DevOps Engineering is an evolving job role that more and more companies across different sectors rely upon to streamline operations. When a company has a new product to release, it is the DevOps Engineers who ensure the entire delivery process is efficient and automated. As technology continues to evolve, experts agree that the role of the DevOps Engineer will continue to be in-demand, meaning there are plenty of exciting opportunities for these engineers if they know how to seize them.

Getting Through the Door

DevOps Engineers typically hail from a background in IT. Many times, DevOps Engineers landed in their role after time spent working as both a developer and in operations and as the DevOps Engineer, they bridge a gap between these two departments. They are often masters when it comes to tailored cloud infrastructure IT services. Being able to demonstrate that a prospective DevOps Engineers has achieved a mix of education and hands-on experience can make a hiring manager take notice and help you gain entrance into a company in an entry-level DevOps position. Other ways to stand out include:

• Demonstrating you can work well collaboratively as well as alone.
• Having a firm grasp on the technologies that DevOps Engineers utilize regularly, including automation tools, continuous integration, cloud technology, source control and agile project management.
• Be able to ascertain gaps in current technological infrastructure and coming up with helpful solutions.
• Writing clear and concise code

Degrees and Experience

DevOps Engineers often have a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field, though it isn’t always a requirement with many companies. Amazon Web Services also offers a Certified DevOps Engineer certification to further enhance and improve your skills. Having a degree or special certification can certainly give an aspiring DevOps Engineer an edge over potential job vacancy competitors.

Experience is key in the DevOps Engineer world. Not all tech-savvy professionals are necessarily skilled in developer and operations spheres, so ambitious DevOps Engineers need to demonstrate where they gained this experience. Ideally, a DevOps Engineer looking for an entry-level position will have a degree and a portfolio illustrating their technical experience with DevOps tools.

Working as a Junior Level DevOps Engineer

DevOps Engineers at the junior career level have spent years gaining on-the-job experience and have proven their proficiency in the field to colleagues and managers. Though DevOps Engineers sometimes work alone, often they work as part of the DevOps team, collaborating to make an enterprise’s automation process as swift, revolutionary and secure as possible. A junior DevOps Engineer will be expected to carry more responsibilities, including training newer hires. Excelling in junior-level tasks will likely move you forward in your DevOps career, so take every opportunity to show where you are improving and your desire to keep getting ahead.

Moving up the Ranks

Because DevOps is still evolving, there is an endless array of opportunities for DevOps Engineers in the field, with plenty of room for advancement. Over the course of a few years, a dedicated DevOps Engineer can journey from entry-level to junior-level to senior-level in their career, carrying with them a toolbox filled with tricks and skills. DevOps Engineers who persevere in their duties and go the extra mile to show their enthusiasm can stand out from their colleagues and move even faster up the ranks if this is their goal.

Advance Your Career: How to become a Senior DevOps Engineer

DevOps Engineers who demonstrate their reliability in uncovering new and better technologies that they implement into the company’s software releases will be seen as indispensable. Combine this go-getter attitude towards technology with a willingness to champion colleagues and making team projects a success and this DevOps Engineer is in the running for senior-level status.

Achieving a senior career level as a DevOps Engineer is a great accomplishment and with it likely comes respect from colleagues and a generous salary to match. Senior DevOps Engineers are tasked with managing a company’s entire DevOps Engineer team, guiding their junior colleagues as they successfully complete swift product deployments and encouraging them to seek and implement newer technologies to better serve deployments moving forward.

Study the Core Fields

DevOps is a complex practice that involves many fields and staying on top of these will give a DevOps Engineer a well-rounded number of tools to better complete their work. Software development is a key field it benefits DevOps Engineers to continuously notice and pay heed to its evolutions, as changes and improvements in software development tools can help improve the projects a DevOps Engineer is working on. Because DevOps Engineers regularly work with various internal teams besides their own, including project managers, Quality Control personnel and software and application developers, being apprised of their individual roles and goals is key to a fruitful collaboration and ensures future success.

Invest in Yourself

As well as studying core fields related to DevOps Engineering, taking the time to invest in other aspects of your career will make you a stronger DevOps Engineer. This can include attending seminars and conferences pertaining to new technologies, helping to give you a competitive edge when it comes to finding better solutions for your deployment needs. Taking in-person or online courses to continuously hone your DevOps Engineer skills and deepening your knowledge bank is another way to keep your skill set fresh and keep you on top of changes and trends in the DevOps world.

Don’t Stop at DevOps Engineering

Explore related fields that help refine your DevOps practices. This not only gives you a better understanding of what being a DevOps Engineer means in relation to other fields, but you may also pick up useful information that can be translated and used in the DevOps realm. It also pays to network, so be sure to maintain ties with other techy engineers and software developers so your ear is to the ground in terms of emerging tech trends and software releases.

DevOps Engineer Job Description

Part methodology, part job role, DevOps is gaining popularity in companies across all sectors, with DevOps Engineers leading the charge when it comes to putting its practices to use. DevOps is seen as the most effective way to ensure products are released on time, within budget, are what clients and consumers want and speak well to the quality of the company. DevOps Engineers close the gap between the developer and the operations teams, wielding an arsenal of tech tools and experience to make the day-to-day operations on a company’s tech team as smooth and efficient as possible. This can make the company more successful, popular and profitable overall, an edge that is necessary for the highly-competitive field of IT.

While their tasks vary by the company and even by the day, DevOps Engineers generally seek better opportunities and employ advanced technologies to improve software deployments. Having a hand in software releases that are quick, secure and of the highest quality is the goal of the DevOps Engineer and reflects well on their company.

What We Need Your Help With

• Designing and implementing IT solutions that make our software deployments well-organized and automated.
• Coming up with effective results that bring developer and operations roles and goals together and fostering a collegiate environment among all.
• Building and maintaining cloud infrastructure services
• Ensure product releases are high-quality and secure
• Liaise with various tech team members so product development and deployment are at their best.

We Look For

• Someone with excellent IT skills, as you will regularly write code and work within data platforms
• A team player who excels working with others
• An engineer who is keen to learn new tricks
• Interested in the latest and greatest technologies
• Having a firm understanding of business and client needs

These Would Also Be Nice

• Strong leadership skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Problem solver
• Quick on your feet

Senior DevOps Engineer Career Paths: Where to Go from Here

A DevOps Engineer who has attained the senior level of their career can continue in this role for years, helping to manage software releases that make their company outclass others, as well as mentoring and guiding junior team members who are the future of DevOps Engineering.

If a senior DevOps Engineer wishes to move on to a like-career, they have several options to consider. They can make lateral moves into a project or product manager role, overseeing the successful completion of assigned projects and product releases from start to finish. Depending on their individual strengths and interests, a senior DevOps Engineer can choose to focus on a facet they worked on during their years in DevOps, such as transitioning into a role more focused on network security, with a role as a security engineer. If developing methods to make software releases optimized and automatic is your strength, perhaps a role as an automation architect would suit your style.

While being a senior DevOps engineer has its rewards, it is a role with that caters to many interests and fortes, so it may be a role one enjoys until retirement or help spark a new and interesting career journey that can take you anywhere.