I started my first job as a DevOps engineer about a year ago after earning my diploma, but I've primarily been doing DevOps tasks for the last 8-9 months. I work at a company with around 80 people, and as a French national, I'm particularly interested in hearing advice from others in France, as the industry can vary by country. My main experience lies in CI/CD and some scripting, and I feel fairly confident in that area. However, I've noticed I haven't worked with a wide array of tools and technologies, which worries me as I plan to switch jobs in the future. Potential employers might think I lack the necessary skills for someone with several years of experience. I've seen posts mentioning various tools I haven't even heard of.
Currently, my colleague and I are the first DevOps staff in the company, and the work is progressing slowly. Here's what I've been working with and how I rate my skills:
* CI/CD (GitLab): good 😀
* Scripting (Python, bash): good 😀
* Ansible: basics, not very autonomous
* Docker/K8s: basics
* Networking: okay-ish
* Linux: okay
* Security: okay
* Monitoring: struggling; I've been kept out of the loop on this, and I'm trying to learn but feel lost. I'm particularly confused about tools like Grafana and Prometheus.
* Terraform: never used, unclear on its purpose
* Cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure): never used
I'm unsure if I'm falling behind and if there are other essential skills I should focus on learning. Also, I've heard that DevOps shouldn't be an entry-level role, so I recognize my experience might be different from many others. I'd appreciate any insights! Thanks!
5 Answers
You’re doing fine for your experience level. It's completely normal not to know every tool. Employers value the willingness to learn and adapt. Keep exploring, and remember that every new role will teach you something different.
You have time to gain experience, and that's what matters! Start with the basics like Linux and networking, and then work your way up to containerization with Docker and Kubernetes. Learning Terraform will come in handy too, especially for cloud-based work.
Thanks a lot for the guidance! I’ll definitely prioritize learning Linux and networking.
Make sure you focus on observability skills! It's not just about deploying tools like Grafana; understanding how logs and metrics work and their value in your workflow is crucial. Observability is key in DevOps.
Thanks for this tip! I realize now I need to dive deeper into how to interpret the data, not just set up the systems.
You're lucky to have landed a DevOps position at an entry-level, so just keep trying your best and learn as you go! It sounds like you’re already building a solid foundation with CI/CD and scripting.
Yeah, that’s what I’m aiming for too, but I worry that if I don’t pick up skills fast enough, I might miss out on better job opportunities.
Employers care more about your understanding of CI/CD concepts rather than familiarity with specific tools. It's really about grasping the principles behind them. Learning Terraform could be beneficial for Infrastructure as Code, but don't stress about knowing every tool out there.
I appreciate that! I’ll focus on the concepts instead of just checking boxes for tools.
That’s reassuring to hear! I’ll keep pushing myself to learn more.