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How I would learn DevOps if I could start over 🐳

Hello, I am Lara. I am a senior DevOps and Cloud Engineer and Architect at EngioTech. If you wish to be a DevOps and a Cloud Engineer, follow these steps. They are definitely going to be beneficial.

If I had the chance to begin my journey into DevOps and Cloud all over again, here's how I would approach it 😻

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1. Learn and Get Certified by Free Microsoft Courses

Microsoft Learn

One of the first steps I would take is to solidify my knowledge and skills by pursuing certifications in Cloud and DevOps.

Platforms like Microsoft Learn offer a wealth of resources and courses tailored to help you master these technologies. By enrolling in courses like these, you can gain a strong foundation and practical insights into the world of DevOps and Cloud. Check out these free Microsoft Learn courses on DevOps and Cloud.


2. Hands-On Practice with Real-World Projects

After building a strong theoretical foundation through certifications, I would dive into hands-on practice. Working on real-world projects, whether personal or through internships, is crucial to applying what you've learned and gaining practical experience. This hands-on approach will not only deepen your understanding but also help you develop problem-solving skills essential in the field of DevOps and Cloud.

4. Automate Everything

Automation is at the core of DevOps. I would focus on automating processes wherever possible to streamline workflows, increase efficiency, and reduce errors. Tools like Ansible, Puppet, and Jenkins can be invaluable in automating tasks and deployments, freeing up time for more strategic work.


Summary

This is it. We tend to overcomplicate things. Learn by doing. Take these courses and you are 10X ready to become an Engineer already.

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Top comments (33)

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miketalbot profile image
Mike Talbot ⭐

A key part of becoming successful at something is experiencing a wide range of problems that need solutions. In our working lives we will get this variety all the time, but starting out it's hard to know the problems that need solving and therefore, hard to understand how we "reason out" solutions and the tools we employ to enact them.

Qualifying in courses like these means you get to see a lot of different problems as you progress and practice - this is vital. Then doing, actually seeing a variation of a problem, recognising it and applying a simple solution is indeed what gives you confidence and make you a practitioner. Don't worry about knowing everything, just use something to solve a problem!

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larastewart_engdev profile image
Lara Stewart - DevOps Cloud Engineer

Completely agree with this. 🙂

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saraa_guacamole profile image
Sara Farnandez

Exactly my thought. People tend to overcomplicate things. First learn the basics through maybe Youtube or any Certifications and then start building projects right away. Things like Kubernetes comes afterwards.

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timwoooooood profile image
Tim Woodland

+1

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larastewart_engdev profile image
Lara Stewart - DevOps Cloud Engineer

Thank you 😊 Appreciate it

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larastewart_engdev profile image
Lara Stewart - DevOps Cloud Engineer

Not just DevOps. Learning through building is the way to grow.

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Trow

Hi, nice article, but i was expecting something more detailed. Like a roadmap to learn how to be a DevOps. this is too generic and can be applied to anything. but the tip about getting certified by MS is good.
(also, you skipped #3 )

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tnypxl profile image
tnypxl

roadmap.sh/devops?r=devops-beginner

I use this all the time when I want to know what the general landmarks are on the path to learning a role.

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larastewart_engdev profile image
Lara Stewart - DevOps Cloud Engineer

This is a great roadmap. Thank you for sharing @tnypxl 💗

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larastewart_engdev profile image
Lara Stewart - DevOps Cloud Engineer

Thank you for pointing out the typo in the list number. This is my very first article, so it's a bit rookie.

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gzzchh profile image
MisakaCloud

Absolutely, I want to share my story on learning Ansible.
I start learning Ansible since setting up every server is boring. At the same time, I know something called dotfiles and I don't satisfied with some solution, so I go to Ansible again and build a role about my custom environment.
I started using git to manage playbook 3 years ago. Then this year I move them to collections to have a better organization. Cause I need to manage more servers belongs to serval groups.
All Technics and experience are come from real world projects.

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larastewart_engdev profile image
Lara Stewart - DevOps Cloud Engineer

That's fantastic to hear about your journey with Ansible! Real-world projects are indeed the best teachers. Keep up the excellent work!

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Ben Link

Yeah - I'd almost want to skip the certifications in step 1. They can provide an early sense of accomplishment and may look good on a resume, but those milestones could be mistaken for "end of road" markers and make it easy to forget that DevOps is an endless journey of discovery.

Definitely +1 on the "dive in and do stuff with it" thought process though!

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larastewart_engdev profile image
Lara Stewart - DevOps Cloud Engineer

Getting certifications can be a way to become comfortable with the basics, but as you said, I quite agree that it might feel like the "end of the road." However, it should not be mistaken that basics are of no use if not applied in practice and real-world projects.

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Tim Woodland

Thank you for mentioning this certification on Microsoft Learn. I suggest everyone give this thing a spin. It is going to boost so much of your career.

I am resharing the link for better reach of the course:
Learn DevOps and Cloud. You learn from these big giants to crack MNCs.

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Lara Stewart - DevOps Cloud Engineer

Good point. Learning from MNCs to Crack MNCs 😄

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Makar

Automate everything 💯

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larastewart_engdev profile image
Lara Stewart - DevOps Cloud Engineer

Thank you for the comment! 🙂

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Brian • Edited

Is this a sponsored post, because following CNCF will take you much further.
cncf.io/training/

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Lara Stewart - DevOps Cloud Engineer

Thank you for mentioning CNCF. I will take a look at it. This is not a sponsored post.

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Yogesh Prasad

This is the best explanatiion of how to start with DevOps. Thank you for mentioning about Learn certifications. I got enrolled. How long take to complete this?

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Lara Stewart - DevOps Cloud Engineer

Thank you so much. The time to finish the certification varies based on how many courses you take. Take note that all the courses are free to join.

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chandrashekhar profile image
Chandrashekhar Mehta

I've just started my journey in DevOps, I think this post will be really helpful to me.

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Lara Stewart - DevOps Cloud Engineer

Appreciate it. 💗