I’ve been searching for a VFX/3D art job for a very long time. Most positions don’t mention Linux as a requirement and when they do, it’s just a familiarity or basic competency implied.
Lately I’ve been seeing a few that require * proficiency*. There is nothing else in the job description that would lead me to think the position requires coding/programming skills. Of course one would be troubleshooting proprietary software issues on linux, but in my understanding that would be relying more on proficiency in said software than in the OS.
I might be wrong though.
I’ve used Linux before but I wouldn’t call myself “proficient”. What would that be, in your opinion, and could you recommend any resources (perhaps tutorials) in particular?
TIA
You’re over thinking it. There are no standards. There is no meaning. You’re over qualified. Just apply.
For that kind of description, I would expect proficiency to mean that you can perform your job on a Linux machine with no training. Can you open programs, deal with file structures, and overall not need to call IT for basic issues.
In this kind of job, I’d guess they hope for someone who’s done VFX work on Linux before, but if you know about
cdandls, you probably already fulfill their expectations.If you didn’t have any experience, that likely wouldn’t be a deal breaker, it would just be one more thing where they need to get you up to speed.
Well, and if you were a Linux crack, able to support others in your team and dish out scripts for automating menial tasks, that would be a bonus.But yeah, you having even used Linux before probably makes you one of their, if not the, most qualified applicant in this regard, so I really wouldn’t worry about it.
In this context, I imagine it means you’re not going to freak out when you see something that isn’t Windows or Mac OS. Can you move things around with the file manager? Find the wifi settings? Get files off the external hard drive you just plugged in? That’s probably sufficient.
Of course there are dozens of possible file managers and wifi widgets. They could be using any of many distributions with a near infinite combination of software. I’m proficient at Linux by nearly any definition, but I haven’t checked out recent versions of desktop environments other than the one I use regularly. As long as you can figure out basic computer stuff on something that looks a little different from what you’re used to, you should be fine.
Honestly no company is going to realistically use anything but a standard floating window style desktop environment.
And if you can use one you can use them all. So really it’s just a matter of proficiency is just you don’t shit your self in feet because of a slightly different layout or color palette.
Iv had to deal with plenty of people that just moving the windows task bar from the bottom to the top was enough to make them go full stupid and forget they have been using a PC for 20 years.
So if you can do better then that you are going to be fine ina corporate context 99.999% of the time.
Iv had to deal with plenty of people that just moving the windows task bar from the bottom to the top was enough to make them go full stupid and forget they have been using a PC for 20 years.
This is why I drink.
It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s interpreted similarly as “Microsoft Word proficiency” in recruiter speak, which really means, are you able to type a letter in it and hit the print button.
The most I would expect is maybe finding your way in a shell, to run a render on a beefy server over SSH or something like that. Some familiarity and the will to learn is probably good enough.
Being able to read a man page, understanding the syntax and how to move back up the page (b is half page back).
If companies can lie to you then you can lie to companies
Just based on what you wrote and what I know of linux, I’d say knowledge of the filesystem, installation and troubleshooting process, gpu drivers and troubleshooting them, getting different setups, both hardware and software going and keeping them in good working condition in a workplace environment where long downtimes arent acceptable like they might be for a hobbyist.
Of course that will probably include good knowledge of the terminal and what it can do, basic bash skills. Maybe also knowledge in enterprise linux distros.
But then again, job ads are usually written by people who have the least professional skill in the posted job and often only view things from their perspective which means they might say proficient because you’re supposed to not be scared or a noob when using linux at work.
Be able to install and configure, be comfortable with the command line, know how the package manager works, if there’s specific software you need to use, know how to launch it and how it works.
My personal arbitrary qualifier is understanding what every folder in the root directory is for and most of the contents.
But I think for a job it’s just you can use the operating system without asking for help at all/too often.
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How about you wait until you land an interview first, before you worry about job requirements.
I had to apply to over 300 jobs before I landed an interview, so chances are they won’t even look at your resume. Even with a great resume, it’s extremely difficult to land a job in today’s environment.
I don’t mean to sound negative, only realistic. Your main focus right now should be rapid firing off as many applications as you can, and nothing else. Worry about the job requirements after you get past the application stage.
That’s one way to do it. The other is to leverage your network (if available to you) and ask people if they can refer you internally. I’ve had a lot more success with the second method.
Another way would be to make the joke a reality, hijack their system and invite yourself to an interview.
Apply and see. Worst case is you learn something.
My interviews for linux-related roles were basically, “how do you change directories? What does ls do? How do you edit a file?” (Last one was trickily open-ended to also see what my preferred editor is). I’m not even sure they asked where log files are typically stored.
As for what to put on a resume, just say that you run a home lab or something.
Gonna echo the others here:
- Apply anyway.
- If you can do work in Linux without handholding for general tasks, you’re “proficient.”
In my experience, imposter syndrome prevents the best candidates from applying because they weed themselves out.
To be considered proficient in Linux you need to have contributed to the Linux kernel AND be able to exit from vim (without just rebooting the machine).
AND be able to exit from vim (without just rebooting the machine).
New tty -> killall vim
That last one is even harder than the first.
