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Hello,
I’m posting to get some opinions from others here about their experience as System Administrators with Apple technologies as I’m thinking about moving my career in that direction.
I’ve been reading the OS X Server mailing list for a few months now. The community seems very intelligent and friendly. The industries they work in sound like they revolve around education primarily, Microsoft shops with a few Macs, and the odd Mac-only place. Does that sound about right?
How do you find working with Apple’s IT and Server products in production? Server does have its share of bugs, but I’ve found it’s still a fun environment to work with.
How about the social aspect of it? Do you find it difficult to justify Apple expenses or why they are needed in the company? I would think that almost all places that utilize OS X Server also have some type of Active Directory environment. Is that the case? Do you share between working with Apple and Microsoft products or do you just work with Apple?
I suppose most importantly, how is the job market? Like any decent job, I’m sure a position working with Apple equipment would take a bit of time and effort to find. Do you think the job market for Apple is getting bigger? Possibly because of the increasing home-user popularity?
Personally, I’ve used Linux and FreeBSD since I was 15. I started using Macs at home when OS X was first released because of the Unix-y backend. I’ve had a few jobs that have involved Linux, but my primary professional work has been with Microsoft and Active Directory. However, since the release of Vista and Server 2008, I’ve started to lose an enormous amount of interest and ambition in supporting those products. Rather than continue on with a career path that I would have little to no personal interest in, I’m thinking about changing. I’ve spent the past few months playing with Server and I’ve passed the ACTC certification (looking towards a 10.5 ACSA when it’s available). I realize experience and certification can be two different things, but it provides a good path to get accustomed to new technologies.
Anyway, I apologize if this is sort of an off-the-wall post, but I would appreciate any feedback.
Thanks!