Embarking on the journey toward becoming a DevOps engineer is a thrilling adventure that begins with a foundation in a specific area of expertise. This could range from a broad understanding of system administration to a more focused proficiency in automated testing. Transitioning from such specialized roles into the multifaceted world of DevOps opens up a panorama of new disciplines, introducing you to a variety of concepts that might be unfamiliar. The leap into DevOps is not just about expanding your technical skills; it's about embracing a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and a drive to blend development with operations in a seamless and efficient manner.

Now that you've secured your dream job and are ready to enjoy the fruits of your labor with a desirable position and an attractive salary, it's time to focus on what makes a DevOps engineer truly exceptional. In this exciting phase, you'll discover that the role is as much about technical prowess as it is about the soft skills that facilitate effective communication and teamwork. Whether you're coming from a background in coding, system administration, or any other specialized field, the transition to DevOps offers a unique opportunity to enhance your skill set, broaden your knowledge base, and contribute to a culture of continuous delivery and integration.

In the following sections, we will explore the essential skills, strategies, and mindsets that can help you excel in your new role as a DevOps engineer. From mastering cutting-edge tools and technologies to fostering collaboration across teams, we'll dive into the key components that will enable you to become not just a participant in the DevOps movement, but a standout contributor. Let's embark on this journey to uncover the secrets to success in the dynamic and evolving landscape of DevOps engineering.

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Get Some Exposure

In the dynamic field of DevOps, one of the most effective strategies for growth is to deliberately seek out experiences that challenge your current understanding and skillset. This exploration is crucial for those who aim to not just participate in the DevOps landscape but to thrive within it. Here's how you can start to broaden your horizons:

  • Venture Beyond Your Specialization: Whether your background is in system administration, network engineering, or software development, it's important to understand that DevOps encompasses all these areas and more. Begin by exploring disciplines outside your comfort zone. If you're a coder, try your hand at infrastructure as code (IaC) tools like Terraform or configuration management tools like Ansible. If you're from an operations background, delve into scripting and basic coding.
  • Embrace Continuous Learning: The technology landscape is constantly evolving, with new tools and practices emerging at a rapid pace. Make a habit of dedicating time each week to learn something new. Online courses, webinars, and technical workshops can be invaluable resources for staying up to date with the latest trends.
  • Engage with the Community: The DevOps community is known for its openness and willingness to share knowledge. Engaging with this community can be incredibly beneficial. Attend meetups, conferences, and workshops. Participate in online forums such as Reddit's r/devops or join DevOps chats on platforms like Slack or Discord. These interactions can provide insights into how different organizations tackle similar challenges.

▶ Personal Insight

I have advanced in my career by never backing down from a new challenge.

What I feel sets me apart is simply this: I am never interested in just "Getting Shit Done". I am interested in getting fully immersed into an ecosystem and building on an already broad knowledge base of technology to ensure that whatever I build is fully maintainable, usable, and explainable to the next person. I also want to know what the future utility of what I build is to my customers and partners.

I have recently heard the term "Go Horse", which is another flavor of Implementation Chaos. If you are in a mode where all you do everyday is participate in Implementation Chaos, I believe it is time to start looking for the next gig where you can spend time getting valuable exposure to new technologies, techniques, and delivery methodologies where you can really gain exposure that accelerates your career.

Develop an Opinion

Having an opinion in DevOps is not about being opinionated on tools or technologies; it's about understanding principles and practices that lead to successful outcomes. Here's how to cultivate and evolve your professional opinions:

  • Base Opinions on Evidence: Your opinions should be grounded in real-world experiences and data. When you advocate for a specific tool or practice, be prepared to explain why it's beneficial, referencing specific outcomes or improvements it has led to in your projects.
  • Be Open to Change: The hallmark of a mature professional is not rigidity but the willingness to adapt and change opinions based on new evidence or better solutions. Technology and business needs evolve, and so should your viewpoints. This adaptability is crucial for staying relevant and effective in a field as dynamic as DevOps.
  • Share and Validate Your Opinions: Sharing your thoughts with peers or through blogs and presentations can open up avenues for feedback. Constructive criticism can help refine your thinking, while support and agreement can reinforce your confidence in your views.

▶ Personal Insight

Everyone's POV on beautiful technology is going to be different. We all buy different cars for different lifestyles so why wouldn't also look at the technology work we are doing differently as well?

As you advance in your career you are going to run across a lot of "garbage" technology implementations. I scare-quoted garbage since that is all in the eye of the beholder.

As you develop your opinions, remember that others that you work with may view the world much differently than you do which means your opinions need to continuously adapt and evolve to meet the needs of the business and teams you work with in order to truly be effective.

Start to Investigate Generative AI

Generative AI is sweeping through the world like a modern day gold rush. Businesses will start to look for candidates who have some kind of Generative AI experience as part of their hiring processes.

I do not believe that Gen AI is going to start replacing workers any time soon. There may very well be some companies that try a mass replacement, but it is NOT going to go well for them. Gen AI will start to raise the bar on what minimum qualifications are meaning Gen AI must be a skill you have in your toolbox to jump into this space. Below are some of the things you can do to prepare for using Gen AI as part of your DevOps workflows.

  • Create Prompts that Generate Boilerplate/Kickstart Materials: Generative AI is great for generating some code that gets you really close to a working solution for simple problems. Better yet, it is really good at trying to give you an explanation about the "thought process" that went into said solution. Now, I would never trust this completely, but I think it is a really good jumping off point to going out to the broader internet to find good working documentation / examples that you can learn from.
  • Review Several Different Gen AI Models: Sticking with the ChatGPT for life is probably not a great idea. Diversity in tooling is a good thing. The models are trained differently on different source materials, their tokenization and randomization algorithms are different, and the ecosystems of available supplemental tooling will be very different. Getting to know multiple ecosystems early will help you guide conversations rather than simply participating as companies continue to adopt more and more Gen AI into their delivery flows.
  • Develop an Understanding of the Underlying Mechanics of Generative AI: Hugging Face is a great resource for learning about the high level nuts and bolts of what a Gen AI model is, how Gen AI models are trained, and how to host your own Gen AI model if you have the horsepower to do it. Understanding this space helps illuminate how and where Gen AI should and should not be used based off the capabilities of models.

This does not mean that you should rely on Generative AI 100%, but it does mean that it should be a tool in your toolbox for getting some low level boiler plate busy work off your plate by offloading it to some clever AI prompts.

▶ Personal Insight

Generative AI is NOT coming for your job. It is coming to augment your job like any new tool throughout history. It is better to get comfortable with the idea early and adopt early than it is to fully resist and never integrate it into your workflows.

Keep Grinding

The initial excitement of landing your dream job can wear off if you don't continuously challenge yourself. Keeping the momentum going requires a conscious effort to engage with new concepts and build upon your existing skills:

  • Establish a Personal Lab: With the availability of cloud services and virtualization tools, setting up a personal lab has never been easier. Use this space to experiment with deploying applications, automating workflows, or practicing incident response strategies. This hands-on experience is invaluable for solidifying new concepts.
  • Set Personal Projects: Personal projects can be a powerful motivator for learning. They allow you to apply what you're learning in a context that interests you, making the learning process more engaging and less like a chore. Whether it's automating your home network or contributing to an open-source project, find something that sparks your passion.
  • Focus on Soft Skills: Technical expertise alone is not enough to excel in DevOps. Effective communication, teamwork, and leadership are equally important. Practice these skills in every interaction, whether it's writing clear documentation, presenting a proposal to your team, or leading a project. Seek feedback on these areas and invest time in improving them.

Maintaining the discipline to continuously push yourself, both in technical and soft skills, is what will set you apart as a DevOps engineer. It's this relentless pursuit of improvement that defines the most successful professionals in the field.

Conclusion

As you embark on your journey as a DevOps engineer, remember that the path is as dynamic and evolving as the field itself. Embracing a mindset of continuous learning and exposure to new technologies will not only enhance your technical prowess but also equip you with a broader perspective that is crucial in this integrated discipline. Developing a nuanced, adaptable opinion based on evidence and experience will guide your decisions and approaches, making you a valuable asset to any team.

Moreover, the importance of persistence—of continuously 'grinding'—cannot be overstated. By maintaining your motivation, setting up personal lab environments, and undertaking projects that challenge your abilities, you solidify your knowledge and skills in a practical, impactful manner. Balancing this technical grind with the development of soft skills ensures that you are not just a technician but a well-rounded, communicative, and effective leader in the DevOps community.

In conclusion, the journey to becoming an outstanding DevOps engineer is marked by constant growth, adaptability, and a proactive approach to both learning and problem-solving. Stay curious, stay engaged, and remember that each challenge is an opportunity to expand your capabilities and impact. Embrace this exciting career with enthusiasm and resilience, and you will undoubtedly find success and fulfillment in the evolving world of DevOps.