Evolution of the Role of DevOps Engineer

The role of a DevOps engineer has undergone significant evolution in recent years. Originally, DevOps emerged as a response to the siloed nature of software development and IT operations teams. DevOps engineers were primarily responsible for bridging the gap between these two teams, focusing on automation, collaboration, and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. Over time, the role has expanded to include areas like security (DevSecOps), cloud management, and infrastructure as code (IaC).

Current Demand and Growth Prospects

The demand for DevOps engineers continues to soar. According to the DevOps Institute's "Upskilling: Enterprise DevOps Skills Report" (2021), 77% of organizations reported a high or very high need for DevOps skills. The number of DevOps engineer job postings on Indeed has increased by 54% from 2022 to 2023. As of October 2023, DevOps is the most in-demand tech skill on LinkedIn, with over 500,000 job postings.

A 2023 report by Burning Glass indicates that DevOps engineers are expected to be one of the most in-demand tech jobs in the next five years.

Moreover, a 2023 U.S. News & World Report stated that DevOps engineers are ranked #2 on the list of the best tech jobs of 2023.

Current and Future Compensation

According to BuiltIn, DevOps engineer average salaries in 2023 based on years of experience were as follows:

• 1 year : $83,710 per year

• 1-3 years : $109,234 per year

• 3-5 years : $126,399 per year

• 5-7 years: $149,168 per year

• 7+ years: $147,409 per year

DevOps security engineers (DevSecOps) who specialize in security during the software development life cycle, average salary is around $158,264 per year based on data from Glassdoor.

Note, you can achieve salaries above those averages indicated above with certifications. For instance, Coursera reports that the average salary for an AWS-certified DevOps engineer in the US in 2023 was $131,000 annually, well above the national average for 1-3 years experience.

Therefore, adding certifications to your DevOps engineer resume while you look for work is a great way to build up your confidence and increase your chances of getting hired.

Skill Requirements

DevOps engineers need a diverse set of technical skills.

• Automation Tools: Proficiency in tools like Jenkins, Ansible, and Puppet for automating tasks and managing configurations.

• Containerization and Orchestration: Knowledge of Docker and Kubernetes for containerization and orchestration.

• Cloud Computing: Expertise in cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud for infrastructure provisioning and management.

• Scripting and Coding: Familiarity with scripting languages like Python, as well as coding skills in languages such as Java or Ruby.

• Monitoring and Logging: Experience with monitoring tools like Prometheus and Grafana, and logging solutions like ELK Stack.

Educational Pathways and Certifications

To become a DevOps engineer, DevOps Security engineer or Infrastructure as Code engineer, you can follow these educational pathways:

• Bachelor's Degree: For all three of the above, pursue a degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.

• Master's Degree: For a DevOps Security engineer a master's degree can help you specialize in cybersecurity and gain the in-depth knowledge and skills.

• Online Courses and Bootcamps: Enroll in online courses and bootcamps that focus on DevOps and cloud technologies.

• Certifications for DevOps engineers: Consider AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, Microsoft Certified Azure DevOps Engineer Expert, or Docker Certified Associate.

• Certifications for DevSecOps engineers: Consider Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Certification, AWS Certified DevSecOps Engineer Professional Certification, Azure Security Engineer Expert Certification from Microsoft.

• Certifications for Infrastructure as Code engineers: Consider AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Certification, Azure Solutions Architect Expert Certification, Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect, Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), CompTIA Cloud, and Hashicorp Certified Terraform Associate. This certification from HashiCorp validates your ability to use Terraform, an open-source infrastructure as code (IaC) tool, to provision and manage infrastructure.

Resources for Self-Learning and Skill Enhancement

To enhance your DevOps skills, consider these resources:

• Online Learning Platforms: Platforms like Coursera, edX, and Udemy offer DevOps courses

• Books: Read books like "The Phoenix Project" by Gene Kim, "Continuous Delivery" by Jez Humble, and "The DevOps Handbook" by Gene Kim and others.

• Community Involvement: Join DevOps-related forums, attend meetups, and participate in open-source projects.

• Hands-On Practice: Build and deploy your projects to gain practical experience.