You want to make a living from Linux? Well, you can do it, but finding a job isn't a walk in the park.

It's not that Linux isn't popular in the job market. It is. If you do any job-hunting at all, you'll see that Linux jobs are out there. The main problem is that IT jobs as a whole are on a decline. The day when simply having a CS degree or being able to show that you knew your way around a command line was enough to get you a good-paying job are long gone.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) says of the 2002 job-market "Jobs were scare. Competition was fierce. And entry-level salaries dropped in many fields." They got that right.

If you have experience, however, according to CRN's 2002 salary survey, chances are you did get a raise. That, of course, presumes that you had job in the first place. With companies shedding technology jobs like a duck's back sheds water, simply holding onto a job has been an accomplishment.

Hoping for a quick recovery? Don't hold your breath. According to Robert Half Technology, an international staffing company, in its Information Technology Hiring Index, hiring in 2003 will remain at current levels. The vast majority of executives that RHT surveyed, 86 percent, plan no change in hiring activity.

Still, bad news and all, there are jobs out there. But, what many would-be Linux workers don't understand is that basic Linux skills alone aren't enough. Typical Linux jobs require programming or networking skills. For example, many of the jobs at the Linux headhunter shop, Hot Linux Jobs require C and C++ skills.

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