Dual Booting Linux
March 21, 2025
Facing My Linux Knowledge Gap: A Journey from Interview to Dual Booting...
Recently, I had an interview for an Observability Engineer role, and while I was excited about the opportunity,
I quickly realized I had a massive gap in my knowledge—Linux. During the interview, I was asked about system monitoring, log aggregation,
and troubleshooting, and it became painfully clear that my understanding of Linux was nowhere near where it needed to be. I had dabbled in
Linux before, but I never truly understood its importance until that moment.
This realization made me take a step back. I had to go back
to the basics, not just of Linux, but of operating systems in general. What makes an OS different from another? How does Linux compare to Windows,
which I was so comfortable with? Unlike Windows, where everything is abstracted and simplified for the user, Linux exposes the raw mechanics of
how an operating system interacts with hardware and software. Concepts like the filesystem hierarchy, user permissions, package management, and
the terminal-driven nature of Linux started to make more sense to me.
As I researched more, I stumbled upon something interesting—dual booting.
Instead of running Linux on a virtual machine, I learned that I could install it alongside Windows and switch between them at boot. This sounded like
a perfect way to fully immerse myself in Linux without giving up my existing setup. But there was a catch: dual booting isn’t exactly beginner-friendly.
The process involves manual partitioning, which, if done incorrectly, could wipe out all my data. That was terrifying. One wrong move, and everything—my
projects, software, and personal files—could disappear in an instant.
This brought me to one of the most important lessons of this journey: back up
everything before making major system changes. I made sure to back up all my critical files before proceeding. I then carefully followed the steps to
create partitions, install Linux, and set up a bootloader. The experience was nerve-wracking, but once I successfully booted into Linux for the first time,
I felt an incredible sense of accomplishment.
Now that I have a proper Linux setup, my goal is to use it as my learning environment to explore the fundamentals of servers,
cloud computing, cybersecurity, and system administration. These are crucial skills for any engineer working in observability and infrastructure.
By working with Linux daily, I can familiarize myself with terminal commands, scripting, system processes, and security configurations—all of which
will be invaluable in my career.
This entire experience has been a humbling reminder that learning is never linear. Sometimes, you have to take a step back to move forward.
If you're considering dual booting, my advice is to research thoroughly, prepare for the worst, and always have a backup.
It’s scary, but the rewards are well worth it.
This is just the beginning of my Linux journey, but I’m already seeing how it’s shaping my understanding of the tech world.
If you’ve been hesitant about learning Linux, I’d say go for it—you’ll gain insights that go far beyond just another operating system.