How to Become a DevOps Engineer

A DevOps engineer is a professional with skills in both the development and operation side of software engineering. The term “DevOps” comes from a combination of the words “development” and “operations.” The DevOps model focuses on improving the efficiency and speed of software development. DevOps teams began as a way to address common barriers that arose between development and operations teams, such as different values and leadership styles. A team of DevOps professionals eliminates those barriers and delivers faster, more reliable, and more secure projects. 

Explore what a DevOps engineer does, what DevOps culture is like, how much you might expect to earn, and a step-by-step guide for becoming a DevOps engineer. 

What does a DevOps engineer do?

A DevOps engineer generally oversees the development and production of applications and other software programs. The day-to-day duties of a DevOps engineer vary depending on the size of the team you are working with and the leadership hierarchy of the company. Still, they will typically include troubleshooting, conducting quality assurance, and optimizing user software security. 

Within a DevOps team, an engineer plans infrastructure and project requirements. In this role, you may be responsible for identifying the tool stack used for the project and other high-level decisions. You may also be responsible for deploying updates, monitoring performance, or maintaining databases. 

Some of the tasks you might expect to engage in include the following: 

• Provide systems administration and security

• Work with developers and other members of the IT team

• Monitor software performance and manage updates

• Release engineering and infrastructure provisioning

• Troubleshoot problems and improve user security

A DevOps team may include professionals such as a release manager, security and compliance engineer, software tester, and more, in addition to a DevOps engineer. 

Read more: What Is DevOps? A Guide to the Basics

Salary and job outlook

According to Glassdoor in July 2024, the average salary for a DevOps engineer is $106,586, with an additional pay of $33,758 [1]. A lead DevOps engineer earns an average annual salary of $134,342 [2], while a senior DevOps engineer averages $138,914 annually [3]. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects job growth for people working in this field between 2022 and 2032 is 25 percent, a rate significantly faster than average [4]. 

How to become a DevOps engineer

To become a DevOps engineer, you’ll need an understanding of the culture of DevOps. You’ll also need to complete your education to develop the necessary DevOps skills and, in some cases, earn certification for the specific job you’d like. 

Understand how DevOps culture operates.

DevOps is a field designed to break barriers between development and operations teams, so it’s natural that DevOps culture centers around collaboration, increased transparency, and shared responsibility. Agile software development methodologies influence DevOps. These iterative processes emphasize a collaborative approach, constant feedback, and the continuous delivery of small amounts of progress. DevOps also emphasizes iterative feedback methods and quality assurance, which help drive efficiency and quality. 

Earn a bachelor’s degree.

According to Zippia, 75 percent of DevOps engineers hold a bachelor’s degree, 20 percent hold a master’s degree, 2 percent hold an associate degree, and 3 percent have a diploma or other degree [5]. Although you can choose from multiple paths to become a DevOps engineer, a bachelor’s degree is worthwhile for learning the skills you need, including software development, operating systems, coding, scripting languages, configuration management, and cloud computing. 

Earn a certificate.

Augment your degree and hone your DevOps abilities by completing a certificate program. For example, the IBM DevOps and Software Engineering Professional Certificate on Coursera offers a 14-course series to help you learn skills such as DevOps, Agile software development, Scrum, Kanban, cloud computing, programming languages, continuous integration (CI), continuous deployment (CD), artificial intelligence (AI), and more. 

Get certified.

Certificates can help you further your skills, and certifications provide a tangible demonstration of your expertise. Getting certified can help you land a job when you're just starting. These credentials can also help you grow your career, gain credibility, and get an edge over other candidates. A few DevOps certifications to consider include the following:

• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer

• Google Cloud DevOps Engineer 

• DevOps Leader

• Microsoft Certified DevOps Engineer

DevOps engineer skills

Although your day-to-day responsibilities will vary depending on the size of the team you’re working with, every DevOps engineer should have some skills, such as software development methodologies, operating systems, coding and scripting languages, configuration management tools, and cloud computing. Continue reading to explore why these skills are relevant for a DevOps engineer.  

Software development methodologies

DevOps evolved from Agile methodologies like Scrum, Kanban, and Lean to increase collaboration and communication across traditionally isolated departments. Understanding these software development methodologies and their underlying philosophies will be essential for a DevOps engineer. 

Operating systems

As a DevOps engineer, you must understand how operating systems work, including Windows and Mac. Many DevOps engineers work primarily in Linux. You’ll also need to know how to access and use the command line. 

Coding and scripting languages

To become a DevOps engineer, you will need a strong foundation in programming and scripting languages such as Java, Ruby, PERL, and Python. Ultimately, the exact languages you should learn will depend on the projects you want to work on.

Configuration management tools

Configuration management tools like Chef, Ansible, Jenkins, and Docker help DevOps engineers complete essential tasks and manage configuration. You can automate maintenance and other actions using configuration management tools to increase team efficiency and spend less time on tedious tasks. 

Cloud computing and virtualization

As a DevOps engineer, you must understand cloud computing tools like Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS). These tools can help you deploy and develop applications and create testing environments. 

Additional DevOps skills

Other commonly required skills for DevOps engineers include:

• Version control 

• Network security 

• Problem-solving

• Interpersonal skills

• Continuous integration (CI) and continuous development (CD)

Career options for DevOps engineers

When looking for an entry-level DevOps engineer job, consider a junior-level role. If you have experience working as a DevOps engineer or have a similar skill set, some other positions you might be qualified for include Linux systems administrator, release manager, or configuration manager. 

After gaining experience as a DevOps engineer, you may qualify for a career as a senior DevOps engineer, cloud architect, or engineering manager. 

Senior DevOps engineer

Average annual US salary (Glassdoor): $138,914 [3]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2022 to 2032): 25 percent [4]

Education requirements: To start working as a senior DevOps engineer, you will need a bachelor’s degree and five or more years of experience in DevOps. 

As a senior DevOps engineer, you’ll have many of the same responsibilities as roles with lower experience levels but with the additional requirement of acting as a mentor to other team members. You will work to deploy, release, test, and automate applications.

Cloud architect

Average annual US salary (Glassdoor): $143,747  [6]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2022 to 2032): 4 percent [7]

Education requirements: To start working as a cloud architect, you will likely need to earn a bachelor’s degree. 

As a cloud architect, you will develop and design cloud applications and networks, oversee cloud-based applications, and optimize or troubleshoot when needed. You will also work as a liaison between the technical team and the client to communicate needs and keep clients up to date on cloud computing trends and developments. 

Engineering manager

Average annual salary US (Glassdoor): $172,674 [8]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2022 to 2032): 25 percent [4]

Education requirements: To start working as an engineering manager, you will likely need to earn a master’s degree or a combination of a bachelor’s degree and experience in the field. 

As an engineering manager, you’ll be responsible for planning and overseeing projects, leading teams to create the projects, managing financial information, and communicating with stakeholders as the project progresses. At this career stage, you’ll spend more time leading others than directly working on applications and other projects. After gaining experience as an engineering manager, you may qualify to become a senior engineering manager or director. 

Next steps in your DevOps path

To learn how to become a DevOps engineer, you must start with the right skills and education. Earning a bachelor’s degree is a good first step. Certifications and skills like Linux, software development methodologies, coding languages, and cloud computing can help you stand out from other candidates. 

Consider earning your IBM Applied DevOps Engineering Professional Certificate on Coursera. This eight-course series can be completed in as little as three months, and it will help you learn skills in site reliability engineering, continuous integration, continuous deployment, Agile methodologies, and more.