Picture this: You're working late to troubleshoot a production issue and an AI assistant suggests a fix in seconds. Problem solved, right? Not quite. While it seems like it should be easy to use AI assistance, where do you start? What's your prompt? How do you find the issue within the system? AI tools and other large language models are transforming our daily workflows, helping with everything from debugging scripts to generating boilerplate code in seconds, but you still have to know how (and when) to use them.
This raises a valid question for many IT practitioners—with so much knowledge at your fingertips, is a guided training and certification path still necessary?
At Red Hat, our answer is an emphatic yes. The most successful IT professionals understand that this isn’t an either/or scenario. The key isn't to choose between AI and guided training, but to master the powerful synergy between them. Think of it as a hybrid approach—use AI as a scalable, always-available companion, while building your authoritative and validated expertise with Red Hat Training.
Where your AI assistant shines: The companion role
The true value of AI in software development lies in its ability to dramatically speed up engineering workflows. These tools efficiently handle low-level, high-volume tasks, making it possible for IT teams to move faster, experiment more, and manage complexity more effectively.
AI tools are fantastic for:
- Quick lookups: Need to remember the syntax for a specific Ansible playbook command? An AI code assistant can provide it instantly.
- Rapid experimentation: You can quickly iterate with different command options or code snippets without the overhead of setting up a full environment.
- Translating code and logic across languages: If you need to integrate a function from an older Python service into a new Go application, an AI assistant can quickly convert the logic.
- Creating initial drafts and boilerplate: AI tools can instantly generate boilerplate code for common services, APIs, or configuration files.
These sorts of AI tools can be game-changers for day-to-day tasks. But here’s the catch—these tools have a critical limitation in that they lack authority, structure, and accountability. AI also can't put a certification on your resume that catches the eye of a company and makes a hiring manager take notice.
Where Red Hat Training is essential: The foundational role
A chatbot can't give you hands-on, expert-guided practice on a real-world system. This is where Red Hat Training offers an experience that is fundamentally different and indispensable for your career.
- Performance-based validation: A Red Hat certification, like the Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA), is the industry's gold standard because it’s a performance-based exam. You don’t just answer multiple-choice questions, you prove you can perform real-world tasks on a live Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) system. These professional credentials tell hiring managers not that you know the theory, but that you have the concrete and real-world experience needed to solve real problems on day one.
- Structured, expert-led curriculum: Our courses are built and maintained by the very same Red Hat experts who engineer the technology. The curriculum provides a clear, logical learning path that helps you build a comprehensive understanding of the entire ecosystem, from core Linux administration, to advanced automation with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, to container orchestration with Red Hat OpenShift.
- Authentic hands-on labs: Red Hat Training provides hands-on, cloud-based labs using tried and trusted Red Hat software. This is where theory becomes practice, allowing you to get your hands dirty and build true muscle memory for complex tasks in a safe and cost-effective environment.
- Real-world scenarios from instructors: While AI provides raw answers, only Red Hat Training delivers authoritative context and real-world scenarios shared by our certified instructors, who draw on years of hands-on experience in complex enterprise environments. This expert-led foundation is amplified through interactive, social learning experiences, giving your team experience in collaboratively solving real problems and building the validated muscle memory that no solitary AI prompt can replicate.
A powerful alliance: The strongest learner experience
The most impactful approach? Combine these two learning methods strategically.
Start with Red Hat Training as your foundational path. This is where you build the structured and certifiable knowledge that will form the backbone of your career. This is the expertise that sets you apart in interviews and on the job. Then leverage AI tools as your personal study assistant. Use them to review concepts after class, clarify syntax on the fly, practice different scenarios at your own pace, and reinforce what you've learned in training.
Think of it this way: Red Hat Training gives you the map and the compass. AI tools help you navigate faster once you know where you're going. The future of professional development isn't about picking a side. It's about using the right tools for the job, and the IT professionals who thrive won't be the ones who depend solely on AI. They'll be the ones who combine deep, validated expertise with smart use of modern tools, combining the authoritative, hands-on, and certifiable expertise of Red Hat Training.
Ready to build your foundation?
Explore our training catalog and find the certification path that matches your ambitions. Whether you're just starting with Linux fundamentals or advancing to enterprise automation and cloud-native applications.. Your future self and your resume will thank you.
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关于作者
Karl Reynolds is the Senior Director of Red Hat Training and Certification, based out of Raleigh, North Carolina. In this role, he provides strategic direction and leads the sales and delivery of new Red Hat Training and Certification offerings globally.
Reynolds has nearly 25 years of training and technology experience. He has spent the last ten years serving Red Hat in varying director-level roles, and is a multi-time recipient of the Red Hat President’s Club Award.
