Hey everyone! I have about a year and a half of experience with AWS services like S3, Lambda, CloudFormation, and Step Functions, mainly working on data pipelines in the financial sector. After being laid off this year, I'm currently in a non-tech job but eager to shift into DevOps. I'm considering taking the AWS Solutions Architect Associate certification next since I already have some AWS experience.
My main questions are:
- Is starting with Solutions Architect Associate a good choice for entry-level DevOps positions like cloud support engineer or junior DevOps roles?
- Should I maybe jump straight to the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional certification, or is that too much for me right now?
- What's the usual path to break into DevOps from an AWS angle?
- Any thoughts on salary expectations for roles like cloud support engineer, especially with the Solutions Architect cert plus my background?
I'm also looking at going the CompTIA route (such as A+ and Network+), but I feel like building on my AWS knowledge could be a more effective way to move forward. Any advice from those who have made similar transitions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
1 Answer
I think it's great that you're looking into certifications, but honestly, while they can help you understand the tech, they won't necessarily teach you how to implement a DevOps mindset.
If I were you, I’d focus on learning Terraform first, then dive into setting up CI/CD pipelines (try something other than Jenkins for that). Get your hands dirty creating reusable Terraform modules and experimenting with various AWS resources. Once you're comfortable with that, look into Kubernetes and/or Ansible next!
But why not Jenkins for CI/CD? It’s pretty standard, right?