HACKER Q&A
📣 nfgoto

From Back-end developer to DevOps engineer?


Hi, any advice on transitioning from back-end Web developer (Node.js) to DevOps engineer ?

Already have the entry-level AWS certification for what it's worth.

What are key skills regarding DevOps that are not typically asked from a developer ?

What tech to learn to be credible (I know basic Bash scripting and did some Go, on top of years of Node.js services and APIs) ?

Java / Python seem to come up often in positions where I'm looking ? Also, notice less focus on languages and more on processes.

Thanks

  👤 mharrisb1 Accepted Answer ✓
Considering what I see DevOps eng team at my company working on the most, I would point you to learn as much as you can about Docker, Kubernetes, Helm, Terraform and other container and “infra as code” (IaC) tech stacks. Then take those skills and combine with the cloud cert knowledge you have and design some reproducible infrastructure definitions with AWS services (something small to start like having a server in a compute instance communicating with a relational DB over a private network connection). That task alone will likely bring you down some rabbit holes like working with and designing VPCs. I would also suggest looking at A Cloud Guru for getting certs beyond just the entry level which kind of touches on everything without going deep into anything. From what I see, the DevOps people I work with are quickly becoming more “CloudOps” but maybe I’m being biased towards what I see day in and day out so always take the advice of a random internet stranger with less than a grain of salt.