Why do DevOps roles seem to have lower salaries compared to software engineers?

One issue is that a lot of sysadmins have transitioned into calling themselves DevOps, which diluted the market. If you have development skills, it might be worth positioning yourself as an SRE or Cloud Engineer instead to stand out!

Generalizations aren't very accurate, but there's a sense that while software engineers build the features users engage with, DevOps can sometimes be seen as support staff. This view doesn’t reflect the real complexity of their work, though.

There’s a lot more specialized education that typically goes into software engineering than into DevOps roles, which might explain why salaries are lower. Nonetheless, DevOps requires a solid understanding of development processes, which can be underestimated.

It's often a case of perception. Developers create the 'shiny' new features, while DevOps roles focus on maintaining and ensuring those features work properly. Plus, there's a service fallacy—if everything runs smoothly, some might wonder if DevOps is even necessary!

It really comes down to how value is perceived by the decision-makers. In many companies, developers create the product and get more visibility for their work. DevOps is crucial but tends to operate behind the scenes, making it harder to justify higher salaries because management might not fully grasp the complexities of the role.