The Foundation’s first-ever Linux Jobs Report is now available as a downloadable PDF file. They also have an interview with a Dice.com person who says, “It’s not a surprise to us that Linux talent is in demand, but what is surprising is the fact that 85 percent of companies report having difficulty finding qualified Linux professionals.”

So, qualified Linux professional, that means you are in demand!

And if you are not a qualified Linux professional, you may want to become one.

At the very least, install Linux on a computer or two at home and start messing with it. Which distributions? Probably Red Hat clone CentOS, and purist favorite Debian, not because they’re the easiest to use, but because they’re what you’re most likely to find in an enterprise installation.

It’s also okay to cheat and start out with Debian-derived Ubuntu, which is more GUI-oriented than Debian or Red Hat (or Red Hat clone CentOS).

You can get plenty of free Linux help from Linux User Groups. That’s a Wikipedia link. Using the search terms “Linux User Group” or “LUG” and the name of the nearest major city or town to you in Google is almost certain to turn up a LUG near you. Even if there’s not one that has meetings that are convenient for you to attend, there are plenty of LUGs whose primary “meetings” are email lists or IRC channels. F2F or online, Linux users are generally helpful if you ask politely for aid rather than demanding it in a huff.

Many community colleges and most universities offer some sort of Linux classes. And there are Linux certifications galore you can obtain by taking tests. Rather than hashing through all of them here, I’ll give you a link to a Google search for “Linux certification” that will give you an overwhelmning amount of information.

Another great reason to start playing with Linux is that it’s fun. In fact, once you get used to running Linux and other Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), you’ll probably find most proprietary operating systems and software somewhat confining. But this doesn’t mean you should stop using them. As an IT manager friend of mine says, “In my shop there’s no such thing as a Linux sysadmin or a Windows sysadmin.” If you work for me, you’re a sysadmin. Period.”

• Listening. On the surface this seems really trivial, but it’s a critical skill. Not just hearing and understanding what people are saying, but confirming the understanding. One way I try to do this is to repeat back what I heard. “Bob, I think I heard you ask for three things. First, Next, Finally… Did I miss anything?”
• Don’t Interrupt. If I’m interrupting I’m not listening. And I’m likely not applying the next skill either.
• Be a force for calm. Learn to help reduce tension in a conversation by not escalating a disagreement. Even when I think someone else is wrong, I’ve learned to first ask for more information, then invite the other person to work with me in checking out the facts. There is a lot less stress when we remain focused on the issues at hand rather than the people discussing them.
• Present ideas in a concise, organized way. This doesn’t have to be done alone. Groups like Toastmasters can help develop this skill through practice and feedback.

Roberta Chinsky Matuson, President of Human Resource Solutions, says, “Here are three of the most essential skills IT and technical people must possess or develop”:

• In order to be an effective IT person, you need to be able to share your ideas with others. People need to fully understand what you are saying in order to comply with your request. Work on improving your communications skills and you will see an immediate difference in the reaction you get from those that work with you and around you.
• Explaining IT terms in a way that any non-IT person can understand. There is nothing more frustrating to a non-techie than listening to someone talk circles around them. In the end, they usually tune out and the task never gets done. Explain technical matters at a level that can be easily understood by your audience.
  Improve your social skills.
• Many technical people prefer to spend time with their hardware. Advancement in organizations is all about relationships. Learn to relate better to your boss and your co-workers and doors will begin to open for you.

Dr. Deb Brown is “a business coach and licensed psychologist with a Ph.D., an MBA, DDI certification as a facilitator, award-winning leadership skills, and years of experience partnering with leaders at all organizational levels.” She says:

• Many IT professionals have a “Technical” communication style, which can sometimes conflict with other styles, such as “Bold” or “Expressive.” A Bold supervisor, for example, might see a Technical IT professional as too rigid, too slow/calculating, or too worried about the details to see the Big Picture. And an Expressive co-worker might see a Technical IT professional as too unemotional/cold and critical or judgmental, because people with a Technical style (as a general rule) pride themselves on accuracy and detest incompetence.
• The Technical IT professional, in turn, might perceive their Bold supervisor as aggressive, intimidating, and overwhelming. And they might see their Expressive co-workers as unfocused, hyper, irrational, and annoying.
• So in my opinion, the most essential steps for an IT professional to take are 1) learn about their own communication style and others’ styles, and 2) learn how to interact with different styles most effectively.

This is a good bit of advice to mull over. But if you take in some or most of it, you will see new opportunities open up for you sooner or later.