The Power of the Penguin
Posted by TestOut Staff on
Superheroes often discover, unlock, or inherit their powers from this or that unlikely incident that changes their destiny from pedestrian plebe to preordained protector. Peter Parker became Spider-Man after getting bitten by a radioactive spider. Clark Kent is an alien who got Superman's might from exposure to Earth's yellow sun. Fabulous secret powers were revealed to Prince Adam (aka He-Man) the day he held aloft his magic sword and said, "By the power of Greyskull, I have the power!"
We don't often think of penguins as being heroic, or fighting for the good of mankind, or possessing outsized abilities that allow them to conquer the forces of evil. Frankly, if we think of penguins at all, it's probably because we're at the zoo, or watching a documentary. There's one penguin, however, that's mightier even than the likes of Captain Marvel or Scarlet Witch, despite having a roly-poly appearance and being, you know, a penguin. That's Tux, the official mascot of open-source OS Linux.
Tux got his powers because Linus Torvalds, the Finnish programmer who created the Linux kernel — launching history's most successful and far-reaching open-source software project — was amused by an image of a penguin that he found online. Linux has become the backbone of the modern internet, powering an impressive majority of the servers that let us all do things like stream popular '80s cartoons on YouTube, or shop for loafers hand stitched by an artisanal craftsman in Peru.
The internet is a big place, of course, and getting bigger (as well as more closely integrated with all aspects of life) by the day. There's a persistent and growing need for Linux skills and knowledge. If you like the freedom and variability of Linux and you're looking for an exciting career path, then Linux certification using TestOut's Linux Pro courseware just might be your bridge to a brighter future. Like Tux, you can become essential to keeping the internet running smoothly every day.
We've just released our newest version of Linux Pro, and it's got everything you need to know to earn CompTIA's single-exam Linux+ credential. Linux+ has been around for a while, but the single-exam format is brand new. Not only that, but Linux Pro, like all TestOut courses, includes the option to get TestOut's own Linux Pro certification. Not even Superman has two Linux certifications. Instead of waiting around for a radioactive spider or magic sword to trigger your destiny, get certified.