I'm self-taught in Kubernetes, Terraform, and AWS, and while I've worked on personal projects like building my own clusters, I have no formal work experience in Kubernetes. I'm wondering if anyone else has been in a similar position and could offer advice on landing a job in this field.
2 Answers
Consider getting Kubernetes certifications like the Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA). It helps validate your skills and can give employers confidence in your abilities, even without job experience.
To boost your chances, try building a complete Kubernetes platform from scratch. Set up an EKS cluster using Terraform, deploy an application, and implement CI/CD. Also, focus on ingress, horizontal scaling, and observability. Doing all this will give you real-world experience with Kubernetes environments and show potential employers your hands-on skills.
I've been working on a project where I set up a reverse-proxy k3s cluster on Proxmox using Terraform. I’ve also integrated Argo CD and managed my homelab with Flux CD and a full observability stack. The only thing I'm missing is scaling right now. I've avoided EKS due to its costs; it can be pricey for personal use.
You can also try doing all this offline or on-prem. If you manage to build your stack without relying on big cloud providers, you'll have a solid portfolio that could impress many employers!
I was curious, why recommend CKA instead of the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)? I've felt a bit let down by certifications since my AWS SAA didn't lead to many interviews. Maybe it's just the current job market.