How To Get Started In DevOps As A Career
Knowing where to begin when it comes to DevOps can be challenging. There are technologies to learn, DevOps tools to master, and a variety of development and engineer options to consider.
“At first thought, DevOps seems like a collaboration between development and operations, but it spans all teams in the enterprise,” Prasanna Singaraju explained in a Forbes article. “It promotes the balance required between business needs and corresponding IT alterations.”
Getting started in DevOps, however, is not simply about the tech behind the process. There is also the element of “you” to consider. For instance, understanding how you view and manage your development and operational workload.
You might find DevOps tools by JFrog useful in your journey. The following may serve useful as you begin in DevOps as a career, or even side hustle. Let’s dive in!
Know The Actual Purpose Of Your Work In DevOps
This is a very important thing to understand, as it can set you up for success. Sure, you will be dealing with development tasks and looking after the technology, like servers within your career.
But there is more to it. You should also consider the reasons for the work itself — the why. What is your purpose? In most cases, you are supporting the goals of the business you are DevOps for. Because of this, knowing what that business and employer values the most can launch your career to another level of growth and success.
Knowing this is at the core of what you do as DevOps. Everything from that core is what matters. You can even set metrics and track progress based on this. Observe, analyze, measure, and repeat.
Utilize Kanban As Much As You Can As A DevOps Professional
Visibility is essential when it comes to DevOps. Kanban can help make visibility streamlined, and is why it should be utilized as a DevOps professional. It is also a simplified place to begin your career.
Having teams collaborate on a project is a must, especially when it comes to development. Why? Communication keeps projects moving in the right direction. It also helps teams create great products and/or services to bring to market.
What is Kanban exactly? Kanban is simply a way to see and manage tasks and workflows. This is done via a board that contains columns and cards. These columns represent tasks and cards represent subtasks in most cases. But you can use Kanban boards how you wish.
Teams, especially in the space of DevOps love Kanban because of the ease of use it serves up. There is a visual interface that an entire team can see. This is also a great way for managers and even clients to track progress on a big project.
Automation Is Your Friend When Starting A DevOps Career
The more you can automate as a development pro, the better. To make automation a priority, you will need to identify the bottlenecks in a project. If it slows the process down, and it can be automated, automate it.
However, do not just focus on the low hanging fruit when it comes to automation. You should try to automate small and large tasks as best as you can. As automation is put into place, you should keep track of the automation process and ensure progress is being made.
Always Strive To Learn More About Development And Operations
This is one of the most important things you can do as a new DevOps professional. Learning is at the cornerstone of being successful, and this can be applied to any industry, but especially holds true to development and operations. This is because technology and tools are ever-changing.
Never stop learning. To make this your mantra, hunt down podcasts, articles, YouTube videos, and attend professional conferences to learn as much as you can. This career is great if you stay on top of the new things coming out. Be sure to learn as much as you can.
According to DZone, “As this is a very challenging job that requires building test strategy, learning new technical skills, generating quick results, thinking like an end-user among many others, it will eventually lead to high growth in terms of both salary and skills.”
In Conclusion . . .
Knowing how to get started in DevOps as a career is not easy. There is a lot to learn and a lot to keep learning. But the career is very rewarding. Taking a step back and understanding why you are doing what you are doing, and employing processes to streamline workflow will ensure growth and success in this space.