How to become a DevOps Engineer for Beginners with no experience

If you aspire to become a DevOps engineer in Nigeria, it is essential to follow a strategic roadmap to prepare yourself for this dynamic and rewarding career. Fear not, for I am here to provide you with guidance at every step of the journey.

The field of DevOps has revolutionized software development and deployment, bringing remarkable efficiency and innovation to organizations. In Nigeria, the demand for skilled DevOps engineers is soaring, making it an enticing profession to pursue. This article will act as your compass, directing you toward a successful path as a DevOps engineer.

Fortune Business Insights predicts a promising future for DevOps. By 2026, the DevOps market is expected to reach an astonishing value of USD 14.9 billion globally, indicating a sustained and fervent demand for proficient professionals. Nigerian organizations are actively seeking individuals with DevOps certifications, eager to adopt DevOps practices and harness its numerous benefits.

Now, let us embark on this adventure together, as we delve into the meticulous steps you must undertake to transform into a skilled and competent DevOps engineer in Nigeria.

What is DevOps Engineering?

DevOps engineering is a software development methodology that emphasizes collaboration, communication, and integration between software developers and IT operations professionals. Its purpose is to establish a streamlined and agile approach to software development, enabling teams to deliver software with enhanced speed, reliability, and quality.

At its core, DevOps engineering revolves around a comprehensive set of practices, tools, and cultural philosophies that foster automation, continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD), and real-time monitoring and feedback. DevOps engineers actively engage in various stages of the software development lifecycle, spanning from development and testing to deployment and operations. Their primary responsibility lies in constructing and managing the infrastructure, tools, and processes that support the entire software delivery pipeline.

To excel in DevOps engineering, individuals must possess a combination of technical skills and soft skills. Technical proficiency encompasses coding expertise, familiarity with automation tools, and competence in cloud computing platforms. Soft skills such as effective communication, collaboration, and problem-solving are equally crucial.

DevOps engineers often collaborate within cross-functional teams, involving software developers, operations professionals, and business stakeholders. Their pivotal role revolves around facilitating organizations to achieve expedited delivery of high-quality software while optimizing efficiency.

DevOps Engineer Roles and Responsibilities

A DevOps engineer plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between development and operations teams, collaborating with software developers, quality assurance professionals, and other IT staff. Their responsibilities encompass a wide range of tasks and interactions.

Key roles and responsibilities of a DevOps engineer include:

• Creating comprehensive documentation for server-side features, ensuring clarity and accessibility for all stakeholders involved.
• Developing, installing, testing, configuring, and maintaining IT solutions, with a focus on seamless integration and efficient performance.
• Effectively communicating operational requirements and development forecasts to foster collaboration and synchronization among team members.
• Formulating plans and implementing processes to enhance and expand current technologies, striving for continuous improvement and innovation.
• Leveraging configuration management software to automate the deployment of updates into the production environment, minimizing downtime and streamlining the release process.
• Performing routine application maintenance and troubleshooting measures to ensure the smooth operation of the production environment, promptly addressing any issues that arise.
• Conducting gap analyses to identify areas for performance enhancement, exploring alternative solutions, and assisting in making necessary modifications to optimize system efficiency.

By balancing their technical expertise with effective communication and collaboration skills, DevOps engineers play a vital role in facilitating the successful development and operation of software systems.

Steps to Becoming a DevOps Engineer in 2023

To become a DevOps engineer, you need to have a deep understanding of the software development lifecycle and the collaboration between development and operations teams. Here are the steps to becoming a DevOps engineer:

1. Gain knowledge of the software development lifecycle: Understand the different stages of the software development lifecycle, including planning, building, testing, deployment, and monitoring.
2. Learn programming languages and Linux fundamentals: Familiarize yourself with programming languages commonly used in DevOps, such as Ruby, Python, and JavaScript. Additionally, learn the basics of Linux command line interface (CLI) and essential Linux skills.
3. Master source code management: Learn source code management tools like Git, CVS, or Mercurial to manage and track changes in the source code. Git is highly recommended due to its popularity and efficiency in managing large projects.
4. Understand application building: Learn how to build applications using automation tools like Maven, which helps with building and managing software projects.
5. Automate with CI/CD tools: Gain proficiency in continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) tools like Jenkins, TeamCity, or Drone. These tools automate the development, testing, and deployment of software code.
6. Learn application testing: Acquire knowledge of testing tools like Selenium for automated testing of web applications.
7. Understand application deployment: Learn about containers and configuration management tools like Docker and Ansible, which help deploy and manage applications in production environments.
8. Monitor applications: Gain knowledge of application monitoring tools like Nagios to identify issues and implement changes quickly.
9. Familiarize yourself with cloud computing: Learn about popular cloud service providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, as cloud computing is a crucial skill for DevOps engineers.
10. Stay updated on the latest trends and technologies: DevOps is a rapidly evolving field, so it’s essential to continuously learn and stay updated on new tools, practices, and methodologies.

Different Types of DevOps Teams

1. SRE Team (Site Reliability Engineering Team): This team focuses on maintaining and improving the reliability, scalability, and performance of systems. They collaborate with developers and engineers to ensure smooth operations and minimize downtime.
2. App Ops Team (Application Operations Team): Comprising experts in system functioning, this team handles tasks such as deploying and managing applications. They work closely with various departments and possess in-depth knowledge of how systems operate.
3. Central Platform Team: This team is responsible for provisioning and managing infrastructure on demand. They ensure the scalability and availability of production systems, providing continuous support for platform operations.
4. DevOps Team: This team collaborates closely with developers to deliver applications from start to finish. They handle various aspects of the application lifecycle, including development, testing, deployment, and monitoring.
5. Dedicated Support Team: This team focuses on providing support and troubleshooting for production systems. They possess a range of troubleshooting skills and promptly address issues to ensure smooth operations.

It’s important to note that these team types may vary across organizations, and some companies may have hybrid teams or unique variations based on their specific requirements.