DevOps Engineer Skills: The Top 10 Skills You Need to Succeed

What is the meaning of skills really? 

Whenever you apply for a job, you will see that there are some skillsets mentioned which the employer wants you to have. But is that all you will need while you are actually appointed? 

According to Wikipedia, a skill is an ability to carry out a task with determined results often within a given amount of time, energy, or both. So, do you really think everything will be mentioned in the required skillsets section which all you will need to carry out your tasks?

Let’s talk about DevOps engineers’ skillsets now as we mentioned in the title. If you open any job portal, you’ll get to see all DevOps engineer’s jobs require the candidates to have a vast knowledge of AWS, CD tooling, hands-on experience in building CI pipelines and many more. But is that all you need to have to become a DevOps Engineer? No, it’s not.

In this blog, we are going to tell you all about the DevOps engineer skills which are must-haves for anyone who is looking forward to taking DevOps as a career option or is already a DevOps engineer. Make sure to go through each and every point and do a self-analysis right away!

A DevOps engineer is someone who works with developers and IT staff to oversee the code release. DevOps engineer is the one who is responsible for developing a digital pipeline. From this, you can understand that DevOps engineer’s role is much bigger than it looks like in their job descriptions. According to payscale.com, in the US, a DevOps engineer gets paid an average of $ 93,062 per year.

 

So,  Let’s check that out!

Skills For DevOps Engineer:

1. Flexibility:

Do you have the ability to continuously deploy and integrate new systems and operations in your code? 

Congratulations! You are halfway there already then! 

Since the DevOps culture is based on flexibility, you should be comfortable with the continuous integration process. The coding should be an ongoing process for you, ever-changing, and always needed to be updated based on the customer requirement. And we need not mention that you need strong technical knowledge to implement the continuous integration process. Right?

2. Security Skills:

When there is coding involved, you always need to keep security at its utmost importance. And since DevOps practices bring a faster cycle of development and deployment of codes, vulnerabilities are always at a higher risk to attract the code much quicker than normal times. And who doesn’t know that vulnerability is the easiest way to get hackers into the system?

Along with coding skills, security skills are also a must-have for DevOps engineers. From the starting of deployment, built-in security software should be there which can be added anytime whenever a security breach is being detected. 

3. Collaboration:

If you feel good about being a one-man army, the profession of DevOps engineer won’t suit you. Collaboration is the main key to a successful DevOps culture. 

A DevOps engineer should be a team player in order to bring the development and the operations team together. Not only that, but the cross-functionality of DevOps culture is also totally based DevOps engineer’s responsibility towards collaboration.

4. Infrastructure Knowledge:

Along with scripting skills, DevOps engineers should have hands-on experience in data science and cloud infrastructure components like AWS and Azure. They should have an understanding of software networking too to get that how the software will run in various networks.  

Gives you an example of how DevOps can be implemented in an Azure platform:

And last but not least, having knowledge about different DevOps tools is always necessary. Because in the DevOps platform, new tools are always coming in the picture. So staying updated about them is a good thing. Isn’t it?

Maybe you can try for some DevOps courses as well to know all about it!

5. Soft Skills:

If you think only being a pro in the technical field is going to help you in the rise and shine as a DevOps engineer, you are completely wrong! 

DevOps engineer basically works as a bridge between the development and the operations team. Hence, soft skills like looking at the bigger picture, breaking down the work, teamwork capability, and many more results into a quick delivery and better level of customer satisfaction.

Here is a more detailed overview 

Most demanded skills for DevOps engineers

• Linux
  
  

DevOps engineers need to have a strong understanding of Linux, as it is the most popular operating system for servers. DevOps engineers need to be able to perform tasks such as installing and configuring software, managing users and groups, and troubleshooting problems.

• Cloud computing

DevOps engineers need to be familiar with cloud computing platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). DevOps engineers need to be able to provision and manage cloud resources, such as virtual machines, storage, and databases.

• Automation

Automation is a key part of DevOps, so DevOps engineers need to be able to automate tasks such as infrastructure provisioning, software deployment, and testing. DevOps engineers need to be familiar with automation tools such as Ansible, Chef, and Puppet.

• Scripting languages

Scripting languages such as Python, Bash, and Ansible are essential for DevOps engineers. DevOps engineers use scripting languages to automate tasks, manage infrastructure, and develop DevOps tools.

• DevOps tools

There are a number of DevOps tools that DevOps engineers need to be familiar with, such as Jenkins, Terraform, and Kubernetes. Jenkins is a continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) tool, Terraform is an infrastructure as code tool, and Kubernetes is a container orchestration platform.

• Communication and collaboration skills

DevOps engineers need to be able to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders. DevOps engineers also need to be able to collaborate effectively with other members of the DevOps team, as well as with other teams in the organization.

• Problem-solving skills

DevOps engineers need to be able to identify and solve problems quickly and efficiently. DevOps engineers also need to be able to think outside the box and come up with innovative solutions.

• Security

DevOps engineers need to be able to build and deploy secure infrastructure and applications. DevOps engineers also need to be able to identify and respond to security threats.

• Testing

DevOps engineers need to be able to test infrastructure and applications to ensure that they meet quality standards. DevOps engineers should also be familiar with different types of testing, such as unit testing, integration testing, and system testing.

• Monitoring

DevOps engineers need to be able to monitor infrastructure and applications to identify and resolve problems early. DevOps engineers should also be familiar with different monitoring tools and techniques.

If you are interested in a career as a DevOps engineer, it is important to develop the skills listed above. You can develop these skills by taking online courses, attending conferences and workshops, and working on personal projects. 

Conclusion:

Now that you know what all you need to be a successful DevOps engineer, now it’s time for the final question.

Do you think you have it in you?

No?

Join a DevOps training session and grab a DevOps Engineer Certification as soon as possible then! The world of DevOps will seem pretty easy for you.

Do you think we missed out on any point to discuss? Let us know in the comment section below!

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