How Long Does It Take for New Engineers to Understand Cloud Infrastructure?

I've noticed it usually takes around 28.5 hours for new engineers, no matter the size of the infrastructure or the quality of the docs. It seems like a funny constant!

Honestly, it boils down to the quality of the documentation. At places I've seen with clear diagrams and handy runbooks, new engineers typically get up to speed in about 1 to 2 weeks. I find that having architecture diagrams and practical 'how things work' docs in tools like Confluence or Notion really make a difference over lengthy wiki entries.

For many, it can take anywhere from 6 months to a year. New hires usually start with support tasks and there's a lot of documentation to go through, plus plenty of team support along the way.

The time can vary quite a bit based on the engineer's prior experience and the documentation quality. If the docs are top-notch but the engineer is new, it could take a while. Conversely, skilled engineers with poorly maintained docs might struggle too, so it really depends on several factors.

Onboarding speed for new engineers largely depends on documentation quality and their background. Clear architecture diagrams and concise runbooks can help them become productive in a week or two. It's best to focus on how things work rather than long-winded wiki pages. Using infrastructure as code and automated diagram tools can keep everything updated nicely.