212: How to Build a Six-Figure Tech Career Using Linux

How to Build a Six-Figure Tech Career Using Linux
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[00:00:00] How do you design a curriculum that will be the sweet spot for people that are also still working a regular job? By definition, a bootcamp in, uh, implies that it's fast, it's short, and it's, um, high pressure, and this is not what we're trying to deliver. Why is a slower, more deliberate pace actually a competitive advantage for students' retention and mastery in Linux?

Commitment I had is to help people with no tech background. When you show up and you start talking to a person in a technical language they've never been exposed to, if you go too fast, Henry, you've l- lost them in the first term. How does your program help people with no experience get placed in front of hiring managers and actually interview?

Biggest thing we leverage is the apprenticeship we build as part of our program with a separate company where you can put that on your resume up to one year of experience between everything you've done. [00:01:00] What is the range of that you've seen with those starting salaries? It starts anywhere between 75

Welcome back to the show. Today, we're breaking down the barriers to entering the tech world. If you ever feel like you need a computer science degree or a decade of coding experience just to get your foot in the door, our guest today is here to prove you wrong. He holds a degree in management information systems, is a Red Hat Certified Professional, and is the CEO and co-founder of Yellowtail Tech.

After seeing too many beginners get burned by short, overpriced boot camps that didn't deliver, he decided to build a better bridge. He's dedicated his career to helping everyday people with zero technical background launch high-paying, impactful careers in tech. Please welcome the man rewriting the tech education playbook, Jubi Vilses.

All right. What's going on, Jubi? How you doing today? I'm well, man. Thanks for having me, man. Uh, thanks for coming on. So, uh, [00:02:00] real quick, for the audience that have may not seen you or heard of you, uh, could you give us a little brief background about yourself? Yeah. Um, my name is Jubi. I'm the CEO at Yellowtail Tech.

A little bit about my background, man, about more than 20 years ago now, I, um, went to school for management information systems, but when I graduated, after, um, getting my degree, it was very difficult to get into the tech industry despite having a degree. So, I took a training to understand and learn Linux, and, um, since then, I realized how this helped me break into tech, into the tech industry, and I vowed to actually, uh, build a school around that, and 10 years later, I did exactly that.

Um, so that's what happened. So now we, uh, I've been running, uh, Yellowtail Tech for 10 years, and, uh, we can talk about, you know, the whole or- origin [00:03:00] story later, but that's what I've been doing for the past 10 years, uh, full-time. So, um, we help people transition into tech, specifically people with no tech background.

This is our niche. Um, yeah, we've been, um, relentlessly improving our programs, and that's what we do. Nice, nice. Now, so funny enough, my bachelor's is actually computer information system. So I believe that should be the same, give or take different names. But I do agree with you in the fact that it's very broad and the fact that it would actually take more so the student to have to figure out what they need to do versus the school actually helping them out on what type of path that they need to get a job.

So I know that you said you took the training so you can get into Linux, but before that, I guess, 'cause I know like a lot of people watching this, they'll probably connect with this, especially like they're just, you know, having degrees, a couple of certs, and they're just [00:04:00] applying, applying, applying. Did, do you remember, and I know it's been 10 years, but or longer- Oh, 20 years.

More than 20 years, but I remember. Oh, oh, okay. Damn, that's a long time ago. Was it a lot of, was it a lot of roles you were applying to, to where like you didn't hear anything back or what? Okay. So by the way, this was the short version of the story. So after I graduated, I spent about six months trying to get jobs, and then a friend of mine says, "Listen, I know this guy who trains people on Unix."

It wasn't even Linux back then, on Solaris. You had to have specific hardware to run the, uh, this operating system. He's like, "This guy is training people on Unix in his basement in, uh, in the suburbs." I, I, I, I lived in Maryland, and he said, "You should check it out because I have this friend who got this training, and he got a job."

I'm like, "Well, I'm [00:05:00] struggling here. I'll do, you know, I'll try, um, whatever I, I have to try." And I took, um, that training. Back then it was three months. And to answer your question with that context, uh, there wasn't that much competition. It was, um, it was faster to get a job, um, and then you didn't need...

Actually, there was no Red Hat certification yet, but you didn't need certification. You had to show up, just tell them what you know, be convincing, and get a job. So from back then to now, not only the operating system changed, uh, we, we, we move into the era from Unix to Linux, where the operating system could run on any, um, hardware.

So a lot has changed. And then, um, uh, Linux, um, um, started, um, being very relevant with, um, a company called Red Hat that creates a version of Linux that's the most, um, [00:06:00] commercial. They create, created a whole, uh, um, suite of, um, certification around that. So all these happened when, um, people started, um, being more, um, attuned to what Linux could, uh, bring to their environment.

So to answer your question again, um, back then it was much easier. The trainings, um, um, could be, uh, um, much shorter. Um, you didn't need to, um, to be specialized as, uh, you need to be now. So yeah, things have completely changed, Henry, in the, in the marketplace. And this is why also our program has not only expanded, but it has changed a lot, and we c- we can talk about that, um, later, uh, go deeper into that.

But yeah, the landscape has completely changed from 20 years ago. Got it. Uh, so I'm seeing that your wife also made the transition into tech, [00:07:00] and I guess how was that? Was she just seeing, "Hey, I like what you do. Let me go try and do that," or- No ... how was, how did that come about? No, she has a background in social science.

She was, uh, um, she worked in, um, um, the, uh, I can say the, um, um, social workspace. Um, she has, um, uh, a background in that. She worked for 10 years in that space, and, um, when she moved to the US, she decided, because, uh, um, she's from Dominican Republic, um, and she decided, "You know, I wanna try something else."

And she wanted to go into nutrition. I'm like, "Hey, I don't know anything about nutrition." I, um, and I looked at the, um, salary potential to go into this space. I'm like, "There are two problems. The salary potential is very low, and, um, I would not be able, or no one you or I know could be, uh, will be able to [00:08:00] guide, support, mentor you in that space.

But if you go to, to the tech space, I and all my colleagues that I, you know, I've built a network in this space, we can help you." And, um, well, I have to also admit she, she, she was always interested in anything computer related. She, she liked the idea. And between my friends and I, we sat down and put together a curriculum, you know, tried to help her, um, with buying books, um, buy her a computer, install Linux on it, and, uh, Linux Academy, that's the year Linux Academy came out.

So, uh, we got her, um, a Linux Academy subscription. Now they, they are, uh, you know, multi-hundred million dollar company. But, and then she actually, um, took it seriously. She passed the RHCSA within, I think, four months, uh, on flashcards. [00:09:00] Um, you know, we were training her on flashcards. We were meeting up with her, my friends and I.

Um, and when she got the first cert, we, uh, I sat her down. I'm like, "Do, are you ready for the second challenge?" She's like, "Yes." She got the Red Hat, um, System Engineer Certification, and then after that, um, she hit the marketplace and got a job. And that's when I started having the idea of, I think this is the time for us to turn this into a product because, um, her brother was calling and saying, "Hey, help me do this.

How did you do that?" So we helped about Seven to 10 friends and family within a span of a, a year and a half before we even launched this officially. And then within a year and a half, we were like, "Okay, so I think we have a product here. I think we should go to market and actually present it and price it as a product."

It-- So basically [00:10:00] building this company was all a result of helping my wife transition into tech and then realizing there is a whole demand for people with no tech background wanting to transition into tech. And that's why we choose this, this niche, and that's what we've been doing since, you see? So yeah.

Yeah. Interesting. Especially with, uh, the, the certifications, uh, with that Red Hat is, and I haven't looked this up, but

'Cause I don't think I had this written down anywhere, but typically while we are here talking about, uh, people getting jobs, specifically working with Linux, what is the range of that you've seen with those starting salaries? Well, it varies. Um, and the reason why I start with saying that is that it varies very much, but it starts anywhere between 75 to 100 plus thousand.

And let me explain why it varies. [00:11:00] For multiple reasons. First, where are you located? If you're trying to get a job in, um, California versus North Carolina, it's gonna be completely different. Um, second, they're what they call a adaptive interview, meaning sometimes you go for a very low level, entry level, I should say, uh, Linux, uh, system administrator.

But if you are performing well in the interview and they keep ratcheting up the level and you're still showing up in the interview, they might tell you, and I've seen this so many times, including with my wife, she went for entry level. She-- And they're like, "Oh, we also have a, a intermediate position open.

Uh, I think we should slot you for this instead." So sometimes you go for a job that, um, that is paying 75K and then you, uh, you show up so, uh, ready, they slot you for another position they had open. That's the second, [00:12:00] uh, um, reason. The third reason is, um, do you have any tech background? Meaning, are you transitioned from help desk or are you transitioned from zero tech background?

This, th- um, these are things that, um, influence. But I wanna say, um, to be safe because, um, I don't want people to just come in, um, because they're gonna make 100K. I, uh, the way I usually say it is your first job is gonna be around 75 to 85,000, and your second job is gonna be over 100K. You see? Because I always encourage people, within two years you have to look elsewhere and, you know, and start building your career.

That's great. That's great. Um, especially with the nuance on the salary thing, right? I, I believe the same thing. I've seen the same thing where sometimes just telling people, "Hey, sometimes that first salary," some in my case of working people, sometimes their first salary might not have [00:13:00] been in the 70s, but it's better than what they initially had.

You just gotta get the experience, 'cause once you get that other experience and you've outperformed that in your role for about a year, or we go a year or two, now you can go probably double your salary or get 30, $40,000 increase just from the knowledge you gained over th- those two years. Yeah. That's why I usually tell people be cautious, because a lot of people tell me, "Well- You say I'm gonna get 75K, but I'm already making 80K.

Yeah, two things. First, you have sometimes to be willing to take a little bit of a step back to get to the place you, you, you wanna get. Because yeah, you're making 80, but does your industry, does your field, field, or does your job give you the potential to make 200 plus thousand dollars? That's the first question.

The second question is, you making $80,000, are you working 30 to 40 hours a week? Or is it with, with [00:14:00] overtime, with all the, you know, crazy hours that you making that 80,000? Because a lot of m- people are making 80,000, it's because they have overtime and all that. And as you know, uh, in a lot of tech, uh, um, jobs, you know, 40 hours is the max you, you, you, you actually work in terms of hours worked.

You see what I mean? Right. Yeah. All right. So, the tech landscape has evolved massively, and many beginners are intimidated by headlines about AI and tech layoffs. Why is it still entirely possible to build an effect- impactful tech career with zero background or a degree? Well, the One thing a lot of people have to realize is, um, the AI revolution is real, but it doesn't affect every tech job equally.

Because don't forget, I [00:15:00] help you become a system administrator, a system engineer that builds the infrastructure on which AI works, on which, um, coding happens, on which, um, um, uh, database administration happens. This layer, called the infrastructure layer, the operating system layer, will always exist. In fact, it's even more important, more relevant, and, and more ubiquitous as AI, as cloud computing grows.

So this space, one thing that has changed a lot in it is that it requires more automation, but it's not going away, and it's not being overtaken by AI. An- another thing I like to tell people is AI cannot take it-- The AI cannot actually, uh, uh, troubleshoot itself. So the operating system underlying the, the, the large language model cannot troubleshoot itself.

So they [00:16:00] still need, um, system engineers, system, uh, operators to go in and actually do this work. So yes, the AI, uh, um, boom is disrupting a lot of, um, tech jobs, but infrastructure, uh, in general is still gonna be there. In fact, it's gonna actually grow as, you know, we use more AI and cloud computing. Yeah, I agree.

That's what we tell a lot of people, and the fact that some industries aren't gonna just jump to using AI right away because they simply just don't trust it. And what's recently been happening is so many companies have told the people to stop using AI because they're spending more in tokens than they ever spent before, and to where it's costing more than the payroll that they had to pay.

What happened with Uber and what's happening with AI is that because there was so much money being invested, um, there's a lot of subsidizing that was happening. Mm-hmm. So [00:17:00] now they're trying to actually bring the cost of doing business, the cost of AI, um, um, forward, and it's showing to be too costly. Two years, three years ago, it was very subsidized.

Now, when we are trying to, uh, see the real cost of running AI, sometimes it's way more expensive, way more unpredictable than hiring people. I think that's what, um, what's really happening, and it's not the first technology where this is happening. Yeah. I think it's akin to remember everybody was trying to go to cloud adoption, but they really weren't focused on how much it was costing them in the cloud 'cause they thought it was just gonna be so much cheaper than being on-prem.

And then they quickly realized that they had these expensive cloud bills. So I believe it's, it's the same thing. That's when they're gonna start. They're probably gonna do like, I know cloud has FinOps, where they focus on keeping costs in the cloud affordable or, or a certain, like a certain level. The same thing probably gonna be going on for AI with tokens and everything else, I'm pretty sure [00:18:00] of it Yeah.

It's the same thing they do, like you say, for cloud. They put some of the workload, um, that makes sense on cloud and some on-premise. It's the same thing. Uh, uh, there are still gonna be jobs that are done by humans that is gonna still be more efficient, cheaper, and, uh, more, um, makes more financial sense to be done by humans, and some, some are gonna be outsourced.

Some more repetitive jobs are gonna be outsourced to AI. So I think that's where it's gonna fall anyway. But no one is just gonna fire people just because AI is coming. There seems to be a problem right now in ed tech programs, whether it's a boot camp or it's a program, whether the boot camp is a actual even boot camp in itself, or they just marked up people getting so many different certifications where they may not even really get anything from the boot camp.

So the question [00:19:00] was, how do you design a curriculum that would be the sweet spot for people that are also still working a regular job? Yeah. Um, actually this is a, a place we find ourself always. Uh, there is no space for us because even on the platforms I'm being reviewed, I have to present what we offer at Jelotel as a boot camp, but we don't see ourself at, uh, as a boot camp because by definition, a boot camp in, uh, implies that it's fast, it's short, and it's, um, you know, high, um- high pressure.

And this is n- this is not what we are trying to deliver. Our programs are unusually longer. They are longer than, um, than a boot camp, but shorter than going to college. So we've tried to find that sweet spot because after all, we are catering to people with no tech background. So it's [00:20:00] very important to actually pace the way we deliver the program.

That's the first question, uh, the first, uh, um, thing I wanna, uh, uh, address in your question. The second thing is how do we design the program and, uh, uh, itself is that we don't only, um, train you to the certification. We train you to make sure you are able to show up in a, in a space and actually deliver as a system administrator after that.

That's why our program, you do four months of training to become a sysadmin, and then you do two months of cert prep to become a Red Hat Certified System Administrator. The reason why both are important, it's because the first one helps you do the job, the second one helps you get the credential to actually cut through the noise.

And this is where we don't only... This is why we don't only stop here, uh, there at, um, because we know there's the catch-22 in the industry. You need a job to get the experience, but where do you get the experience to [00:21:00] get the job? So we added an a- apprenticeship with the program where you're gonna be working with real servers from a company to do the hands-on necessary to be able to show up and say, "I've done that."

You see, now we have a partnership with a company now, um You are not working on product production environment, but you are working with production level environment, and we are working with, uh, um, with, um, um, commercial tools. So, um, it's very important, um, that we not only train you on what it is you need to do, but create that environment where you're getting that hands-on.

You can show up, you can use that, uh, um, credential on your resume and say, "I've done this, I've solved that, I was able to troubleshoot this." So now one thing we've added to the, um, to the program, because our program is an iterative process, we've been [00:22:00] improving, seeing the feedback for the past ten years, is that especially lately, automation, mastering automation in a infrastructure environment is very important.

That's why we've added, uh, an, uh, um, an automation certification and training to make sure that when you go to market, you can cut through the noise because, um, Red Hat gets you a job, but automation certification on top of, uh, understanding Linux and having that certification, it gets you a job faster. So that's why we try to, um, do, um...

Add anything that we understand is gonna dramatically increase your chances to actually go to market and be able to get a job. Perfect. I actually like that quote. You said Red Hat, you said Red Hat gets you interviewed and automation gets you the job faster. Yes. Because again, [00:23:00] you know, any job market, any, any field is a pyramid.

So the more, the higher you go in that pyramid, the, the more likely you are to get the job. So the f- to me, the pyramid, uh, we are looking at is, um, three, three general layers. First, you know what you're doing. Second, you are certified about, on what you're doing. Third, now you have a specialty around what you're doing.

So you get trained as a Linux system administrator, you get a certification to prove that you understand the concepts, and then the automation is saying, "Hey, not only I know I understand Linux, but I can deploy automation in that s- uh, in that environment." So that's what we try to do. This video is being sponsored by Yellowtail Tech.

If you're feeling completely stuck in a dead-end job, making less than you're worth, and wishing you could break into tech, I need you to stop scrolling and listen up for a second. You don't need a fancy computer science degree or a background in coding to change your life. In [00:24:00] fact, 90% of the students who go through Yellowtail Tech start exactly where you are right now, at absolute zero.

This is why I fully support Yellowtail Tech. They aren't one of those massive high-volume boot camps that just take your money and leave you hanging. They focus on the quality over quantity. In just six to nine months, they give you all the hands-on training you need with AWS and Linux and the actual career coaching you need to land a high-paying IT job.

But let me be completely real with you. They handpick their students. They don't care about your past, but they do care about your future. They care about your determination. If you're not serious about putting in the work to change your life, they aren't interested. But if you're ready to build a real high-paying career, let's get you on the right track.

Click the link in my description and book your free career strategy session with Yellowtail Tech today. Perfect. All right, so ch-check this out. When someone joins your program coming from a retail, hospitality, or a blue-collar job background, they often battle imposter syndrome. What is the first mindset shift you have to get them through that?[00:25:00]

Um, the s- first thing I tell them is im- the imposter syndrome is not gonna go away. A lot of people think, okay, you're gonna do this, this, and that, and then you're gonna show up and it's gonna stop-- You're gonna stop feeling like an imposter. Never. Every n- every level you get, you're gonna feel an imposter on that, on that level.

So the first thing is to acknowledge it's not about doing a set of exercises or doing-- getting a, a, an amount of certification to stop feeling that. It's about acknowledging it and keep pushing anyway. Acknowledging it and showing up and doing your best in the certification. Acknowledging it and doing the work and getting the feedback.

Acknowledge it. You, you, you get into, uh, uh, the, the, the interview, you bomb it, you learn from it, you keep moving. You see what I mean? So it's something that's always gonna be next to you. Um, um, I, I saw a movie where, um, they were talking about it's the same thing with [00:26:00] any mental health issues. Uh, at, at one point you just manage it, you understand what's going on, but it's not about just getting rid of it.

It's being able to master yourself, be- get to a point where you can still operate despite the fact that you have an issue, or despite the fact that you feel that imposter syndrome. Yeah, I agree. I, I think I made a video a while back about, like you said, imposter syndrome not leaving no matter where you are in your career.

Yeah. And I think that was a good thing to show the people who are just starting out, 'cause they have this unsurmountable pressure on them thinking they don't belong. I'm like, "Man, I'm in a new role now, and I'm, I have imposter syndrome a little bit," and it, it, it just is what it is. The imposter syndrome I think also is a good thing in the sense it, it forces you to make sure that you're competing and, and that you're getting better versus thinking you have it all figured out.

And also just think about-- Uh, just think it, uh, that way. [00:27:00] Your boss, your boss's boss also feel imposter syndrome. Mm-hmm. They're just better at navigating, not hiding, because I don't think hiding is the, the best word. They are just better at navigating through their career despite it. You see what I mean?

That's all it is. Mm-hmm.

All right, so here's some cool stuff. I know we talked about this earlier, but, um, as the CEO, you are uniquely responsible for student outcomes and job placement, not just graduation numbers. What metrics or guardrails have you put in place to ensure that Yellowtail Tech is actually delivering on employment?

Yeah. And also, um, I, I think it goes back to my origin story. One of the things I wanted to address, uh, when I was building this program, this business, this company, is that I realized after I [00:28:00] left, um, after I graduated, there wasn't much job support Um, I, I, I felt lost and I didn't felt... I didn't feel, um, supported.

I didn't feel that there was resources available for me, even by my university. Uh, I went to University of Ma-Maryland, by the way. So this is one thing I made sure I built into whatever we offering, is relentless career support. In fact, to me, this is more important than the training itself, because this is where, uh...

Because everything I train you, you can find it on YouTube. You can, you know, if you are very crafty and you are resourceful, the material is out there. Now, it's not as, you know, put well put together, but it exists. But where most people need the help is the feedback, is the encouragement, is, is the support, is, is having a team of people rooting for you, and this is what [00:29:00] we build into our program.

So not only I'm in the business of training, I'm in the business of making sure you turn training into a, a, a job. This is why I call it Linux for Jobs, by the way. It's not by accident. Um, uh, it's because I wanted the outcome to be the goal. I wanted to make sure we stay, uh, in touch with what it is we came here to do, is to get a job out of this exercise.

Not because you enjoy learning, because you could do that on Udemy for $15, or I don't know how much they charge on a, a, a, a, a, a, a month. But I wanted to make sure the job component is stay, stayed at the forefront. So everything we do, we optimize to get you the job. Now, our c-- uh, our job placement rate is between 68% within six months and about 78% within a year of, um, finishing your, your apprenticeship.

[00:30:00] Now, it's not 100%, uh, but it's not necessarily because we are not doing our best. It's because life happen, people, uh, drop out, they, they start having kids, they get a promotion on the job they used to hate. Now they get promoted, now they are a manager. They, they see the job, um, in a different light. They drop out.

So a lot of other factors, uh, um, um, um, come into play, where we do our best, we show up, but, um, the student, um, you know, for some reason, they get distracted or they, they, they, they lose interest in that endeavor, you see. Um, yeah, so that's, that's really how we go about it. We do our best, we stay focused, and we make sure everybody understand this is our goal.

The job is the goal No, that's great. I mean, s- it's better than 50%. And like you said, it can't be 100, right? I mean, in theory, everybody [00:31:00] would like to have 100%, uh, succession rate, but I, I just think that's not realistic. Not only- I like what you're talking about ... not only it's not realistic, but people are in different sp- um, stage of their lives.

Mm-hmm. Sometimes it's because they get pregnant and, you know, all of a sudden this is more important to them. You see what I mean? Mm-hmm. It's not because anything, uh, uh, is wrong with the program, it's because their interest has changed. You see what I mean? Yeah, no doubt. And I was gonna say that, um, a lot of times people find out what they thought they want, they didn't want.

Hmm. I think that's, I think that's, that's, that's something that they figure out. They, they realize, hey, I don't-- I gotta do what? It's like, um, let's say we, we have someone that says that they wanna be... Either they wanna get in shape or they wanna be a bodybuilder. Let's say, to make it easier, let's say they wanna get in shape, they wanna get a six-pack or whatever.

Then they realize, "Oh, I gotta have this type of breakfast, only eat this [00:32:00] for lunch and dinner, and drink this much water, and, and walk five miles a week and, and work out three to four times a week. Man, I don't wanna do all that. Give me a bag of chips." I think it's like the same thing. Yeah. Yeah, because a lot of people, they romanticize working in tech.

"Oh, you work from home? You don't have to commute, and you only type on c- on, on a computer all day? I love this," because I was a nurse, I was walking 12 hours a, a day. But they realize now it also implies that you're gonna be sitting for 12 hours in the, instead of walking, which is not necessarily better.

Exactly. You actually have to focus for most of that time. You see what I mean? So after they get that reality, reality check and they're like, "Okay. Yeah, I'm gonna make more money. Yeah, I might be working remotely, but is it what I want?" And some people, they realize that's not what they want. You see what I mean?[00:33:00]

Exactly. Exactly. Now, I know this is a question you probably get a lot. Uh, and we have, uh, with the job boards and everything else, you got the ATS and everything else, and, and with these job descriptions, three to four years experience, need a degree, no degree. How does your program help people with no experience get placed in front of hiring managers and actually interview?

Um, the biggest thing we leverage besides trying to convert your experience into something relevant to the new job is the apprenticeship we build as part of our program with a separate company where you can put that on your resume, up to one year of experience between everything you've done. Um, this is the, our biggest weapon really, because the catch-22 is real.

In fact, this is the only advanced [00:34:00] country where there is that catch-22. You need a job to get the experience, but where do you get the experience, you know- Mm-hmm ... um, before you get the job? Most advanced countries, there is a pipeline, a training-to-job pipeline. There is an apparatus inside the, uh, the company ready to ramp you up, um, to where they ne- need you to be But everywhere, uh, most companies in the US, they wanted, they want the, the, the person to be already having five years of experience.

Now, you always, as a newcomer, you always gonna have that, um, that uphill battle. The uphill battle is real and it's not gonna go away anytime soon, but we have a few weapons to actually help you with that. First, which is, uh, the apprenticeship. Second is knowing how to present yourself, how to, um, uh, not only present yourself, present that new persona you're building, because that's what [00:35:00] you're doing when you are reinventing your career.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. How do you articulate all the things you know into something relevant for your new employer? How do you show up? How do you tell that new story of your career? Um, we have a c- your career coach, um, amazing career coach, uh, um, uh, Shivani and, uh, Courtney that we work with. That's their, you know, that's their, uh, uh, um, that's their superpower.

So is it foolproof? Is it easy? Is it, is it-- Does it stop being an uphill battle? Never. But we have had great, uh, uh, not only, uh, uh, success, but we accumulate the experience on how we are able to help you in that, um, in that journey. Uh, I like that. Great answer. Um, because that is one of the biggest things, and like you said, the also [00:36:00] reselling yourself.

I think the biggest things people struggle with when they go do programs sometimes is when you get through an interview, what stories do you have to tell? And I think a lot of times they struggle with that 'cause sometimes they, they don't know, they haven't been helped enough to figure out what to do or what to say.

Yeah. Not only that, um, the apprenticeship gives you the hands-on to say, "Okay, I've troubled, uh, I, I did this troubleshooting. I fixed this. This is why it was broken." Now you can tell a story that's coherent. You can tell a story of adding value to a, to an environment. When you don't have this apprenticeship portion, yes, you, you understand the, the concept, the mechanics of it, but you cannot apply it to a, to, to, to real world.

And a lot of students, most people, not a lot of student, most people, they don't have that amazing imagination to talk about things as if they already done it. You see what I mean? [00:37:00] Yeah. Definitely. I've seen it all the time, but that's what people struggle at. They kinda only stick it to where they are versus either what they've been studying to become or able to answer answers-- I mean, able to answer questions in a way that would support you being picked up for the role.

But that's cool. Yeah. Um, here's a cool one. So your program pretty much sets the learning pace, learning pace slower than the average program. Why is it slower and more deliberate than, uh, well, actually, why is it, why is a slower, more deliberate pace actually a competitive advantage for students' retention and mastery in Linux?

First, like you said, it helps with retention and engagement, but most importantly The, the commitment I had is to help people with no tech background. [00:38:00] When you show up and you start talking to a person in a language, in a tech, uh, technical language they've never been exposed to, if you go too fast, Henry, you've l- lost them in the first term.

Mm-hmm. That's why it's important to start very slow. Now, we pick up the pace, but we start very slow, very intentionally because we made a commitment. More than 95% of people we train are people who've never sat on a computer to do more than send emails. So we come in acknowledging this, and if you go too fast...

Because I have competitors, their whole business model is to teach you Linux in two weeks. To me-- But it's only-- But their, their, their target market is also different. It's someone who was a coder. It's someone who's already in the tech space who just want to learn Linux, you see what I mean? Um, to add to their portfolio.[00:39:00]

Me, my target market is different. My target market has never learned anything about tech in general. So it is essential to go slower because i- if not, you're gonna have a situation where things are gonna fly over your head, and that's not the, the, that's not the point. You see what I mean? So it is intentional because of the, uh, group of people, the demography we decided to serve.

That's essentially the answer. Okay. So when people think of getting into tech, they almost think of either learning how to be a software developer, they wanna get into cybersecurity. Um, but in your instance, why did you choose to anchor Yellowtail's tech foundational program in Linux system administration and AWS?

For, for, for a few reason. First, this is what I knew, [00:40:00] and I wanted to stay in my space and become a subject matter expert, and I think we've, um, succeeded because if you google Yellowtail Tech, it's one of the few, if not the only program that's essentially, uh, uh, targeting people with no tech background.

That's the first reason. The second reason is because I understood that very early. Linux is at the foundation of so much. Your, your phone runs on Linux, your Tesla runs on, on, on Linux. Your, um, your, um, TV runs on Linux. Your, you know, large language model that you use, I don't know if you use Claude or ChatGPT, runs on Linux.

Uh, your cloud runs on, uh, run on Linux. So I understood that it was a very foundational type of s- uh, of, of training and skill to have, understanding that makes you more relevant. Even [00:41:00] people are going to, uh, cybersecurity. Most cybersecurity expert, they are first expert in the operating system. Because let me ask you a question, Henry.

How are you gonna s- um, support and secure, uh, an environment if you don't understand the operating system that powers that environment? You see what I mean? So even as a sec- cybersecurity expert, to understand how to secure, uh, an, an, an environment, you have to understand the environment at its core. So a lot of people think cybersecurity is just thinking security plus.

It's way more than that. My wife is a s- uh, is a, is a security, uh, a professional, but with a cloud and Linux background. That makes her worth more to the marketplace because if not, you're gonna be more in the incident report, uh, writing incident, writing, uh, um, um, policy, which is more [00:42:00] and more being done by AI, by the way.

So i- in order to go into cybersecurity and be very relevant, you need to have deep foundational knowledge in operating system, which is what we're offering to people Yeah, no, I definitely would agree on that, uh, 'cause it definitely helps out, especially investigations, right? Especially if you know Linux and you know cloud.

Those are huge right now because some companies still have not converted everything over to the cloud, and so they need you. And if you, even if you're on the cloud, because the cloud is just, uh, an abstraction of an operating system. Mm-hmm. Once you abstract that operating system, you still need to interact with that abstracted operating system.

So you still need to understand Linux. You see what I mean? So because it's in the cloud doesn't take away the importance of understanding how the n- uh, uh, architecture of the operating system is, you see? [00:43:00] Perfect. Now, earlier I was mentioning how sometimes people sometimes don't know what they wanna do until they actually see what it is.

For the non-technical listeners, uh, out there, how would you explain what a Linux system admin does on a day-to-day basis? And you've kinda already explained the second part of this question, why are they so vital to modern corporate infrastructure? The first thing I wanna make sure that's clear, and Henry, I'm sure you know that The job of a Linux system administrator is very different according to what, um, company and what industry you fall into.

Mm-hmm. So if you fall into the USPTO as your first job versus a bank versus a startup, your job is wildly different. If you fall into a small team versus a big team, I have guys who are, who fall into, um, such big teams, for example, the USPTO, they [00:44:00] have so, uh, s- so much infrastructure to manage. Um, they are monitoring logs all day.

You see what I mean? And, um, they love it because they're not challenged. And someone falls into a small team th- uh, where they, they are doing everything. They are, um, they are building servers, they are monitoring servers, they are hardening, uh, infrastructure, they are doing, um, reports, they are doing, uh, like you said, um, investigation of what happened to a server if something happened.

So it very, it varies, but the general way I wanna describe it is once you go into an environment, let's say a bank, the bank has a few layers, and that's the real... that's true for every company. The first layer is the infrastructure, the physical infrastructure, meaning the servers, the computers, okay? But on top of this computer, there needs to be something [00:45:00] running And this is where you come in.

You are managing, you are making sure that operating system is running, uh, twenty-four seven all, uh, uh, um, all the time for your... Uh, let, let's keep the bank as an example. For your banking app to work, meaning there is the physical inf- the infrastructure, the operating system, and all the software and the apps and the, um, uh, uh...

Yeah, the software and the apps that are, that are, um, built and being managed on top of that. So you are the layer in between the physical, uh, um, um, devices and the software that the end user, uh, uh, gets to interact with. And by-- And when I mean end user, it doesn't only mean the customer, uh, because let's, uh, keep, let's keep the example of a bank.

The s- uh, the teller is an end [00:46:00] user of that as well because they are interacting with a s- a, a software that is being run on, on, on a, on a, on some type of physical device. You see what I mean? So your, your customer is sometimes an internal customer. It's the, uh, it's the company, uh, it's the, uh, employees of the company, and sometimes it's the end user, it's the customer of that company.

So it's essentially making sure that mid-layer, that operating system between the physical layer of things and the up, uh, the, the application being used, you are responsible to make sure that infrastructure is always up and running, and secure, right? Perfect. Now As an official Red Hat training partner, why is the specialized certification like the Red Hat Certified System Admin worth more to an [00:47:00] enterprise employer right now than a generic tech certification?

For a few reason. Um, first, Red Hat has 100%, um, hands-on environment where you-- there's no multiple choice, so you get handed a server and then you do things to it. So either you know what you're doing or you don't. That's the first thing that the industry likes about it. The second thing is Red Hat is an industry leader, especially, uh, when, when it comes to, um, operating system.

They do other things, but when you're talking about Linux operating system, they are the industry leader because they offer the, um, they have the biggest offering of, um, of support. So, uh, these are the biggest reason why, uh, and a third, um, honestly, Red Hat is the only major, uh, certification in the [00:48:00] space.

So if you're trying to get certified and be able to, um, you know, to have this, uh, help you transition into a job, this is the, um, the certification to go, uh, with. So Red Hat has a lot going for them in general. Perfect. So if you could look back at the 20-something-year-old version of yourself struggling to figure out the IT job market or someone listening right now that feels the same way, what is the single best piece of advice that you would give to them to kickstart their career transformation?

I would, um, I would go and look at what is likely to be a fad and then what, what is likely to be relevant in 10 years. Because, um, this is one thing I realized I, I didn't think it was, uh, the best decision I made, is when I got into tech, I [00:49:00] chose a space where the relevant of that space became bigger as, uh, the, the industry got bigger.

Um, when you're talking about, um, software, uh, building software, software engineering, these things are going away because AI is able to do quite a bit of that work. But when we're talking about infrastructure, and there are several other spaces, um, that are, um, very, um, um, AI-proof. The idea is to ask yourself, will my-- will the, the, the, um, the field, uh, uh, the field I've chosen, will it be more relevant?

Uh, what is, uh, threatening it? What is most likely to be replacing it? And, um, I think, uh, I made the right decision by, um, s- going with Linux and sticking with it and trying to become a subject matter expert. And the second thing, it's, uh, [00:50:00] it's connected to being a subject matter expert. Go deep. Do not go wide.

It's easier to go wide because, you know, every week there's something new going on. But being a system administrator, becoming a system engineer, and beco- um, becoming a s- uh, uh, having a specialty as a system engineer in automation and many different areas that you can choose to become a, a, a, a subject matter expert is the best thing you can do for your career.

Because, um, know-it-alls are a dime a do- a, a dime a dozen. But finding that person who is worth a lot to a company, not only you create job, um, security for yourself, and you create a lot of opportunity for salary increase for yourself. So that's what I would say. Go deep instead of wide, and ask yourself, "Will my, uh, uh, um, w- will the, the area I choose be more [00:51:00] relevant in the future?"

Don't ask if it's easy to get in, because a lot of people made that mistake a- as well, Henry. "Oh, yeah, it's because it's a two-month thing, you know, I'm gonna do that, cue it." Yeah, but- Hmm ... make sure in five years, you-- Do you still have an infrastructure in five years? Yes. Is it bigger? Probably. You see what I mean?

So that's what I would do to, um, before I get into the space. No, that's, that's definitely great advice, especially for people starting out. Now, how do the listeners, uh, keep up with you if they wanna follow you or learn more about the things you have to say? We are on, uh, all major platform, but our biggest platform is, um, um, uh, Instagram.

You can follow us at Yellowtel.tech. Um, just, um, follow us on Instagram, on YouTube, and, uh, yeah, we're always trying to put, uh, new information out there, how, um, how the space is evolving, and, um, [00:52:00] yeah, there is so much in store for Linux, for infrastructure in general. Um, yeah, we're excited about the future.

Perfect, and I think, um, I forgot that we didn't mention this in the, um, in the previous questions, but when is the next cohort? The next cohort, uh, starts, um, this, um, right after Labor Day. Always the Monday after Labor Day. I think it's the 14th. Okay. Of September. Perfect. Perfect. All right, guys. Well, I appreciate you guys for tuning in, and until next time, let's stay textual, and we out.

Peace.