I’m trying to get a job in IT that will (hopefully) pay more than a usual 9 to 5. I’m been daily driving Linux exclusively for about 2 1/2 years now and I’m trying to improve my skills to the point that I could be considered a so-called “power user.” My question is this: will this increase my hiring chances significantly or marginally?
Specifically for a job of Linix sysadmin, probably yes. If you can afford it do a certification, it will help you stand among other candidates with no work experience.
For other IT jobs it’s not so relevant. Linux is technically on the servers but the infrastructure is hidden from you by multiple levels of abstraction.
Certifications will absolutely get your foot in the door if you have zero experience.
Don’t think of it as “affordability”, but rather an investment in your future. In the US, you’re spending $400 to study and successfully get a cert in a few months versus $80k doing a college program.
But lets say you seriously can’t afford it at all, then the $10 udemy courses to train you is pretty good to at least know the lingo, and then a few years setting up your own self hosting.