I'm reaching out for some genuine insights from those already working in DevOps. I currently have three years of experience as a server and network analyst and I'm considering a shift to a DevOps role. My concern is the potential impact on my work-life balance. Currently, my job involves rotational shifts and night duties, and it's taking a toll on me. While looking at DevOps job openings, I notice a lot of them also list irregular or rotational shift requirements, and I want to avoid jumping from one stressful situation to another. I'm looking for your help with a few things:
1) How prevalent are rotational or night shifts in DevOps jobs in India?
2) Can I find opportunities with more standard working hours or is shift work the norm?
3) For those of you who are already working these shifts, how are you managing it and what are your plans for future shifts?
Any advice, personal experiences, or even tough love would be greatly appreciated!
4 Answers
I've worked in DevOps and SRE roles, and the shifts can be intense. My team had a 12-hour on-call shift for a week every month, plus regular duties. It was stressful, but good teamwork made it manageable. Just keep in mind, even with all that effort, job security can be precarious—our team faced a major layoff recently. So, staying flexible might be key.
In my experience managing teams, we've adjusted ours so that our Indian team overlaps with the US team slightly, usually working to 6 or 7 PM IST. However, I have noticed some team members working late into the night. It’s a cultural thing in some places – they might feel pressure to be available longer, even when told to log out.
It's tough to set boundaries sometimes! I wish more companies valued their employees' work-life balance.
I work in a senior DevOps position and typically have daily meetings that overlap with the Indian team, meaning they often work late into the night. This has made me aware of how hard they are working, and it's commendable. It really shows the dedication in the field, but I'm sure it's tiring for them. Just be prepared for that if you jump in!
From what I've seen, it really varies from one company and project to another. For projects with European clients, you'll mostly be looking at a 9 to 6 or maybe a 1 to 10 shift, but if client needs change, night shifts can come into play. US clients often expect more flexibility due to time zone differences, which can lead to more shift work. If you're looking to avoid shifts, consider roles focused on infrastructure or CI/CD rather than SRE, which tends to demand more on-call time and unpredictable hours.
That's a bummer. Thanks for sharing! Managing stress in those kinds of environments is essential.