Do you have dreams of having a career in DevOps engineering? This article titled; How to Become a DevOps Engineer will be of great help to you.
DevOps Engineer Job Description
DevOps is a software development methodology that aims to bridge the gap between development and operations teams by promoting collaboration, automation, and continuous delivery. As the demand for DevOps engineers continues to grow, many professionals are seeking to transition into this exciting and lucrative field.
Before we go right into the process, let’s take a look at the duties and responsibilities of a DevOps Engineer.
What Is a DevOps Engineer
A DevOps engineer is an IT generalist who should be well-versed in both development and operations, such as coding, infrastructure management, system administration, and DevOps toolchains. Because they work across company silos to create a more collaborative environment, DevOps engineers must also have strong interpersonal skills.
What Does a DevOps Engineer Do
The duties and responsibilities of DevOps engineers include;
- Create server-side feature documentation.
- Create, install, test, configure, and support IT solutions.
- Communicate operational needs and development forecasts to the entire team.
- Create plans and processes for improving and expanding on current technologies.
- Using configuration management software, automatically deploy updates into the production environment.
- To ensure the production environment runs smoothly, perform routine application maintenance and troubleshooting.
- Conduct a gap analysis to identify performance enhancements, alternative solutions, and modifications.
How to Become a DevOps Engineer
Here are the various steps you should take if you want to become a DevOps engineer;
Learn The Fundamentals of Software Development and IT Operations
To become a DevOps engineer, you need to have a strong foundation in both software development and IT operations. You should be familiar with programming languages, such as Java, Python, Ruby, or Go, and have experience working with Linux, Unix, or Windows operating systems. You should also be knowledgeable about IT infrastructure, such as networks, servers, databases, and cloud computing platforms.
Gain Experience in Automation and Tools
Automation is a key component of DevOps. To become a successful DevOps engineer, you should be skilled in automation tools, such as Ansible, Chef, Puppet, or Salt. You should also be familiar with containerization platforms, such as Docker and Kubernetes, as well as continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) tools, such as Jenkins, GitLab, or CircleCI.
Develop Collaboration and Communication Skills
DevOps is all about collaboration and communication between different teams, such as development, operations, and testing. As a DevOps engineer, you should be able to work well with others, share information, and resolve conflicts. You should also have excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
Understand the Principles of Agile and Lean Methodologies
Agile and lean methodologies are key principles of DevOps. Agile is a methodology that emphasizes iterative and incremental development, while lean focuses on reducing waste and improving efficiency. As a DevOps engineer, you should be familiar with these methodologies and how they can be applied to software development and IT operations.
Get certified in DevOps
Certifications can help you demonstrate your knowledge and expertise in DevOps. Some popular DevOps certifications include:
- AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional
- Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer Expert
- Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
- Certified Jenkins Engineer (CJE)
While certifications can be helpful, they are not essential to becoming a successful DevOps engineer. Your experience and skills are more important.
Build Your Own Projects
To gain practical experience in DevOps, you should build your own projects, such as a website or a mobile app, using DevOps tools and methodologies. This will give you hands-on experience with automation, containerization, CI/CD, and infrastructure as code (IaC). You can also contribute to open-source projects or participate in hackathons to showcase your skills and collaborate with others.
Network with other DevOps Professionals
Networking with other DevOps professionals can help you learn from their experiences, get advice, and find job opportunities. You can attend meetups, conferences, or online forums, such as DevOpsDays, DockerCon, or Reddit’s /r/devops community. You can also join professional organizations, such as the DevOps Institute, the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), or the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
Keep Learning and Adapting
DevOps is a constantly evolving field, and new tools and practices are emerging all the time. To stay relevant and competitive, you need to keep learning and adapting. You can read blogs, books, or online courses on DevOps topics, such as cloud computing, microservices, or site reliability engineering (SRE). You can also experiment with
DevOps Engineer Salary
According to salary data from various sources, the average salary range for DevOps engineers in the United States is between $90,000 and $150,000 per year.
However, this can vary based on factors such as the engineer’s level of experience, location, industry, and specific skills. Some highly experienced and skilled DevOps engineers can earn salaries upwards of $200,000 per year.
DevOps Engineering Career Path for 2023
Here are some DevOps engineering career paths you should consider;
DevOps Architect
A DevOps architect is in charge of analyzing and implementing DevOps practices within an organization or team. He designs the overall DevOps environment, incorporating all efficient DevOps methodologies in accordance with industry standards. He brings in the necessary tools for process automation. The annual salary range of DevOps Architects is $105,000 to $180,000.
Release Manager
A release manager is in charge of planning, scheduling, monitoring, and controlling the software development and deployment process in a DevOps environment. He works to align the development and operations teams, allowing for frequent but brief feedback loops. The average salary of release managers ranges from $126,490 to $153,690.
Security Engineer
World security is commonly referred to as DevSecOps in the DevOps community. The responsibilities include using various tools such as log management and configuration management to ensure overall security. DevOps places a premium on continuous security. The annual salary range of release engineers is $132,493 and $162,829.
Automation Engineer
An automation engineer in the DevOps world is responsible for developing and maintaining the CI/CD process for all applications and their builds using tools such as Maven, Jenkins, Git, Gerrit, Gradle, and so on. He would use configuration management tools such as Ansible, Chef, Puppet, SaltStack, Fabric, and others to automate configuration management across infrastructure and platforms. Their salary range typically falls between $80,660 and $97,640.
Software Tester
In the DevOps culture, a test engineer must align their test design, test cases, and test automation with the DevOps framework being used. A software tester ensures that code changes work as intended and that they do not break the software product as a whole. In short, the software tester ensures that the piece of code meets the release manager’s success and acceptance criteria. The annual salary of software testers ranges from $41,500 to $130,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do DevOps need Coding?
Coding and scripting are two of the most important skills for DevOps professionals. You won’t be able to automate tasks or work with code repositories unless you have these skills.
Is DevOps easy or Python?
There are various DevOps tools used at each stage of the DevOps process, including Git, Docker, Jenkins, and Kubernetes. Working with such tools is made easier by knowledge of Python; additionally, Ansible is built on Python.
Which Country is Best for DevOps?
The top 5 countries for DevOps engineers are;
- UK
- Germany
- Spain
- Netherlands
- Poland
Is the DevOps job stressful?
DevOps engineers are more stressed than the average IT employee. In comparison to the IT average, more than 40% of them admit to being stressed “often” or “very often.”
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