The role of a DevOps engineer is becoming increasingly important in the tech environment. These professionals can easily help bridge the gap between development and operations. They can also streamline software delivery and infrastructure management across organizations. It means the demand for these skilled cloud DevOps professionals is at an all-time high.

While the demand for Cloud DevOps engineers is high, it is essential for developers to understand that companies are only investing in talent that have the passion and potential to meet the industry needs. This means that one must be thoroughly proficient with all the basics and programming languages. If you are unsure how to get started, then this blog will help you out with a strategy DevOps career roadmap. 

Who is a Cloud DevOps Engineer?

DevOps is a software engineering approach that is specifically a combination of Development (Dev) and Operations (Ops). This technology helps shorten the software development lifecycle by embracing the power of automation. You may consider it as an invisible bridge between the development and operations teams.

A cloud DevOps engineer is an IT professional with relevant expertise in development and operations. These professionals are proficient in coding, managing infrastructure, and system administration. They also know how to leverage several DevOps toolchains to develop various automation processes and streamline workflows. 

Most DevOps engineers showcase strong interpersonal skills while collaborating across organizational boundaries to promote a more unified work environment. Their skill set also extends to prevalent system architectures, provisioning, and administration. 

Most of these professionals are well-versed in developer toolsets and practices, leading to an increase in DevOps engineer jobs in the present context. This involves knowing how to employ source control, conduct code reviews, and work according to agile principles.

Prerequisites and Qualifications for DevOps Engineer Jobs

Having technical or soft skills is not sufficient to enter the cloud DevOps engineering field. You must have the required qualifications to pursue a job role as an engineer:

1. Academic Degrees

Pursue a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or Software Engineering, that showcases your initial qualification. It also offers you comprehensive skill development and career training over the years. Earn a Diploma and Master’s Degree in Cloud Computing, DevOps & Cloud Engineering, Cybersecurity (Cloud Security Focus), and IT Management. It will provide you with advanced skills for pursuing your dream career as a DevOps engineer.

2. VET Courses

Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses equip you with the practical skills customized accordingly for the workforce. This involves seeking certificates, diplomas, and advanced diplomas as a part of these programs. There are many online courses that one can take up to get hands-on experience and improve their skills. A right course will help you understand about continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD), configuration management, platform-as-a-service, infrastructure-as-a-service, and end-to-end automation. 

3. Industry Certifications

Industry certifications enable you to learn and showcase specific skills as a DevOps engineer. These certifications can improve employability and may be acknowledged by industries internationally. For instance, you can take Google’s Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer certification exam to assess your skills. Besides, there are some other certifications exams that you can take: 

• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional
• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
• Docker Certified Associate (DCA)
• Puppet Certified Professional
• Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert

Choosing the right certification depends upon your career goals, background knowledge, skillset, and your interests. The certifications come from different sources, like Red Hat, HashiCorp, DevOps Institute, and more. However, you need to choose a certification that assesses your skillset in the part of the development cycle where you prefer to work or systems that you are familiar with. These certifications deal with knowledge of cloud concepts, configuration management, automation, and networking. So, conduct a thorough research before preparing for any certification. 

How to Become a DevOps Engineer: Roadmap

A DevOps engineer roadmap often necessitates a passion for problem-solving abilities in development coding,  a bachelor’s degree, and practical, real-life experience. Here’s an overview:

Step 1: Master Programming

Developing proficiency in coding is the key to success when working as a DevOps engineer. You will find several online coding courses and boot camps that offer coding programs. Make sure to start with fundamental languages like HTML, C++, CSS, Python, and JavaScript.

Step 2: Understand Operating Systems

Familiarize yourself with operating systems like Windows, macOS, Android,  Linux, and iOS. Learn about hardware and other relevant functions associated with these systems. Understand storage and memory management, file and network management, security, command interpreter systems, and I/O device management.

Step 3: Get Professional Certification and Practical Experience

After completing the courses, take the certification exam and clear it with flying colors. Hands-on experience is vital to get a high-paying DevOps engineer job. While looking for jobs is difficult in competitive times, especially if you are looking for a remote one, your talent and passion will help you get a job. Collaborate with developers, automate processes, engage in networking, and secure internships. 

Step 5: Apply for DevOps Engineer Roles

Seek cloud DevOps engineer positions with a degree, certification, and experience. Compile a strong portfolio by highlighting your technical skills, certifications, and other relevant degrees. Leverage existing network connections and inquire more about transitioning into higher DevOps positions.

You can enroll yourself in Talent AI Cloud, like Hyqoo, where you can get to work on real-time opportunities remotely. With this, you can get an exposure to industry specialists and hands-on experience by implementing your skills and knowledge. 

You must have the relevant skills to pursue a profession in cloud DevOps engineering. Here is a list of these DevOps requirements skills for your understanding: 

• Linux Fundamentals: Proficiency in Linux is required for all professionals because most DevOps tools run on Linux-based systems.
• Scripting and Coding: Knowledge of scripting languages like Ruby, Python, or Bash is the key to automating tasks successfully.
• CI/CD Pipelines: Understanding continuous integration and delivery processes, along with tools like GitLab, Jenkins, or CircleCI.
• Configuration Management: Experience with tools like Chef, Ansible, or Puppet for infrastructure management. 
• Containerization: Familiarity with Kubernetes and Docker for container management and orchestration.
• Cloud Platforms: Proficiency in cloud services like Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud.
• Monitoring and Logging: Knowledge of monitoring tools like Nagios and Prometheus and logging tools like ELK Stack.
• Networking Concepts: Understanding networking basics such as TCP/IP, DNS, and VPN.
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Experience with IaC tools like CloudFormation or Terraform for cloud infrastructure management. 
• Collaboration and Communication: Strong communication skills to manage complex projects and work in cross-functional teams. 

Tools and Technologies Every Cloud DevOps Engineer Must Know

Several tools cater to multiple stages of the DevOps lifecycle, spanning testing,  development,  deployment, and monitoring. Here is a list of these tools and technologies that every DevOps engineer must be aware of:

• Jenkins

It is a leading open-source automation server that helps with code building, testing, and deployment processes across multiple machines. It comes with an extensive plugin ecosystem and integration capabilities. This makes Jenkins versatile for continuous integration and delivery pipelines (CI/CD).

• Docker

It is a containerization platform that packages applications into several lightweight containers. These containers ensure portability and consistency to simplify application movement across development, testing, and other relevant production environments.

• Ansible

It is an open-source automation tool for application deployment, configuration management, and task automation. Ansible’s user-friendly, human-readable language helps define automation tasks in a straightforward and accessible manner. 

• Kubernetes

It is an excellent container orchestration platform that scales and manages containerized applications. Kubernetes offers features like automatic scaling, load balancing, and self-healing; the tool is also instrumental in deploying and overseeing several microservices. 

• Git and Git-based Tools

Several Git tools are the key to ensuring version control in DevOps. Platforms like GitLab, GitHub, and Bitbucket provide collaborative solutions for change tracking, source code management, and automation in the software development lifecycle.

Bottom Line

Knowing how to become a DevOps engineer involves understanding the relevant skill sets and qualifications to pursue this field. This involves showcasing a combination of technical skills and gaining hands-on experience in working with several DevOps tools and technologies. Make sure to stay updated with the latest automation and cloud computing trends.

If you want to work with the leading organizations worldwide, consider signing up with Hyqoo. It is an AI-powered talent cloud to connect companies with highly qualified professionals. Become a part of a large talent community that comprises experienced professionals from different tech domains, like data, cloud, DevOps, and cybersecurity. 

FAQs

• Is Cloud DevOps engineer in demand?

Yes, there is a huge demand for Cloud DevOps engineers as they can incorporate DevOps principles, application design, development, and streamline releases of businesses. By 2025, around 85% of organizations will adopt a cloud computing strategy with the integration of DevOps practices. So, naturally, the need for Cloud DevOps will increase. 

• What is the average salary of a Cloud DevOps engineer?

According to recent surveys conducted by job market platforms, the average salary of a Cloud DevOps engineer in the United States is $120,000. 

• Can Cloud DevOps engineers work remotely?

Yes, there are remote Cloud DevOps job positions, especially AWS DevOps engineer, available where engineers can work on designing, managing and automating cloud infrastructure to ensure seamless software delivery. You can enroll at Hyqoo to get remote opportunities from across the globe.