DevOps Engineers are more in demand than ever. DevOps engineers have many responsibilities, from automating processes to setting up entire environments in the cloud and on-premises. If you are just beginning your DevOps career or have some experience and want to improve your skills further, this course is for you.
DevOps is the term used to describe a combination of development and operations that improves organizational communication, increasing productivity and efficiency. DevOps is a term that has gained a great deal of popularity since its conception. There’s no question about the benefits it brings to organizations. You need to have the DevOps skills that are in most demand to find the best job. You might think that the work of a DevOps Engineer is simple because they “automate everything.” This isn’t the case. Being a DevOps expert is difficult, as you need a blend of technical knowledge and business understanding. The article below will give you the best skills to be a DevOps Engineer so you can stay up-to-date with all the new trends.
DevOps talent (development and operation) is in high demand. DevOps is breaking down silos and accelerating software deployment by bridging between the software development and operations teams. DevOps is a method that benefits companies at all levels and makes DevOps service providers and professionals in demand.
DevOps: What is it?
DevOps, or DevOps as it is sometimes called, is a philosophy that brings together development and operations to achieve a goal of continual improvement. DevOps is all about removing the walls between teams to improve collaboration, deliver better products and accelerate delivery. DevOps helps businesses eliminate bottlenecks that can slow development and release cycles.
DevOps, a combination of development and operations, represents a collaborative effort between IT operations and software development. This is a culture, not a framework. It’s a way to simplify infrastructure and workflow.
Software development methods used in the past involved lengthy cycles before release. The software developers worked alone, away from system administrators and operational staff who would be required to run and deploy it. The releases were sometimes prone to errors, and the feedback on application compatibility and performance took a long and winding route back to development.
DevOps is an approach to software development, including tools and practices.
Patrick Debois coined the term DevOps in 2009 for DevOps Days, a conference. Debois introduced DevOps at DevOps Days as a new approach to help developers deliver faster projects through continuous delivery and careful management.
What is a DevOps Engineer?
DevOps engineers are professionals who specialize in DevOps. The practice is based on integrating development tasks with operations to maintain high-quality standards while streamlining the software development processes.
DevOps engineers are senior IT professionals who coordinate across teams and oversee software development. They also streamline updates to code and deploy it. The DevOps Engineer may play various roles in integrating software development, testing, and fostering a collaborative work environment.
DevOps engineers will also be familiar with automation practices and tools, a great way to speed up software development. This article includes a list of essential DevOps skills for DevOps Engineers.
DevOps Engineers bring a unique blend of experience and skills, often combining software development, system administration, and operations into one powerful array of abilities.
DevOps Engineers work with the development team throughout the software development cycle (SDLC). They are responsible for automating build systems, deploying and operating CI/CD Infrastructure, and monitoring critical production applications.
DevOps is not just about technical skills. A strong culture, built on people and based around release cycles accelerated by multiple teams working in concert to create new features, is essential.
How does a DevOps Engineer Work?
DevOps Engineers are specialists that work at the intersection of development and operations teams and keep in touch with a Business Analyst, Project Manager, and QA Team Lead. Their task scope is quite wide. Here are some of the daily tasks that a DevOps Engineer faces.
- Editing and Writing Code: A DevOps Engineer writes scripts for automating tasks or creates plugins that help the development team be more efficient.
- Aligning Communication between Teams: DevOps Engineers work on aligning communication across teams, ensuring developers know what operations needs are and vice-versa.
- DevOps and CI/CD Management: DevOps engineers are responsible for software testing, integration, and deployment. These engineers are in charge of automating the processes to make this easier. This includes automating deployments using continuous integration and continual delivery (CI/CD).
- High Security and Compliance: A DevSecOps engineer ensures new code before deployment is secure in this task's context.
- Test System Performance: The task involves monitoring and fixing any problems that may arise. DevOps engineers document their findings and make changes to the system.
Top 8 DevOps Engineer Skills
DevOps engineers are responsible for managing an organization’s application delivery and development process. The DevOps engineer is responsible for making sure that all software updates are done in a coordinated and controlled manner. DevOps engineers must have certain skills to be successful.
DevOps Engineers Need Technical Skills
Strong technical skills are the first DevOps Engineer required skill.
Linux Basics/Coding & Scripting: DevOps Engineers need to understand Linux well to manage and set up servers. Also, they need to be able to use scripting and coding to automate tasks.
- Automation Skill: Automation plays a major role in DevOps. DevOps Engineers need to be able to automate using tools like Puppet Chef and Ansible.
- Cloud Skill: As many companies are moving towards the cloud, DevOps Engineers need good cloud skills to manage and set up cloud-based systems. Knowing how AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform work is important.
- Security Skill: Security forms an important part of DevOps engineers' basic skills. It ensures the protection of systems and data. DevOps Engineers must know how to use security tools like firewalls and intrusion detection.
- Test Skills: Testing is important in DevOps to ensure that code changes do not create problems. DevOps Engineers must know how to use automated test tools like Selenium or Jenkins.
- Technical Support Maintenance Skills: DevOps Engineers must have excellent technical maintenance and support skills to maintain the system. It is important to be able to troubleshoot problems and solve them as they occur.
Collaboration and Communication Skills
DevOps Engineers need good communication skills and collaboration abilities in addition to their strong technical knowledge. Engineers often have to work with multiple teams, and they need to communicate effectively.
They must be able to establish relationships, solve conflicts and make sure everyone on the team understands what’s going on. DevOps engineers who excel will possess both soft and hard skills.
DevOps Tools and Technologies: Knowledge of the Various DevOps Tools and Technologies
- Source Code Management: SCM tools manage source codes for an application. These tools help ensure the source code is kept in a central repository, and it's easy to track any changes.
- Configuration Management: These are tools used for managing the configuration of an app. They ensure the right software versions are installed, and the settings are the same across all environments.
- Continuous Integration: Continuous Integration tools automatically build and test code changes. They are designed to ensure that code changes can be seamlessly integrated with the codebase and do not create any issues.
- Continuous Testing: Tools automatically test code changes to ensure they are compliant and don't cause problems.
- Continuous Monitoring: Continuous Monitoring tools automatically monitor systems and applications to detect problems and prevent major issues from occurring.
- Containerization: Containerization refers to packaging an application for deployment quickly and efficiently. Containers, such as Docker, are often used to accomplish this skill.
Learn Proactive Monitoring
Proactive monitoring, as its name implies, is about taking proactive steps to avoid problems in the first instance. In contrast to reactive monitoring, which simply checks systems for any signs of problems, proactive monitoring employs predictive analytics to detect potential issues prior.
Proactive monitoring will help you avoid disruptions and outages. DevOps engineers should also be able to perform proactive monitoring to prevent issues before they occur.
Version Control and Configuration Management
DevOps engineers have a key responsibility to ensure that code is tracked and can easily be rolled back if there’s a problem. To do this successfully, you must have the configuration management and version control skills required by a DevOps Engineer.
The process of configuring files and managing variables is called configuration management. It ensures that developers work with the same configurations and that the environments have no differences.
The version management process involves keeping track of the different configurations and versions of software. This helps you identify problematic code versions so that you may roll back to an earlier version.
A Customer-Focused Strategy
DevOps Engineers must always be focused on their customer’s needs. To achieve this, IT engineering services must be able to listen and comprehend the needs of their customers. Also, they need to know how to communicate with the client.
DevOps Engineers must also be able to work under pressure and deal with difficult situations. DevOps engineers must make quick decisions and consider what is best for the customer.
DevOps Engineer Soft Skills and Noble thought.
DevOps Engineers’ ability to think critically and solve problems efficiently is a key skill. They are, therefore, an important part of every successful team.
DevOps Engineer Soft Skills and Noble Thought create a positive working environment. Everyone working towards the same goal creates unity, which boosts morale. The productivity of the company increases, and everyone is benefited.
DevOps Skills that are not Functional
DevOps is an important skill. However, it doesn’t stop there. There are also non-functional skills for DevOps Engineers to develop and nurture. Communication is key to ensuring collaboration with the other team members.
DevOps engineers often need to solve complex problems and debug them. Having the skills to measure and monitor performance in production environments is also important to perform the job effectively.
Are DevOps Skills in Demand?
The demand for this type of engineer has increased rapidly. Marc Andreessen once said, “Software is eating the World.” It’s, therefore, no surprise that any skill set that aims to accelerate the adoption and release of software products and services has gained much attention.
- Randstad's 2021 Salary guide reports that the demand for DevOps is skyrocketing. 50,000 DevOps developer jobs were posted twelve months before their report. The average salary was $137.830 US dollars, beating even highly-paid cloud devops engineer positions.
- Robert Half Talent Solutions, an HR consultancy firm, lists DevOps Engineers as the second-highest paying IT position.
- According to Indeed, the average salary for a DevOps Engineer is around $118,000 US dollars as of January 20, 2022.
What are the DevOps Skills that you need to Develop?
To be a successful DevOps Engineer, you must be familiar with operations and development. There isn’t a single way to become a DevOps Engineer, but there are some things you can do to gain the skills needed:
- Practice Practice Practice
Real-life projects are the ideal way to learn how to code and test your DevOps Engineer technical skills. Many online resources can assist you in finding coding projects. After you find a project you are interested in, you can fork it and begin working on the repository. Document your work as you progress on the project so you can refer to it in the future.
- Attend Industry Events & Workshops
DevOps requires that you practice your coding and become familiar with all the tools and technologies involved. Attending industry events or workshops is the best way to become familiar with these tools. These events can be free or very low cost, but they are a great way to advance your DevOps skills and learn from the experts.
- Take a Course
A course can help you develop the necessary skills to become a DevOps Engineer. DevOps training online is available from experts who can cover everything, including the fundamentals of coding and more advanced concepts like containerization and Orchestration.
It doesn’t matter which approach you choose; it is important to continue learning and practicing. You will become an engineer who is well-rounded by constantly expanding your knowledge.
Earn your Degree or Certificate in Project Management
A degree in project management or a certificate can give you the skills to become a successful DevOps Engineer. DevOps is built around project management so formal training can give you an advantage.
Many online and offline programs offer certificates or degrees in project management. Accredited schools often offer these programs, so research before enrolling.
- DevOps Foundation Certificate: The DevOps Foundation Certificate will show potential employers that you possess the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in DevOps. DevOps Certification Board offers this certification, which requires you to pass an exam.
Exam topics include DevOps basics, culture, organizational change, monitoring, automation, and more. You can prepare by using the materials provided by the Certification Board or taking a DevOps Foundation Course from an accredited provider.
Earning the DevOps Certificate will show your employer that you’re serious about DevOps and are committed to learning.
- DevOps Certifications: You can obtain a wide range of DevOps-related certifications covering different areas of expertise. DevOps Certifications:
- The Certified Agile Process Owner is a CAPO.
- Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
- Lean Kanban Management Professionals (LKMP)
These certifications require key skills to be a DevOps Engineer with a passing score. They will also demonstrate your commitment to professional growth and learning.
How to Join a DevOps Community
DevOps Community offers an excellent opportunity to learn from other engineers and about new trends and technologies. You can learn from others and stay informed on DevOps by being active in the community. Many communities also offer the chance to participate in open-source projects. This is an excellent way to build up your experience.
Experience in the Workplace
Although formal training and education are essential, real-world experiences cannot be replaced. You must be familiar with the Software Development Life Cycle and all the tools and technologies used. This experience can be gained by working with projects that follow the DevOps method.
Many companies now use DevOps, and there are numerous opportunities for you to become involved. Also, you can look for entry-level or internship positions in companies that use DevOps. By working on real projects, you will gain first-hand knowledge of the obstacles and challenges you’ll face as a DevOps Engineer. The experience you gain will help to develop your knowledge and skills.
How to Become a DevOps Engineer?
These are the steps you can take to become a DevOps Engineer:
- Step 1: Educate yourself
A Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field is required. You can also enroll in an online DevOps or professional software course.
- Step 2: You need to Develop the Skills Needed
Improve soft skills such as problem-solving, communication, team management, and leadership. Technical skills include coding, scripting, cloud computing, security, testing, and automation.
- Step 3: Online Courses and Bootcamps
You can choose a DevOps certificate such as the Certified Kubernetes Administrator Certification, Docker Certified Associate Certification, or AWS Certified DevOps engineer. You can enroll in an online boot camp.
- Step 4: Gain Experience on the Job
The idea is to have experience with cloud technologies, source control, deployment automation, and container concepts.
- Step 5: Network with others in your Industry
Asking for advice from DevOps professionals and experts will give you a better understanding of how this industry works.
- Step 6: Ask Someone to Mentor you
You can create a successful career in DevOps by learning more about the technical and career aspects.
- Job Roles in DevOps
DevOps has evolved over the years, but some roles are universal. These are some of the most common:
- DevOps Evangelist
DevOps is the role of bridging the gap between software development and IT operations. They must help the two teams work together and ensure that they are all on the same page regarding any new procedures and processes. This will allow them to move forward in a united manner. DevOps advocates should be well-versed in technology but also have excellent communication skills. They must understand what each team requires to perform their job.
Release Manager
Release managers are responsible for managing software releases, coordinating team members’ efforts, and ensuring product quality is improved from release to release.
The responsibilities of a release manager include the following:
- From beginning to end, managing a software launch
- Lead the development of the other team members
- Ensure that the release is completed within budget and on time
- Keep track of any bugs that you find during your testing
DevOps Automation Expert
DevOps Automation Experts specialize in automating the software development process and its deployment. Automation experts are also responsible for ensuring that all employees in an organization have access to relevant information. DevOps Automation Experts have the following roles and responsibilities:
- Software development automation
- Automate repetitive tasks using tools such as Jenkins and Puppet
- Use existing code and scripts to create new ones that you can reuse across projects
Software Developer
In a DevOps group, a software developer develops and maintains the software. This software could be an entire application or merely a part. Software developers are responsible for unit testing and deployments. They also put code in production and monitor performance. In a DevOps environment, software developers work with QA to release code without any bugs.
Quality Assurance Lead
The Quality Assurance Lead (QA lead) ensures the devops in software engineering being developed is up to code standards and is bug-free. The QA Lead does this by ensuring processes to resolve and identify issues are in place, monitoring their effectiveness, and facilitating team communication. They may also be responsible for hiring quality assurance engineers, QA team management, and overseeing their work. QA engineers test, review, and document releases. They also make sure that features are in line with project specifications.
DevSecOps Engineer
DevSecOps engineers are somewhere between security specialists and software developers, taking on the responsibility of product security. DevSecOps engineers are responsible for implementing and testing security controls in development. Here are some of the main tasks that a DevSecOps Engineer is responsible for:
- Code security: Implementing checks
- Code reviews
- Conduct penetration testing on your applications before you release them to the customer.
MLOps Engineer
MLOps engineers are responsible for managing the machine-learning operations within a business. The MLOps engineer manages the software and hardware used to run machine-learning algorithms. It involves creating tools that help teams create and use machine learning models. An MLOps Engineer may be responsible for creating new algorithms or even improving the existing ones.
FinOps Engineer
FinOps engineers ensure that the company uses its resources efficiently, tracks cloud expenditures, and finds opportunities to optimize costs. The engineers may be in charge of monitoring compliance with regulatory requirements and ensuring that your company is aware of any changes to tax laws or other legislation that could affect your business. FinOps engineers have become more important over the past few years as financial analysis and reporting processes are increasingly automated.
SRE Engineer
An SRE engineer is an expert in the field of site reliability engineering. SRE engineers are essential to the success of any company website or software application. They ensure that it is operating at its peak performance. SRE engineers perform a variety of tasks, including:
- Architecture: Design and implementation
- Monitoring systems, recording issues, and solving problems
- Informing other departments (like sales) about the performance of your product.
Conclusion
DevOps, however, is more of a cultural solution than a technological one. You will benefit more if you have a better understanding. To succeed on the DevOps path, you must be open to change and flexible in your operations.
DevOps Engineers will be in high demand as businesses seek to improve their agility. Organizations increasingly seek ways to improve operations and deliver new products and features faster. The specific DevOps and general skills needed for the position will depend on the project and company. Still, certain qualities are in constant demand. You must possess at least some skills to be a DevOps Engineer.
The biggest advantage of using visual AI is its ability to detect and recognize visual patterns, and subsequently identify irregularities. Visual AI can detect changes at the pixel level, evaluate expected versus actual visual output, and recognize if there are regressions. The visual processing capacity of visual AI is significant for ensuring that a mobile app has the same user experience across devices, screen sizes, and operating systems.