Do you want to become a DevOps engineer? Find here the ultimate pathway to becoming the best-paid DevOps engineer today!
According to job security, career growth, and salary, becoming a DevOps professional is one of the lucrative IT career options. However, you may not find any traditional college course to become a DevOps engineer. This is a derivative of DevOps—an advanced software development methodology to take your app to the market sooner.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know to become a DevOps engineer in reputed organizations.
What Is DevOps?
In simple words, DevOps is a software development methodology, the next iteration of the Agile methodology, that combines development and operations. The objective of this popular approach is to foster agility, efficiency, and collaboration in the lifecycle of software development.
It integrates development and operations teams as they collaborate to automate and streamline tasks, including coding, testing, monitoring, and deployment. As a result, it breaks down silos and facilitates a culture of continuous integration, delivery, and deployment in the organization.
DevOps also uses different tools and technologies for repetitive task automation, faster feedback loops, faster time-to-market, better deployment frequency, and enhanced customer satisfaction. Thus, software development companies can quickly respond to changing market demands and offer more value to their customers.
Organizations using DevOps methodology can efficiently develop and deploy applications by bringing together the development and operations teams.
Also read: Introduction To DevOps For Beginners
DevOps Culture in Software Development
DevOps culture involves a set of technical practices and cultural values fostered in an organization. All these emphasize smooth communication and continuous collaboration between development and operations teams.
This culture focuses on automating tasks like CI/CD, testing, monitoring, and infrastructure provisioning. Here, both teams share the ownership of the tasks and are accountable for their part of tasks with complete transparency. Having an Agile mindset and resilience are also important parts of this culture.
Facts on the DevOps Engineer Profession
What Is a DevOps Engineer?
A DevOps engineer is an IT professional with development and operations knowledge. They work with developers, SysOps, and other IT professionals to manage software development, testing, QA, and deployments. They must have the necessary hard and soft skills to foster a collaborative environment.
Job Responsibilities
Job responsibilities of a DevOps engineer include, but are not limited to —
- Collaborating with software developers and other IT professionals to meet project goals
- Helping with software testing, debugging, and deployment with scripting solutions
- Working with management to maintain a suitable development environment for high-quality software
- Maintaining the system infrastructure and network of the organization to keep it secure
- Deploying automation and maintaining a live environment through project assessment
Required Skills
The following skills will help you become a successful DevOps engineer:
- Coding
- Testing
- Automation management
- Cross-team collaboration
- Security
- System Administration
- Problem-solving skills
- Leadership
- Communicating with different teams
- Organization
DevOps Engineer Job Outlook
The DevOps job market outlook is healthy and promising due to the rise of SaaS products and services. Also, traditional software development companies that develop mobile and PC apps have pretty good requirements. According to a recent Global Market Insights report, the DevOps market revenue will grow to $70 billion in 2032 from $8 billion in 2022.
Such phenomenal growth in the market revenue will eventually call for an increase in DevOps professions, including DevOps engineers. At the time of writing, there were 5K jobs posted in DevOps on Indeed alone in the USA. For these jobs, the salary range was $105,000 to $150,000 per year.
Besides the IT industry, traditional industries like automobile, hospitality management, banking, finance, insurance, and entertainment are also looking for DevOps engineers.
Salary of a DevOps Engineer
Find below an aggregation of various DevOps engineer job salaries from various job sites:
| Job Sites & Think Tanks | Entry-Level Salary | Mid-Level Salary | Highest Salary |
| Talent.Com | $129,947 per year | $129,947 per year | $164,513 per year |
| glassdoor | $80,000 per year | $123,259 per year | $192,000 per year |
| Salary.com | $119,324 per year | $129,231 per year | $140,204 per year |
| ZipRecruiter | $38,500 per year | $127,036 per year | $180,500 per year |
| Indeed | $81,635 per year | $124,682 per year | $190,429 per year |
So, the market trend is $89,000/year for an entry-level DevOps engineer job role. This can go as high as $173,000/year as you grow your experience and get a managerial role in a DevOps project.
How to Become a DevOps Engineer
Learn and Practice Programming
DevOps engineering is all about understanding software codes and the ability to write a few. Get started learning the following common programming languages:
- Python
- C/C++
- CSS
- HTML
- JavaScript
You must also go through the theory and lab practices on the following DevOps topics:
- Algorithms
- Data structure
- Object-oriented programming languages (OOP)
- Databases and SQL
- Integrated development environments (IDEs)
- Containerized apps and containers
- Markdown editors
- Version control systems
Know Various Computer OSs
You must acquire knowledge of common operating systems used in a DevOps project. These are Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. When learning about operating systems, focus on the following topics:
- Processing power, memory, and storage management
- Securing a PC
- Creating networks among online and offline workstations
- Managing I/O devices
- Provisioning services using the admin panels
Get a Bachelor’s or Equivalent Degree
Reputed employers always look for a formal educational background in your resume before shortlisting your application. So, get a bachelor’s degree in any of the following disciplines. You could go for an online degree if you are a working professional.
- Information technology
- Computer application
- Computer science
- Software engineer
- Hardware and network engineer
- Computer programming
Complete DevOps Certifications
You could learn everything that a DevOps engineer requires. However, until you prove your skills through live projects, you do not earn the credentials to impress employers. Here comes the need for certifications.
Get certified by reputed technical education institutes to increase the chance of employment as a DevOps engineer. You can also try online learning sites for the same. Read the Courses and Certifications section below.
Start Applying for Internships/Jobs in DevOps
As soon as you get a certification in DevOps, start applying for internships or job roles in IT companies or freelance DevOps projects. Many startups these days require short-term DevOps engineers, so that you can try those. This is an efficient way to get experience in various DevOps projects in less time.
How to Look For a DevOps Engineer Internship/Job
The best way to make your way to a high-paid DevOps engineer is by starting early after graduation. Look for an internship, perform well in your projects, and network within the organization to convert your internship into a full-time job.
Here is how you can find an internship in DevOps:
- Initiate a Google Search session for a DevOps internship at Google. If you got another company in mind, replace Google with the company name.
- Choose the best search result. For example, if you search for DevOps internships in Google, visit the Engineering & Technical Internships result.
- Click the See All Jobs button to find the perfect internship you want.
Some popular job-hunting platforms to find internships in DevOps engineering are:
Another good platform to look for a DevOps internship is LinkedIn. Network with people in the industry to collect references. Alternatively, you can check out these internship jobs posted on LinkedIn for DevOps. Use the same sources mentioned above to find the best-suited jobs in DevOps.
Got an interview for a DevOps role? Prepare these DevOps interview questions with easy answers.
A Few Tips for A New DevOps Engineer
Here are the secret tips you must implement as a novice DevOps professional:
- Gain fundamental knowledge of software development and business operations to bridge the gaps between these two and roll out products and services with agility.
- You must become a master of popular DevOps tools like Git, Jenkins, Docker, Kubernetes, and Ansible.
- Always look for scopes to automate processes using scripting languages like Python.
- Aim to deliver software and applications faster by following the CI/CD process.
- Implement a version control system using tools like GitLab, Bitbucket, etc.
- Master cloud platforms to code, test, and deploy apps like Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, etc.
Common DevOps Tools You Need to Master
#1. Travis CI
Being a DevOps engineer, you must carry out CI/CD operations regularly. The process becomes easy and effortless with Travis CI, a cloud-based CI/CD solutions provider.
The tool enables you to write 33% less code when compared with other similar tools. Also, it facilitates multi-environment testing, locates and fixes failed tests, and secures confidential codes from hackers.
#2. Jira Issue & Project Tracking Software
Jira is the gold standard for DevOps tools. It helps in DevOps project management, collaboration, and issue tracking. Furthermore, Jira provides DevOps teams with a centralized platform to plan, track, and release software iterations.
Its features, like Agile boards, customizable workflows, Scrum and Kanban frameworks, etc., enable software and product development teams to prioritize tasks, monitor progress, and respond to changes quickly.
#3. TeamCity CI/CD Tool by JetBrains
In your DevOps engineering profession, you need smart DevOps tools to automate most of the engineering part so you can focus on team and operations management. Here comes TeamCity.
It comes with all the features you need in a CI/CD tool, like the following:
- Configuration as code
- Ability to extract build configuration templates
- Reduce build time by 30% using Pipeline optimization
- TeamCity RESTful API to integrate its services with your DevOps tools
- Supports all popular programming languages
Trending Courses and Certifications
#1. IBM Applied DevOps Engineering Professional Certificate
Learning DevOps engineering is not enough. Sign up for this Coursera course to earn a professional certificate approved by IBM within 3 months and attract recruiters.
The virtual learning course includes 8 courses covering the basics of DevOps, Agile, Scrum, Kubernetes, OpenShift, Microservices and Serverless application development, CI/CD, Test Driven Development (TDD), and more.
#2. IBM DevOps and Software Engineering Professional Certificate
This IBM certification course on Coursera is suitable for you to start an entry-level software engineering career and see yourself grow as a DevOps engineer.
The course includes major DevOps methodologies and philosophies like Scrum Methodology, Agile Development, Behavior and Test Driven Development, Cloud Native Architecture, and Zero Downtime Deployments.
#3. Learn DevOps: The Complete Kubernetes Course
Learning Kubernetes is essential for your DevOps profession. One of the best online resources to learn Kubernetes is the Complete Kubernetes Course on Udemy.
It will teach you basic to advanced Kubernetes, its administration, GitOps, Serverless, CD with Kubernetes, and more. This self-paced learning resource consists of 14 hours of on-demand video, one article, and 2 practice tests.
#4. DevOps Beginners to Advanced with Projects
If you are from a non-IT background but need to learn DevOps to advance your career, here is a complete DevOps Beginners to Advanced on Udemy.
The course starts with an introduction to DevOps and gradually teaches you the topics like containerized apps, AWS, web apps set up on AWS, CI with Jenkins, Ansible, etc. You can also complete live projects on AWS CI/CD, Kubernetes, Terraform, etc.
#5. DevOps Certification Training Course
Join Edureka’s DevOps training to explore various DevOps tools such as Git, Jenkins, Docker, Ansible, Terraform, Kubernetes, Prometheus, and Grafana.
This hands-on learning experience empowers you to become a certified practitioner by implementing best practices in Continuous Development, Configuration Management, Continuous Integration, and Continuous Monitoring. It lets you acquire essential DevOps skills and set yourself up for success in the DevOps field.
#6. DevOps on AWS: Code, Build, and Test
DevOps on AWS from edX is a course in the DevOps on AWS series that focuses on the code, build, and test aspects of the workflow. Topics covered include source control, Continuous Integration best practices, and utilizing suitable tools to automate workflow steps and assess code quality.
The DevOps process is an iterative loop encompassing planning, coding, building, testing, releasing, deploying, operating, and monitoring, with teams collaborating for alignment, speed, and quality.
FAQs
The time it takes to learn DevOps varies on these factors:
1. How tech-savvy you are
2. Your educational background
3. IT work experience
Usually, it takes up to a year to gain a functional understanding of DevOps principles, tools, and practices.
Most successful and renowned DevOps engineers come from a software development background. So, organizations expect that you can write program codes, understand complex software scripts, and debug if necessary.
Final Words
Becoming a DevOps engineer is quite easy if you acquire the technical skills for business operations and software development to roll out products based on programming codes. In your quest, this guide should help you from skill enhancement to job application and everything in between.
So, prepare a strategy by following the steps mentioned above and bag a job as a DevOps engineer, one of the best careers that IT can offer.
Next is the ultimate list of DevOps tools you should know as a DevOps professional.