Hi all! I'm a 2nd year Computer Science student living in Portugal, and I'm eager to get into the DevOps, Cloud, or Platform Engineering sectors, aiming for global or remote roles eventually. I know breaking into the job market is tough, especially with just a degree. So, I'm planning to spend the next couple of years acquiring the necessary skills to make me more employable by the time I graduate. Here's my roadmap so far:
1. I'm prepping for the AWS Solutions Architect Associate certification.
2. I'm developing a small web app that I plan to containerize using Docker and deploy on AWS, completely provisioning the infrastructure using Terraform and automating deployment with GitHub Actions (CI/CD).
3. I have a home lab setup, but I feel stuck about how to leverage it for real-world DevOps skills.
I'd love your advice on a few things:
* Are there any critical certifications I should consider, like the CCNA?
* Is my plan of AWS SAA, Terraform, and a CI/CD project sufficient to catch the eye of employers for junior roles?
* How can I effectively use my home lab right now?
* What entry-level roles should I be exploring? Is it better to focus on software engineering over systems administration?
2 Answers
You've already got a pretty solid plan for a 2nd year! Most people don't start thinking about this until later. For your home lab, try treating it like a mini production environment. Focus on aspects like monitoring, logging, failure management, and redeployments, rather than just hosting. If you can showcase end-to-end workflows, from infrastructure to deployment to monitoring and fixing, that can really make you stand out. Tools like Runnable or Claude can help structure your setup better instead of just having random installations.
I got my CCNA in college and while the cert itself didn’t matter as much, the knowledge was invaluable. Considering your cloud goals, you might want to explore the AWS advanced networking certification, but it's a tough one. I’d recommend focusing on the AWS SAA first; having that certification would definitely make you more appealing to employers. Also, keep an eye on how AI is reshaping our work—it's only going to grow, so understanding it in your career is crucial! Just don't let it take over everything you do; always think critically about its applications.
When you mention the AWS cert, are you referring to the advanced networking one? Should I skip the AWS SAA in that case?
Thanks for the suggestion!