is on the increase.

Writing a Linux or UNIX program – at a University

So how do you acquire the skills necessary to become a systems programmer? Well, the first stage is to get yourself a good generic computer science type education. Most programmers at this level will require a four-year Bachelor's degree to get into their first job, as well as some specialist training in systems software.


They will probably use UNIX or Linux in their education, or even both, writing UNIX and Linux programs as assignments, or as part of their integration project work. They will learn problem solving skills in a computer environment, among other vital skills.

Training with a Linux or UNIX course

After graduation from a Linux or UNIX course, specialist training comes into play. They will need to take a Linux or UNIX course to learn the professional implications of using these languages as a way of manipulating the operating system, and they will also need to acquire their own experience in writing Linux or UNIX programs as a part of their systems programmer or engineer's job.

Linux and UNIX Programmers as Problem Solvers

Of course, training and education is only the first part of the learning process. Nowhere else in the normal IT environment is experience as valuable as in systems programming.

Every installation is different, either in terms of the hardware used, the software used, the kind of networking, or the combination of all of these. Systems programmers have to be able to make different platforms work together, make different versions of software inter-compatible, and often have to know exactly what the rules are, so that they can bend them, if necessary.

Systems programmers, along with systems engineers, are problem-solvers, and the more experience they have the more likely they are to solve a problem quickly - and preferably without the users even knowing that there ever was a problem.

About the Author

Mary Hobson is a consultant for technology start-ups in Russia. She has also worked as an executive officer in a defense facility and as a university lecturer in computer science and management information. Mary earned her first degree in textile marketing and subsequently studied education and computer science at a Master's degree level.

Sources:

• http://www.specializedsolutions.com/linux_plus_certification_training.htm
• http://www.etecenter.com/lca.htm
• http://www.unix.org/what_is_unix/the_brand.html