Learn How DevOps can Advance Your Career By: Monique Danao, Olivia Essen July 30, 2019 Estimated reading time: 4 minutes. If you're interested in software engineering, chances are you've encountered the term 'DevOps' numerous times. DevOps has become a popular buzzword in the tech sector, with many companies looking to hire DevOps Engineers. With an average base pay of $107,00 per year, it's easy to see why many people seek to gain the necessary skills. In this article, we’ll dive deep into DevOps, including its benefits, potential career paths, and resources to get you on the right track. What is DevOps DevOps is a collaborative approach that combines software development (Dev) with IT operations (Ops) to streamline the development life cycle. It aims to smooth the development cycle by overcoming the bridge between developers and operations. The primary goal of DevOps is to create a more agile and efficient software development and delivery pipeline. It emphasizes close collaboration between development and operations teams so organizations can efficiently deliver products. Why should I care about learning DevOps processes? Learning DevOps can benefit your team regardless of your role within a software development environment. DevOps methodologies can enhance efficiency, allowing faster and more frequent software releases. Here are more reasons why it matters, regardless of your role within a software development environment: 1.Competitive Advantage DevOps gives organizations a competitive advantage by enabling them to create and improve products faster. By combining operations and development, teams can have shorter development cycles, reduce implementation failures, and enhance group communication. According to StrongDM, DevOps teams are more productive. They spend 60% less on support cases and 33% more on infrastructure improvements. 2.Following the Whole Development Cycle Working on a DevOps team allows you to follow the entire software development lifecycle, from planning and coding to testing, deployment, and monitoring. Having a holistic view of the development cycle lets you understand the impact of specific tasks on the overall view of the entire organization. It also lets you appreciate how each phase contributes to the final product. 3.Company Culture and Problem Solving DevOps is a unified approach to company culture and problem-solving. Getting acquainted with DevOps is helpful for any team member, whether at a junior or senior level or anywhere in between. If you learn agile methods and communication skills required for DevOps, you can work better with non-dev roles - like designers or data scientists - and become a more valuable employee. DevOps helps teams to break out of their silos, work together, and deliver more consistently, efficiently, and securely. Learning about DevOps is valuable to developers at any level and helps developers at all levels advance in their careers. DevOps Careers DevOps careers are in high demand due to organizations' increasing adoption of DevOps practices. Here are some careers within this industry: DevOps Engineer DevOps Engineers bridge the gap between development and operations by focusing on automating processes, coding, infrastructure management, and systems administrations. They design, implement, and maintain tools for continuous deployment. Since they collaborate across many departments, they also need communication and interpersonal skills to create an efficient organizational culture. DevOps Automation Architect DevOps Architects design and implement automation strategies across the software development lifecycle. They evaluate existing processes, implement solutions based on an organization's needs, and collaborate with stakeholders. Their role and responsibilities include: Crafting a comprehensive DevOps strategy. Implementing tools and technologies to support DevOps initiatives. Automating manual processes across the software development lifecycle. DevOps Release Managers DevOps Release Managers oversee the end-to-end release process and coordinate team activities for successful and efficient software deployments. They develop release plans, manage deployment schedules, and mitigate risks associated with releases. Release Managers work closely with development, QA, and operations teams to maintain a smooth release pipeline to ensure that new features or updates get released with minimal disruption to users. DevOps Security Engineer DevOps Security Engineers integrate security practices into DevOps processes to create a safe and secure infrastructure. They identify security vulnerabilities, implement security architectures throughout the development lifecycle, and ensure compliance with security standards. Anyone interested in this career path should understand DevOps tools and security concepts, including encryption, access management, penetration testing, and compliance frameworks. How to break into DevOps If you’d like to learn more about DevOps practices or want to dive right in, here are some resources for you: Understand DevOps concepts Familiarize yourself with DevOps principles, methodologies, and core concepts. It’s important to remember that DevOps isn’t solely about technical skills; instead, it is a model that values collaboration, communication, and shared responsibility between development and operations teams. To get an in-depth introduction, check out YouTube channels like Debug. school and scmGalaxy. You can also check out Udemy DevOps Courses, Pluralsight DevOps Courses, and Coursera DevOps Courses. Develop Coding and Scripting Skills Coding skills are invaluable as a DevOps professional. A good tip is to become proficient in scripting languages like Python, Ruby, or Shell scripting. Understanding these coding languages allows you to write automation scripts, build tools, and efficiently manage infrastructure. Join Workshops Join Learning Zone’s DevOps Certification Training program across Canada. The four-day workshop offers hands-on training with DevOps tools and knowledge of DevOps best practices for Continuous Testing, Continuous Development, Continuous Integration and Configuration Management. Happening in Montreal and Ontario, this series is great for anyone wanting to learn DevOps practices. Sign up for a workshop in your city here. Engage with the Community Engage with the vibrant DevOps community through forums, meetups, conferences, and online groups. Networking with industry professionals, sharing experiences, and gaining insights from peers can provide invaluable support, mentorship, and career opportunities. Some popular forums include r/devops on Reddit, DevOps Forum on Spiceworks, and DevOpsCube. Master Cloud Technologies Cloud computing is integral to modern DevOps practices, so familiarize yourself with cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud. Reference architectures offer extensive insights into standards and best practices when using cloud services. Below are key resources to kickstart your exploration: AWS reference architectures Azure Whitepapers GCP Whitepapers Become a DevOps Professional Becoming a DevOps professional may seem intimidating—but if you have the right resources, you’ll be on the right track. You can check out this DevOps reading list that offers personal book recommendations based on the information you want to learn. As technology continues to evolve, the demand for DevOps professionals remains high. By taking the initiative to learn DevOps principles, tech professionals advance in their careers and become instrumental in building productive and collaborative teams within their organizations.