How to become a successful DevOps Engineer
A lot of companies are looking for DevOps engineers because they are breaking down their silos or implement new business models. This article will show the one skill that is necessary to become a successful DevOps Engineer.
There are plenty of websites that deal with the necessary skills a DevOps engineer must have. Some of them deal with social skills while others focus more on the technical part. Probably the most popular one is https://roadmap.sh/devops.
If you are reading this you probably are on your way to becoming a succcessful DevOps Engineer or you already are. Here is a simple test that reveals where you are on that pathway.
Check each of those 20 questions with yes or no.
Do you know Linux: yes/no Do you know Bash: yes/no Do you know vim: yes/no Do you know Kubernetes: yes/no Do you know Python: yes/no Do you know Cloud Computing: yes/no Do you know Ubuntu: yes/no Do you know Anbile: yes/no Do you know Docker: yes/no Do you know nginx: yes/no Do you fully understand Linux: yes/no Do you fully understand Bash: yes/no Do you fully understand vim: yes/no Do you fully understand Kubernetes: yes/no Do you fully understand Python: yes/no Do you fully understand Cloud Computing: yes/no Do you fully understand Ubuntu: yes/no Do you fully understand Ansible: yes/no Do you fully understand Docker: yes/no Do you fully understand nginx: yes/no
If I had done this test a couple of years ago I probably would have answered 8 of the “know” questions with “yes” questions with yes and probably one or two of the “understand”. Richard Feynman once said “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool.”
Why is it that we are tempted to fool ourselves? Why do we pretend to “know” something when we didn’t even define what knowing exacly means. Most likely that has to do with our educational system that is built on the idea of comparison. We have learned that success means we have to get a good grade that makes us superior to others. As children we do not question that bullshit and as adults we are already too accustomed to it.
“I know that” is an excuse that does not fool others but ourselves. Admiting that we have been fooled by our beliefs for decades may be hard. But once we admit to ourselves that we will never get to the point were we fully understand something it leads to an unstoppable desire to learn.
We can only know one thing for sure: “We know that we don’t know anything.” That is what makes us progress every single day. If we pretend we have learned everything we need to know what else could we do rather than sitting in front of the TV with a bottle of beer.
There is only one thing that is necessary to become a successful DevOps engineer and that is humility. As simple as that may sound, that requires a lot of hard work and that has nothing to do with work has ureiit is difficult and requires a lot of hard work. People who look out for an easy job probably should try something else.
DevOps is not a Goal, But a never-ending process of continual improvement – Jez Humble
