One of the coolest outcomes of our shift away from the industrial-based economy is the renewed focus on learning. People and companies are finally realizing the importance of lifelong learning.

As important as learning is for everyone, it is more crucial for network administrators to continue learning and growing their skills. After all, they are at the very core of what runs just about every company--the network and the servers. Sure, programmers need to keep up with changes in coding practices, and database administrators have to understand how they can store, retrieve, and format data in new and useful ways. But the network administrator also must understand everything from the lowest levels of infrastructure plumbing to the upper layers of intranet applications.

The good news is that network administrators will find a huge amount of training aids. Available coursework and tutorial material has grown tremendously in availability over just a couple of years. The difficulty regarding learning comes with time--or lack thereof. Many network administrators are terribly pressed for time. Making time to learn is tricky, but it is now more possible than ever. Regardless of your server platform and operating system, there are multiple learning options. The hard part is locating the best route to learning given your individual scenario.

The hunt to learn

Let's assume for a moment that you are Roberta, the network administrator at a medical-supply company. You manage several NetWare servers already, and recently your company decided to implement a Linux-based intranet. Don't panic! You are savvy enough to get a Linux distribution up and running on the designated servers. But now you need to learn how to create and maintain the company intranet.

Turning to your trusty Web browser, you decide to search the Internet. Perhaps Computer Based Training (CBT) is the way to go--you could work at your own pace. You search for Linux and CBT and find that there are more than 6,000 entries. Some of these include CBTs that certify you as a Linux administrator and prices generally seem to run from $100 to $500. Not bad, but perhaps an online course might be better. You search again, this time for Linux and online course. More than 1,500 items are displayed and you find that there is both fee-based and free courseware available.

The open-source community itself provides plenty of documentation, tutorial materials, and training courses. Linux vendors such as Red Hat also offer tutorial materials. And many colleges are now offering online Linux courses.

But your options don't end there. Even a fast search of the Amazon.com site shows 440 Linux-related books.

Perhaps you enjoy the classroom experience more than learning on your own. Search the Web site of your local two-year or four-year college and you're bound to find the Linux coursework you need. For example, there are three colleges near me that offer Linux administration classes--some evening and weekend courses, too.

You might struggle with getting enough time to visit your local college classroom regularly for classes. You might still want a face-to-face experience with an instructor, but if time is limited, you'll want to check out other available options. If this is your predicament, try searching for seminars that might be one to two days in duration (or perhaps a week at most). Or, look for industry conferences that relate to your topic of interest. For example, Linux administrators can gain knowledge by attending trade shows, such as LinuxWorld. Tutorials at many of these seminars and conferences are comprehensive, and just what busy network administrators need when pressed for time and the need for more knowledge. I recently took a Linux-related course and learned quite a bit during the one-day session.

Knowledge found

As we evolve into more and more of an information-based society, ongoing knowledge gains will be needed regardless of your involvement in technology or the platforms you use (or your age). Decide first what learning methods work best for you and your schedule. Determine what your budget will allow. Then locate the coursework you need and never stop learning!

Maggie Biggs is a lifelong learner and director of the InfoWorld Test Center, where she evaluates emerging technologies. She also writes a new column on computeruser.com called Strategically Speaking, appearing every Monday.