I'm currently doing an internship as a backend engineer, where I'm coding, testing with Postman, and using Jenkins and Grafana for monitoring. I'm really enjoying it, but I'm thinking about eventually making the switch to a DevOps role. Could anyone suggest a good learning path or any certifications I should pursue? I've heard about Kubernetes certifications, but I'm not sure if they're the best place to start. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
Keep focusing on CI/CD, monitoring, and infrastructure as code. Get your hands dirty with Docker, Kubernetes, and Terraform, as well as really dig into Linux. Small home lab projects can also be beneficial. As for certifications, definitely look into CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator) and other cloud certifications from AWS, GCP, or Azure, as well as the Terraform Associate certification.
If you're looking to transition into DevOps, I'd recommend first gaining solid experience in Software Engineering, ideally until you've at least graduated from a junior position. While you're at it, dive into the fundamentals like networking, Linux, CI/CD, and cloud services. Focus on observability, security, and tools like Terraform and Kubernetes. Once you have a grip on these, you can start seeking roles that utilize those skills. It's important to note that DevOps roles typically aren't entry-level, so it helps to pivot from Software Engineering.
I've spent the last couple of years learning these tools and I'm working on projects now. It’s definitely a long road, but I believe it's worth it and I hope to land a job this year.
Check out this GitHub repo: [DevOps Learn By Doing](https://github.com/dth99/DevOps-Learn-By-Doing). It's a fantastic collection of free labs, challenges, and full projects organized by category. The best part? It's all about learning by doing, which means you'll gain real-world skills instead of just theoretical knowledge.
I'm definitely going to check this out! Thanks for sharing!
This is great advice! I'm coming from a cybersecurity background and it feels a bit overwhelming trying to figure this all out.