Want a high-paying programming job? According to ZipRecruiter’s tally, the average annual salary for an open source developer in the United States is $123,411. Not bad.

There is also a lot of demand for Linux and open source pros. The Linux Foundation and edX, the leading provider of massive open online courses (MOOCs), reported in their 2021 Open Source Jobs Report that the pair found more demand than ever for top open source workers.

That’s why the Linux Foundation has released three new courses on the edX platform: Open Source Software Development: Linux for Developers (LFD107x), Linux Tools for Software Development (LFD108x), and Git for Software Development distributed (LFD109x). The three courses can be taken individually or combined to obtain a professional certificate in open source software development, Linux and Git.

The first course, Open Source Software Development: Linux for Developers (LFD107x) explores the key concepts of open source software development and how to work productively in Linux. You don’t need to know Linux before starting this course, as it is an introduction to Linux designed for developers. You will learn how to install Linux and programs, how to use desktop environments, text editors, important commands and utilities, command shells and scripts, file systems and compilers.

For this course, the Foundation recommends that you use a computer installed with a current Linux distribution. I would go further and recommend that you use one with one of the professional Linux distributions. In particular, you should focus on one of the three main enterprise Linux families: Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES), and Ubuntu. There are hundreds of other distros, but these are the ones that matter to companies looking for Linux developers.

As well: How to Become a Linux Pro

The next course, Linux Tools for Software Development (LFD108x) examines the tools needed to perform day-to-day work in Linux development environments and beyond. It is designed for developers with experience working on any operating system who want to understand the basics of open source development. Upon completion, participants will be familiar with essential shell tools, so they can work comfortably and productively in Linux environments. Also, I recommend that you come to this course with a working knowledge of the C programming language.

Finally, Git for Distributed Software Development (LFD109x) provides an in-depth introduction to Git. Git is the other great achievement of Linux Torvalds. This source control system was first used by the Linux kernel community to enable developers around the world to operate efficiently. Additionally, thanks to sites such as GitHub and GitLab, Git has become the lingua franca of all software development.

Everyone uses Git today.

With this course, you will learn how to use Git to create new repositories or clone existing repositories, commit new changes, examine revision histories, examine differences with older versions, work with different branches, merge repositories and work with a distributed development team. Whether or not you end up programming in Linux, knowing how to use Git is essential for the modern programmer.

As well: The Linux Foundation offers a suite of open source management courses

The three courses combine in the professional certificate program “Open source software development, Linux and Git”. With this certification, employers will know that you are capable of programming in open source.

These classes were created by Jerry Cooperstein, PhD, senior content manager at the Linux Foundation. Cooperstein has worked with Linux since 1994 and has overall responsibility for all Linux Foundation training content.

To get the most out of the courses, you will need to obtain the professional certificate. To do this, you must enroll in the program, complete all three courses, and pay a verified certificate fee of $149 per course.

You can also take all three courses through edX in audit mode at no cost.