Want to Be a DevOps Engineer? Here Are the 8 Game-Changing Steps to Get Started NOW

What is DevOps?

DevOps is a combination of two words: Dev (short for development) and Ops (short for operations). It represents the collaboration between software developers and IT operations teams to streamline and improve the software delivery process.

In today’s fast-paced tech world, where new technologies emerge rapidly, DevOps has become increasingly important. It bridges the gap between development and operations, making it easier to build, test, and release software efficiently.

DevOps promotes automation, continuous integration, and continuous delivery, ensuring faster and more reliable software releases. As businesses strive to deliver software quickly and with higher quality, the demand for DevOps professionals continues to grow.

Pursuing a career in DevOps not only offers valuable skills but also provides a secure and rewarding future in the IT industry.

Why Choose a Career in DevOps?

There are multiple reasons why we need to choose DevOps as a career.

1. High demand and job opportunities:

Nowadays, almost all companies utilize DevOps methodologies. They have transitioned or are transitioning towards cloud computing, automation, and agile practices, all of which fall under DevOps, leading to an increased demand for DevOps professionals. Almost all tech companies are hiring DevOps engineers as they, too, are adopting advanced technologies.

2. Attractive Salary Packages:

DevOps engineers get the highest salary packages because they work on multiple DevOps tools, such as Multiple clouds (AWS, Azure, GCP), Jenkins, Terraform, GitHub Actions, CI CD tools, etc. These tools are in high demand in the market, so they are getting high pay.

3. Versatile Skill Set:

It will provide you the multiple DevOps technologies like

  • Cloud Platforms: AWS, Azure, GCP, etc.
  • CICD Tools: Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Circle CI, etc.
  • Containerization & Orchestration: Docker, Kubernetes, ECS, EKS, AKS, etc.
  • Infrastructure as Code: Terraform, CloudFormation, Ansible, Chef, etc.
  • Monitoring Tools: Prometheus, Grafana, Kibana, Dynatrace etc.

Above mentioned DevOps tools and technologies will provide you with multiple career paths.

4. Faster Career Growth:

DevOps is involved in all stages of the software development lifecycle and incremental deployment. Because of this, DevOps professionals quickly move into senior, leadership, or architect roles.

5. Sustainable Career:

As new tools and technologies continue to emerge, the field of DevOps is constantly evolving. This makes a career in DevOps highly dynamic and versatile. You’ll find yourself learning something new every day. Working in real-time production environments and resolving issues in live infrastructures not only sharpens your problem-solving skills but also deepens your technical expertise. Over time, this hands-on experience builds a strong foundation and makes DevOps a reliable and sustainable career path.

Skills You Need To become a DevOps engineer

  • Scripting knowledge: Scripting will help you to automate any routine work that you will do every day. Python, Bash, Ruby, Go-lang, you can learn anyone of them.
  • Proficiency with Linux/Unix-like Operating systems
  • Understanding of networking and security concepts.
  • Familiarity with cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or GCP.
  • Knowledge of version control tools like Git
  • Hands-on experience with CI/CD pipeline tools like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or Circle CI
  • Ability to work with containers and orchestration tools (Docker, Kubernetes)

Top DevOps Tools and Technologies that you need to learn

  • Version Control: Git, GitHub, GitLab
  • CI/CD: Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI
  • Containers: Docker, ECS
  • Orchestration: Kubernetes, EKS, AKS
  • Configuration Management: Ansible, Chef, Puppet
  • Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Terraform, CloudFormation
  • Monitoring & Logging: Prometheus, Grafana, ELK, Datadog, Dynatrace, etc.

DevOps Courses and Certifications

Enhancing your knowledge with DevOps courses and gaining a certification in DevOps is highly beneficial. Some top platforms offering DevOps courses online:

  • Coursera: DevOps Specializations by top universities
  • Udemy: Hands-on DevOps Bootcamps
  • Edureka
  • Great Learning
  • Simplilearn: A Wide range of DevOps tools and Technologies
  • KodeKloud: Labs-based DevOps learning.
  • AWS Certified DevOps Engineer
  • Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert
  • Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
  • Docker Certified Associate

DevOps Best Practices

The right way to implement DevOps is to use the best DevOps practices for a smooth workflow of dev, stage and prod environment.

  • Automate everything: In this, you need to automate all the infrastructure, whether it’s builds, tests, or deployments, with no manual interventions.
  • You need to set up the monitoring and log proactively so that you know every activity over the infrastructure.
  • Encourage collaboration between dev and ops
  • Using a microservices architecture allows you to address bugs more efficiently. Instead of fixing the entire codebase, you can focus only on the specific service or component where the issue occurred. This makes development and maintenance faster and more manageable.
  • Minimal downtime, or you can say a highly available system, is the best.

Conclusion

If you’re aiming to grow as a DevOps engineer, it’s true—you’ll need to learn a wide range of tools and technologies. But trust me, once you start mastering them, you’ll realize how far you’ve come. There’s no real limit—the sky is the limit when it comes to career growth, salary, and long-term success in this field.

To thrive in DevOps, stay focused on learning, keep practicing, and continuously update yourself with the latest trends and tools. With the right mindset, a clear learning path, and dedication, you can build a secure, successful, and highly rewarding career.

Leave a Comment