I'm working toward a DevOps career and currently have RHCSA and RHCE certifications, with the CKA exam coming soon. I'm unsure whether to pursue the AWS Solutions Architect Associate or Terraform Associate next. I'm also studying through online courses, currently focusing on GitHub Actions, and I've completed several beginner projects involving Kubernetes, FastAPI, Falco, Falcosidekick, and Calico. I graduate next year and want to use the next six months effectively so I can stand out when applying for internships or entry-level roles. I've been attempting more advanced projects, but I often rely too heavily on AI-generated, step-by-step instructions, which makes me question how much I'm actually learning. What would you prioritize in my position?
4 Answers
You already have substantial certification progress, so I’d pause before adding another badge. Build one serious project from an empty repository and make sure you can explain every major decision, tradeoff, failure, and fix. Use official documentation when you’re stuck, but avoid following a complete tutorial line by line. That kind of practical understanding will help much more in interviews than simply adding another certification.
The AI dependency is worth addressing directly, but you don’t need to build a giant system entirely from memory. Start with a clear goal, break it into small milestones, and attempt each milestone yourself before looking anything up. Use AI or documentation for hints, debugging, and explanations rather than asking for the entire implementation. Keep notes on what went wrong and why you chose each solution; that will turn the project into something you can discuss confidently.
If you do choose another certification, Terraform Associate is probably the more immediately useful option for a DevOps-focused path because infrastructure as code is used constantly in real environments. AWS SAA can still be valuable, but cloud knowledge is easier to retain when you’re applying it hands-on. I’d treat either one as secondary to building and documenting a complete project.
Don’t assume your first role has to be called DevOps. Entry points such as Linux administration, cloud support, systems engineering, platform support, or site reliability internships can give you the experience needed to move into DevOps later. Keep applying for internships while continuing your projects, and try to get practical experience wherever you can rather than waiting for a perfect job title.
Would skills like Linux, CI/CD, Docker, Kubernetes, infrastructure as code, and cloud make me a candidate for those kinds of roles as well?
I’ve tried reading only the phase title and figuring out the details myself instead of following every step. It’s slower, but I think that approach may help me stop relying on generated instructions so much.