How popular is Linux

[pro diver]

I am currently a college student, but want to become a network or system administrator once I get out of school. I am in my 2nd year of school, but I am unsure if I should start to learn Linux or focus on other areas like networking or Windows server. Any advise?

[Webmaster]

Linux is still a great operating system to learn. In the early 2000's we thought Linux was going to explode, but it didn't catch on as expected. There wasn't enough wrong with Windows to make people want to migrate to Linux.

There are still a good deal of other things like routers, firewalls, and other appliance-like devices that run Linux or some export of it. It is widely used in data centers and places like hosting companies, the stock market, Google, and Facebook. Take a look at CentOS. It's free and is nearly identical to Red Hat.