Last weekend I met some old tech friends. We spoke about projects, long nights, and good time we had at a company where we once worked together. During that conversation, name of my former boss Mark came up. He gave me space to grow without micromanaging. That freedom shaped my technical confidence.
Mark is a Linux expert, so discussion naturally drifted toward Linux. My friends, who know about my writing, asked a simple question: “Why don’t you write something about Linux?”
I have always been more of a Windows OS professional. However, I had significant exposure to Linux while going through my Network Security Specialist (Ethical Hacker) certification. I still remember those command-line exercises and how challenging it felt at first. Many of those early struggles came back to mind during our discussion.
That conversation stayed with me. It made me realize there may be value in revisiting Linux, not as an expert, but as someone who wrestled with it, learned from it, and grew through it.
Let me be clear from beginning: I am not a Linux expert by any means.
During my Network Security Specialist (Ethical Hacker) certification, I first encountered Linux in a serious way. Up to that point, I had always been a Microsoft Windows user, comfortable with familiar GUIs and tools. But suddenly, I was faced with an entirely different world: the terminal. Commands that seemed cryptic at first i.e. ls, cd, chmod, grep, became my new vocabulary.
Early Challenges
My early days were a mix of frustration and fascination. Simple tasks often failed, and error messages offered little mercy. Even navigating familiar looking GUIs such as GNOME and KDE 3.4 didn’t spare me from a reality that Linux demanded precision at ‘command line’. I remember staring at computer screen thinking, “Why isn’t this working?” Yet every small success running a network scan, analyzing a log, or configuring permissions correctly felt like a mini breakthrough. Those victories weren’t just technical; they were confidence builders, showing me that persistence pays off.
As I struggled through exercises and labs, I began to notice something important: Linux is not just an operating system; it’s a mindset. Precision, patience, and analytical thinking matter more than shortcuts. Every command teaches focus, every error demands problem-solving, and every script fosters control.
Looking back now, those first exposures laid a foundation far beyond certification. They shaped how I approach systems, security, and even problem-solving in general. They also gave me empathy for anyone starting out, which I want to pass along in this series.
Those exercises, once intimidating, now make perfect sense in context. The principles I learned then continue to guide me, and they are exactly why Linux remains so relevant today, forming the backbone of modern InfoSec and AI environments.
To explore this journey in depth, I’ve decided to release these (Linux) content in a series of five or six episodes. Each episode will focus on a different aspect of Linux: from my first experiences to its role in modern security and AI-driven environments, to mindset lessons and practical tips. I hope this approach makes the learning experience both personal and valuable for readers.
