I have 10-15 years of Linux experience for personal use and I have a few years of IT support work in the cloud but I still have some gaps in my tech knowledge, especially in regards to networking. I recently lost my job to AI and I’m interested in what comes next. I won’t touch windows. I don’t want to install it, image it, use it, support it, etc.
Is it possible to get into an IT career without ever acknowledging the existence of windows?
You absolute can become a professional computer toucher without having to engage with Windows. If you look at operating systems for cloud servers you will see that 90% of them are running on some Linux variant.
If you want to use your experience to work with linux desktop machines then that might be tricky. You will have to find a company that mandates to use linux machines. I think your best chances might be a tech startup that has not yet fallen into the windows trap.
I have over 10 years as a software engineer, and the vast majority of that was Linux. The only two exceptions are my current job where we develop a software that runs on Windows so I need a Windows build box for it (although my laptop is Linux), and my previous job that had a weird windows only policy (didn’t stay too much after that got enforced). So it’s very much doable, depending on what you work with.
I had an Apple laptop at the time, didn’t dual boot but did have to use some workarounds using Wine. I guess that’s kind of acknowledging Windows, but at least you’re not actually running it I guess? Basically it’s close to the way I use my Linux machine nowadays.
Chances are however that things have somewhat changed in the last 12 years and chances are it varies between (sub)degrees and universities. However I can guarantee you: you won’t be alone in not wanting to use windows. Being very OS picky is a tried and true tradition in the field. Find your kind of people and I’m sure you can troubleshoot any issues you encounter together.
I would say yes, I haven’t dealt with windows in a professional way in over 20 years.
Also cert, lpic maybe? Feel free to follow up.
I think if you work in a server farm, that’s very possible
Not really.
Backend programming is almost all Linux. I have two computer science degrees and have only ever used Windows for gaming.
Meh, if you’re competent enough a degree really isn’t worth anything.
Your portfolio is more important.
That portfolio is exponentially easier to build with a degree though.
the paper they use is so strong?
Geometrically.
I did not touch Windows during or after my CS degree. No clue what people are on about needing Windows. It was a challenge on my first job where they preferred us to use VMs instead (I did not and it became the norm because it is better).
Graduated in Europe. We had a bunch going through the same. Campus computers were running Linux too. You need someone to champion it in the year and others will join.
If you are a complete hard-liner, you’re going to run into one very particular, and peripheral, obstacle: your employer will almost certainly issue you a Windows laptop. It may not be a large part of your job, but it will be there. Very few companies will offer a Mac, and even fewer will offer Linux.
You might have to work as a freelancer, taking on tasks that can be done without Windows. But even something like web dev will require testing on Windows.
honestly you have no business working in your field if that’s your approach to a fundamental facet of your job. that’s like a farmer refusing to use a spade because they prefer shovels.
Disagree. People are allowed to specialize. A lot of tech companies are macs and linux in the cloud these days anyway. There is no need to touch windows. And given it’s disrespect for privacy, it is probably a significant risk as an endpoint in a corporate environment.
I read that even Azure, which you would expect to have a ton of Windows machines deployed, is like 66%+ Linux VMs. I was surprised to hear that, but it matches my limited experience.
I couldn’t take a linux foundation cert exam with my arch Linux computer. It misidentified my X11 as Wayland and refused to start. They never gave me a refund.
Absolutely not. Unless you get into a really niche career of IT pretty much everything you do will be accessed via a windows device.
you have to understand how that OS will interact with your app and the App’s UI.
As an It professional you need to embrace Windows. it is what pays the bills.
What?
I disagree! For decades I haven’t touched windows for professional use. Yes you might need it as a client os but answering the question yes, it’s possible.
You might need it as a client os…
But you have never touched windows….
‘for professional use’ aka I am not in any way connected to the maintenance or responsible for it.
There’s a big difference there. Using windows maintained by whoever to connect or maintain other systems.
What you working in IT?
Computer science is just mathematics, you can do it with pen and paper. The actual IT jobs where you don’t have to touch windows are plentiful, although it might be a bit of a red flag if you’re vehemently refusing to touch some specific software (be it windows, or any other program, or programming language).
Theoretically? Probably, I rarely touched windows outside of Windows centric shops. Practically, you’re going to have to make that a much more blurry line
There’s going to be times you have to deal with Windows. That can be as little as “effectively never” depending on your path and choices, but if you’re a hardliner it’s going to close doors on you just for picking a dumb hill to die on
