DevOps, meaning the development and IT operations, is a culture that was born out of the Agile methodology of software development. DevOps emerged in response to the need for synchrony between the software development team, IT operations team, and other stakeholders through all the stages of the software development and delivery process. This methodology has not only revolutionized software development but also supports most emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to spur innovation.
DevOps promotes faster application development, faster feature releases, and high-quality products that drive customer value. This framework has succeeded in breaking down communication and collaboration silos that previously existed between development and IT operations teams. In addition, it drives continuous process improvement by supporting continuous development, continuous testing, continuous integration, continuous monitoring, continuous feedback, and continuous deployment.
DevOps has grown to be core in software development and has been adopted by large and small organizations alike. The DevOps market, projected to be worth more than $14.9 billion by 2026, will push up the demand for DevOps skills, and this demand is not expected to slow down any time soon. Therefore, if you are considering the DevOps career path without a degree, here is some help.
What is DevOps?
DevOps is a software development approach that integrates the once distinct development and IT operations into one streamlined, collaborative workflow. The DevOps approach, while also agile in nature, also allows the two teams and other stakeholders to work in tandem and coordinate their roles effectively.
The DevOps approach comes with many benefits, including:
- Reduced time-to-market for software and features
- Higher quality products
- Streamlined software development and deployment workflow
- Reduced bugs, rollbacks, and human errors in the software development cycle
- Quicker bug fixes
- An adaptive process that incorporates user feedback into the product much faster
- Increased motivation and innovation among IT teams
Education requirements for DevOps roles
Some recruiters require a bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, information technology, information science, or other relevant qualifications for DevOps roles. This is because these courses cover fundamentals of IT like software development, networking, IT infrastructure, and more about IT technology and operations.
While formal education is not a prerequisite, it is vital for anyone wishing to pursue a career in DevOps to have an IT background. Whether you are launching your career in DevOps or transitioning from other roles like system administration or software development, you need to be familiar with the tools, technologies, and processes used in DevOps. These include automation, configuration management, source control, cloud technology, continuous integration, continuous deployment, and other technologies.
Can I Get a DevOps Job Without a Degree?
Yes, you can.
While it is not necessary to have a bachelor’s degree to pursue a DevOps role, an individual must demonstrate that they possess an in-depth understanding of DevOps and the necessary skills required to assume this role.
The demand for DevOps professionals is high, but there are not enough professionals to fill this gap. To pursue a career in DevOps without a degree, you need to work on building the knowledge, skills, and competencies required for DevOps roles.
Here is what you can do to land a DevOps role without a degree.
- Undertake DevOps training and certification
Undertaking DevOps training is a great way to launch your career in DevOps or boost your skills at any point in your career. Training lays, for you, the foundational knowledge of DevOps fundamental concepts and best practices, tools, and demonstratable skills that will land you a DevOps internship or entry-level role faster.
- Simplilearn DevOps certification training course
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect to gain skills in public cloud
Look out for DevOps courses that:
- Offer both theoretical and practical DevOps training
- Offers live training sessions with projects and practical exercises
- Have experienced committed tutors
- Adheres to DevOps best practices for developing, configuring, and deploying applications
- Offer certification
- Attend Bootcamps
Bootcamps are a great option to kickstart your career in DevOps. BootCamps offer you intense but flexible training that covers a range of concepts, best practices, tools, and skills to give you a good DevOps foundation. Training may include agile web development, software engineering, cloud computing, systems administration, coding, and scripting with real-life projects to equip learners for their careers. Bootcamp will offer a certificate of completion at the end of the program, which can help you sell the skills you have gained.
Try coding boot camps, software development boot camps, or even DevOps Bootcamps that are organized by a recognized institution or authority.
- DevOps-related projects
Projects, whether offered by a learning institution as part of the curriculum or pursued in isolation, help you gain practical skills. It can be much better for you if you can find open-source projects related to DevOps that you can contribute to. You can check out DevOps-related projects on GitHub and choose some that you can follow closely and contribute to. Again, do not limit yourself.
Others have run home labs where they configure, automate, and run applications in-house or on the cloud with different tools and technologies. This is a great platform to learn to work with various tools or sets of tools and carry out research and experiments while at the same time improving skills.
The bottom line is that personal projects require high-level discipline, commitment, and consistency if you want to achieve results beyond the classroom.
Key DevOps Skills
Some skills should never miss in your profile when you are looking to land a role in DevOps. Also, be sure to include just the skills that you can prove you possess. DevOps is very practical, and recruiters will certainly want to test your knowledge and skills in different ways.
Such skills include:
- Cloud computing knowledge, including cloud services, cloud technologies like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as cloud infrastructure management and basic knowledge of multi-tier architectures
- Continuous delivery including deploying VPNs, server configuration, and performing software system upgrades.
- Understanding of the software development life cycle, Code writing and integration, code quality, along with code coverage and testing tools.
- Automation activities in the DevOps pipeline such as server management, software and feature deployment, running tests, and routine checks.
- Basic scripting using Python, Shell, Ruby, and Perl languages
- Programming languages like Java, JavaScript, PHP, and IaC (Infrastructure as a Code) tools like TerraForm, Puppet, and AWS CloudFormation
- Operating systems like Linux, Unix, and Windows
- Containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes
- Security
Tips on how to get a DevOps job without a degree
You do not need a bachelor’s degree to build a career in DevOps. Here are a few tips on how to get started.
- Enroll in online training or opt for self-learning on the basics of DevOps to gain real-world practical knowledge of DevOps concepts like continuous development, continuous integration, continuous deployment, automation, collaboration, and agile software development.
- Start with an internship or entry-level role. For example, the developer or junior system administration roles where you will get a good grasp of how to carry out different tasks related to each phase of the software development life cycle. From here, you can advance to managing software releases and further DevOps engineering.
- Map out your career path. Entry-level roles will not only give you practical industry knowledge but they will also help you to know which career path is best for you. You can opt for the software development career path or the operations/system administration career path.
As a self-starter, it is important to understand that you will always be learning because DevOps, like other technologies, is always evolving. Also, be keen on building your problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills. This is because DevOps culture is built on collaboration and close interaction between teams and individuals. Finally, have confidence in yourself and be open to embracing DevOps culture and best practices.
