How Yellow Tail Tech Helped Danielle Become a System Administrator

Danielle Cook’s journey into tech began with a desire for change sparked during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a manager and essential worker, she realized she wanted the flexibility and opportunity a remote tech career could offer. With support from friends already in the tech industry, Danielle began researching programs that could help her pivot, eventually landing on Yellow Tail Tech. Drawn to the Linux for Jobs program structure, live instruction, and focus on career growth, Danielle enrolled and got her Red Hat Certified System Administrator certification. Now a Junior Linux System Administrator at Leidos, supporting NASA projects, Danielle shares how her Yellow Tail Tech experience has ensured she is thriving in her first tech role.

What prompted you to enroll in a Linux program in 2023?

This journey started with COVID — I was a manager and an essential worker, and I really didn’t want to be! I wanted to work from home. I was having difficulty with promotions because it was like I had hit the ceiling at my job. In 2022, I began to change the trajectory of my career, thanks to the encouragement of Amazon tech people and friends who were already in tech. My friends suggested I learn Linux, which I had no idea about. A friend began helping me research the best courses for me. I knew that I wanted to have a teacher, someone who would hold me accountable, someone I could ask questions to. Through my network, I heard of someone who attended Yellow Tail Tech. I joined the 10-minute intro call with Yellow Tail, and I was so excited to learn about the program. It seemed like something I could grow in, and that was really important to me: growth. 

What were your career goals when you enrolled at Yellow Tail Tech? 

I didn't have a job title in mind when I enrolled. Yellow Tail Tech informed us about different jobs that we could get just knowing the basics of Linux, but I was open to all of it because I didn’t know much about tech. When I applied to jobs after the program, I stuck with the Systems Admin roles because that's what I got a certification in. 

When you were researching different programs, what stood out about Yellow Tail Tech? 

When I was researching, I found different programs and bootcamps where you could learn on your own, but it was really important to me that I had a live instructor who was going to be there for me when I had questions. I'm the type of person who needs to ask someone questions if I don’t understand something. Having a live teacher in the classroom sold me on Yellow Tail Tech.

Did you need any coding or technical experience to get into the Lnx for Jobs program at Yellow Tail Tech?

No, I didn't need any coding experience. The program is tailored to people who have little to no IT background. They do give a little quiz in the beginning to see where you are in your skill set. In my class, some people weren’t used to working with computers and the program trained them enough to be certified! It speaks to how well this program breaks things down and makes it easy for you to understand and digest.

What did the Lnx for Jobs curriculum cover?

The Linux for Jobs program is broken down into three parts:

1. In the first part, you’re learning the foundation of Linux, like how to operate on the command line.

2. In the second part, you’re preparing for the Red Hat certification exam. If you don't get certified, you can't move on to the apprenticeship, so Yellow Tail Tech is very thorough when they're training you.

3. In the third part, you go into the apprenticeship where you learn different software like Ansible, Terraform, and Nagios, as well as the tools that a System Admin would use on the job. 

Now that I’ve been hired as a system administrator, I can look back and see how Yellow Tail Tech prepared me for real-world experiences in the field. They touch on so many things that I’m now able to speak about different software or aspects of the job with confidence.

Which industry certifications does Yellow Tail Tech prepare you for?

When I was in the program, they prepared me for the Red Hat Certified System Administration (RHCSA) certification. Once you finish learning about Linux, they give you time to prepare for the exam. You can learn with a group or by yourself, but their goal is to get you certified so you can move to the next stage, which is the apprenticeship. During this time, they had us take three tests at different levels of difficulty.  

After my cohort, they modified their program to include CompTIA Security+ certification preparation. That is one of the great things about the Yellow Tail Tech program: they're not stuck in a box. They're constantly changing and tweaking the program. They added CompTIA Security+ because they realized that the industry had changed and employers were looking for that certification, too. 

What is the RHCSA certification exam like?

It's very hands-on! You can't just read about it and expect to do well. You have to be on the command line and type your solutions out. A large part of the exam is troubleshooting and trying to find the errors. There are also multiple-choice questions.

What is the time commitment like when studying for the Red Hat exam?

When I was preparing for the Red Hat exam, my group was putting in 12-14 hour days. It was very intense, and we put the pressure on ourselves because this was something we really wanted. You take the certification exam right after studying for it because that information is fresh in your brain, so we gave ourselves a month of intense studying. I recommend that anyone wanting to get this certification through Yellow Tail Tech prioritize their investment. You have to fully commit and give as many hours as you feel like you need to in order to reach your goal.

How did you receive support when you were struggling in the program?

I did fall behind at one point early in the program. I was trying to work and do the program, so my focus wasn't 100% on the program. We have TAs in the program along with the instructor, and they monitor your progress and encourage people who have fallen behind. They follow up with you to find out what you need and how they can help. We had a great TA who was available on weekends and would help us with whatever we were struggling with. 

While you can lean on your TA and your cohort for support, it’s important to remember that you have to do the work. After falling behind, I realized I had to buckle down and get the work done. If I needed any help, everyone at Yellow Tail Tech was very supportive, even the person I had the initial call with when I was enrolling. Everyone is invested in your growth and making sure you're on track because they want you to win.

What was your apprenticeship like at Yellow Tail Tech?

The apprenticeship at Yellow Tail Tech is structured like a real job. You’re clocking in, setting up your environment, responding to tickets, troubleshooting them, and making sure you’re documenting. You learn a lot during the apprenticeship, like Ansible and Terraform, as well as how to troubleshoot a network, bring up a network, and take down a network. You’re also creating Wiki pages from scratch. Yellow Tail Tech wants to make sure that you can say that you've done the things that a Systems Admin would do. For example, in my current job, I’m not doing everything that I learned at Yellow Tail Tech, but there are pieces of what I learned at Yellow Tail Tech that are now important for me to have to do other tasks. 

The apprenticeship is very intense. It’s active learning. You go through  some tickets and then you're onto the next concept and tool. It's up to you to take notes, so I encourage people to screen-record when you're doing your work because it goes so fast. By recording and taking notes, you can look back and remember what you did. This will be helpful when you go through the career services phase, so you can speak to the concepts that you learned during mock interviews and on your resume.

What is the time commitment like for the apprenticeship?

The apprenticeship lasts for about three months. I tried to dedicate eight hours to it each week. The most important thing during the apprenticeship is getting through your tickets and not falling behind.

What’s the difference between Yellow Tail Tech, which includes an apprenticeship, and a bootcamp?

After Yellow Tail Tech, I went through a bootcamp, so now I would say that Yellow Tail Tech can’t be classified as a bootcamp because the timeline is different. The Linux for Jobs program at Yellow Tail Tech takes about a year to complete. There are six months of learning, then the three-month apprenticeship, followed by career services. 

What kinds of career services did you receive through Yellow Tail Tech?

When you finish the apprenticeship, you are grouped with other recent apprentices to work on career services. They have a job tracker tool that helps you track your applications, interviews, and rejections. You get a career coach who helps you with your resume and does mock interviews. You meet with them weekly to talk about your job search progress. They were very encouraging and helped me understand that rejection was normal.  

Overall, Yellow Tail Tech has a support system for you when you’re going through the job search. Everyone is rooting for you, from your career coaches to the other people in your cohort. It's kind of like a family or a fraternity or sorority. They’re cheering for you and want you to win!

How long did it take you to land your first System Administrator role?

I started at Yellow Tail Tech in February 2023, and I finished the program and apprenticeship in January 2024. I spent a year job searching with Yellow Tail Tech’s help, and landed my first System Administrator role in April 2025. 

Was Yellow Tail Tech there for you as a resource this past year as you were job searching?

They were! You can always reach out to them. My career coach never gave up on me and was there if I needed them.

How did you land this job at Leidos?

This opportunity came from LinkedIn, so I encourage people to make sure they're optimizing their LinkedIn profile, because recruiters can find you there! Yellow Tail Tech helped me optimize my LinkedIn, which is why I got this opportunity. 

I had a pre-screen conversation with the recruiter and then another with the account manager before I moved to the actual interview. In the interview, I met with the Leidos team that works at NASA. They liked my personality and that I could answer their technical questions. There was no technical challenge, which was great because I was nervous about that part. Overall, they were trying to gauge what I knew. They went through my resume and asked a lot of questions about what I put on there. One thing my career coach told me is that it’s okay if you don’t know the answer in a job interview — just show them that you can figure out how to get an answer. That stuck with me, and when I didn’t know something during my interview with Leidos, I was honest, but let them know how I would figure out the solution.

What are you now doing as a Junior Linux System Administrator?

Leidos supports the entire NASA network, so there's a team of IT people to break up the work. Some people manage users, others troubleshoot, etc. I just started this role, so I’m learning about the network and their current projects with NASA. I’m trying to soak in all of that knowledge! 

Since you’re a junior, are you receiving mentorship through Leidos?

I think this job is the best job I've ever had because the support is unbelievable. They understand I’m a junior, so they’re willing to work with me and help me grow. I can touch base with the experts and senior team members to learn from them. I feel very blessed that everyone is so supportive here.

What are you working towards next in your career?

I want to get a good handle on automation, and really master the tools Ansible and Terraform. In the far future, DevOps is something that I'm interested in. 

At this point in your career, was Yellow Tail Tech worth it for you? 

Absolutely! Enrolling at Yellow Tail Tech was the best decision I've ever made. Deciding to go to Yellow Tail Tech changed everything for me. I have the financial security to support myself for the long term. I'm definitely seeing the work-life balance, which I had heard about. It's a lot of work in the beginning to get into this field, but it pays off. 

What is your advice to incoming students on how to make the most of their Yellow Tail Tech experience?

If you are thinking about getting into this career and enrolling at Yellow Tail Tech, fully commit. There are people who I started with who didn't finish the program. There are people that I started with that got their certification, but then didn't finish the apprenticeship. I also saw people in my class get the certification, finish the apprenticeship, but then not fully commit to the job hunt. The job hunt got tough, and they just gave up. Know that it will pay off — you just have to stick it out. You can't give up on yourself. If you keep pushing, it will pay off. 

Find out more and read Yellow Tail Tech reviews on Course Report. This article was produced by the Course Report team in partnership with Yellow Tail Tech.