Among the multitudes of jobs in software development, including the tech industry as a whole, having the know-how to thrive isn’t something a person is born with. Learning and real experience are key aspects for every developer and engineer to adapt to their career plan. Let’s take a look at the role of a DevOps engineer, to present an example.
What is a DevOps engineer?
DevOps represents the development and operations sections of the tech industry. It occurs between the software development and systems management areas. DevOps engineers act as a liaison for these divisions. They ensure communication is smooth and effective, monitor both sections for quality work production, and are a part of the entire production process.
How much can they make?
The salary range of a DevOps engineer is similar to the range of a data engineer. In the US, DevOps engineers can make from $60,000 to over $100,000 a year while in Europe the average salary for a DevOps Engineer is £67,499. and they can range from £57,499 to £82,499. Since part of their job serves as a supervisory role, the higher ranges are generally given to veteran engineers with a large amount of professional experience. Due to the impact of the COVID-19, however, it became much harder for recruiters and hiring managers to find excellent DevOps engineers. Online skill assessments and virtual interviews became a significant focus of the hiring process to help them gauge candidates’ skillsets so they could gather a proper estimated salary for the most qualified ones.
Skills a DevOps Engineer Must Have
- Technical skills: Notable technical skills that are both highly favored and, in some cases, required to include knowledge of Ansible, Node.js, Varnish, Redis, etc. Proficient skills in monitoring and debugging are also a necessity to have the best chance at succeeding professionally.
- Soft skills: Communication is at the forefront of any job in current society. It’s even more important in a job like DevOps engineer where they have to coordinate exceptionally well with software development and data teams. Being open-minded, prepared to adapt, and eager to learn more skills are more preferred soft skills to have, and not necessarily requirements. Of course, these are all ultimately dependent on how well an engineer performs in the workplace.
The Interviewing Process
When trying to hire a DevOps engineer, gaining real experience in the field is the most important thing hiring managers and recruiters look for. To stand apart from the excessive list of candidates who may all seem to be potentially excellent employees, it will come down to the specifics. What candidates have outstanding accomplishments? Which candidates have an impressive work history? These are things to consider to make a good first impression.
Summary
This particular position holds excellent communication and management skills in high regard—the kinds of skills that are best learned through experience. DevOps engineers, as with every career in the tech industry, have to remain knowledgeable about the latest software and products in order to do their job effectively. It’s a tough industry to thrive in but, more than anything else, all an engineer needs is a good portfolio of experience along with the ability to display great communication and management skills to build a reputation for themselves.
