In the present-day scenario, the development group creates the products in an IT organization and manages and maintains the operations team. DevOps is a joint effort among development and operations groups that enables the seamless delivery of applications and services.
With the increasing number of services and applications demanded, the requirement for DevOps experts has also increased by around 45%. However, DevOps is a bit of a complex job that demands skills and enough experience and knowledge. As demand is emerging, DevOps will rule the IT sector in the upcoming years.
However, the process of becoming a DevOps engineer is not streamlined. It is divided into different steps, from gaining qualifications, experience, and skills to having the proper mindset to perform the DevOps duties. Thus, if you are planning to jump into this field but don’t have any valuable info on where to start, this guide will teach you about DevOps, their key responsibilities, and how to be a DevOps Engineer.
Who is a DevOps Engineer?
A DevOps engineer is an IT professional who is knowledgeable about software development systems. DevOps investigates why the organization switched from one model to the other, identifying both the disadvantages of the previous model and the benefits of the newly introduced models. DevOps engineers can handle the same tasks.
Various automation tools for developing continuous integration and deployment (CI and CD) pipelines exist. These are used by DevOps to handle the numerous roles and duties of an organization.
Some of the typical roles of Devops are as follows:
- Planning of projects
- Development and deployment of software
- Testing and assuring the quality
- Automation and security
A DevOps engineer's principal roles and responsibilities are listed below:
- Compose documentation for the server-side highlights.
- IT solutions must be created, installed, tested, designed, and maintained.
- Interaction with the team regarding operational requirements and development forecasts
- Make plans and processes for the improvement and growth of current technology.
- Install the latest updates to the production environment with management software.
- Routine application troubleshooting and maintenance checks for any modifications.
How to Become a DevOps Engineer?
Let’s get straight to the primary process of becoming a DevOps engineer. There are specific skills, approaches, and requirements that you must fulfill to get the DevOps position at any IT sector company.
1. Programming Language knowledge
One of the most important skills for a DevOps engineer is knowledge of programming languages. A DevOps engineer works on aspects like code debugging, integrating databases, coordinating database changes, or automation development. Yet, having knowledge of programming or scripting languages is a must to handle specific companies’ tasks.
Additionally, programming languages are fundamental to the successful Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) process. Therefore, languages like Python, Perl, and Ruby are required to be a DevOps engineer.
2. Understanding Linux and OS systems
Furthermore, knowledge of operating systems such as Linux and basic information on OS concepts is critical to establishing a career as a DevOps Engineer. However, Linux is essential as most organizations utilize the specific operating system for their applications.
Although it is unnecessary to be an expert in Linux, having a basic understanding of a particular OS would be sufficient. Besides, it would be great to have information on operating system concepts like project management, I/O management, threads and concurrency, and memory management.
3. Software configuration and deployment
As a DevOps engineer, knowing how to arrange software or applications and the deployment process is essential. A DevOps Engineer is responsible for keeping things running smoothly, so knowledge of everything from configuration to deployment is essential.
Furthermore, DevOps engineers have to automate the deployment process and different assignments to improve unwavering quality, consistency, and the number of same-delivery cycles. Additionally, a DevOps engineer should know about cluster management and containerization for perfect deployment functions.
Tools like Puppet or Docker could be utilized to design and send the application to the production environment.
4. Knowledge of CI/CDI pipelines
Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI and CD) are essential in DevOps jobs. Thus, it is necessary to know about CI and CDI. These can be viewed as a component of the delivery pipeline process. Constant Integration manages the reconciliation of code by the developers into the fundamental part of a shared repository. It helps in reducing costs and getting better output.
In the meantime, following the Continuous Integration process, the automated release of validating code to the repository is done by Continuous Delivery. Continuous Delivery assists in a more effective and easy software release. There are different devices for CI/CD, like Jenkins, CircleCI, GitLab, and so forth.
5. Networking and Security
Another essential skill of a DevOps engineer is managing different servers, connections, and data transfer. Thus, it becomes necessary to have information on networking concepts to deal with the IT work process. However, you can also opt for various training or online courses to gain expertise in network concepts.
Moreover, you must be concerned about the overall security environment, deployment, and testing. It helps to add an extra security system to the company and helps to control network access.
6. Cloud service providers and their offerings
Therefore, as most organizations use cloud services on their platforms, it becomes essential for DevOps experts to know about cloud services and providers along with their prerequisites and advantages specific to your organization.
In the meantime, focusing on cloud formation and architecture, cloud service models, deployment models, virtualization, and cloud computing would complement various DevOps tasks. Numerous companies usually deal with cloud services like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Thus, having knowledge of cloud systems would enhance your resume.
Apart from these skills, you must focus on soft skills. As a DevOps individual, you must be a mediator and work with different IT groups for compelling work. Some delicate abilities, like communication, time management, and leadership, are vital to this role's success.
7. Automation, Monitoring, and other tools
Most importantly, DevOps includes the most important component: automation. Automation is critical in source code management, design, and deployment. As a result, familiarity with DevOps tools such as Git, Docker, Chef, and Puppet is required. In addition, the DevOps expert must gather feedback and implement changes as early as possible to be successful in their role.
Is there a course or qualification available for DevOps?
Certificates are not necessary to get a DevOps job; indeed, most organizations focus significantly more on experience than certifications. Getting certified is a suitable method for motivating yourself to step into this field. Additionally, if you don't have a college-level degree and no experience, getting certificates is an incredible way to add value to your resume.
Some examples of certifications are;
- Post-Graduation Program in DevOps
- DevOps certification
- CKA certification training course for Certificate Kubernetes Administrator
- Certification in Puppet and Ansible
- The DevOps engineer course
The salary of a DevOps engineer
Now, almost everyone is concerned about salary because after spending a lot of time and money learning, getting qualified, and gaining experience to become a DevOps engineer, one wants to be in a DevOps role with a nice salary package.
A DevOps engineer's salary may be determined by several factors, including years of experience, certifications, and the organization in which you work. Various organizations provide a range of salary packages based on position and role.
However, the average salary for a DevOps engineer in the United States is around $111,311 per year, with the highest salary reaching $155K. In India, the starting salary is approximately Rs. 3,15,000 per year, the average salary is approximately Rs. 6,12,000 per year, and the maximum salary is approximately Rs. 1,26,200 per year.
Conclusion
Overall, DevOps engineers have a bright future in the information technology industry. As the digital trend spreads, so does the demand for computer programmers and other tech-related professionals. Without a doubt, as demand grows, so does competition in the DevOps engineering field. As a result, it may be prudent to first prepare and train yourself, beginning with certifications, gaining hands-on experience through an internship, or working as a DevOps at the entry level at an organization.
To thrive in this field, certain technical and leadership skills are required. However, the steps outlined above, as well as your critical skills, will lead you to the position of DevOps Engineer.
I hope you find this guide useful. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to us.
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