Hey everyone! I'm a web developer who just got about $3,000 approved for professional development, and I'm really interested in diving into CI/CD or DevOps. There are so many courses and certifications out there that it feels like a lot to sift through, and I want to make sure I'm investing my time and money wisely. If anyone has recommendations or personal experiences with specific courses that were particularly beneficial—or even ones to avoid—that would be super helpful!
3 Answers
You're definitely on the right track! Having a solid CI/CD pipeline is crucial these days.
Honestly, the best CI/CD training I got was setting it up for a real project. The GitHub Actions documentation is really helpful—I managed to get a basic Rust build and deploy pipeline working in just a day. I'd recommend skipping the expensive certifications unless your job specifically requires them; most practical skills come from hands-on experience rather than courses.
For your budget, I'd suggest a different approach. Forget pricey cert prep courses; while certifications like CKA can be valuable, most official Linux Foundation courses aren't worth the cost. Try KodeKloud for cheap hands-on labs, especially for Kubernetes and CI/CD. Then, use the rest of your funds to set up a real pipeline on a side project with GitHub Actions or GitLab CI. Deploy it on a low-cost VPS with Docker Compose and add some basic monitoring. This practical experience will teach you more than going through 40 hours of videos. If a certificate is a must for client contracts, plan for the exam fee plus a focused prep course instead of both.
This sounds like a solid plan! Practical experience is unbeatable.
Totally agree! Getting your hands dirty is the fastest way to learn.