A DevOps Engineer is a professional who incorporates qualities of both development and operations. This position supports, manages, develops, and tests in a project life cycle. The DevOps market was estimated at $10.4 billion in 2023, and it is expected to grow by $25.5 billion by 2028. Any growing organization looking forward to succeeding in today’s time must align its development process to the core trends of DevOps.
In this blog, we will map out the journey of how to become a DevOps Engineer, and further cover the necessary details like skills needed, path, and certification.
What Is DevOps?
DevOps refers to a practice where development and operation come together to increase the productivity and reliability of software delivery. DevOps Engineer as a profession has grown since 2007-2008, and by now, it is embraced by large companies like Adobe, Netflix, and Amazon.
Initially, history talks about how the idea came into existence when Patrick Debois began learning about IT from multiple perspectives. And was frustrated with the constant back and forth between development and operations.
The whole core of combining these two departments is to find a cultural and professional movement with the aim of shortening the development lifecycle.
Now that we are aware of the history of DevOps let’s dive a little bit into the process of starting the journey and learn how one can become a successful DevOps engineer in 2025.
How to Become a DevOps Engineer: Five-Step Guide
DevOps Engineer in 2025 is a trending and rapidly growing position. A DevOps engineer highly focuses on collaboration, automation, cloud infrastructure, scripting languages, and using tools like Kubernetes.
With the growing demand for this position, it is nothing new that companies need skilled engineers to manage their complex cloud-based systems. Knowing the importance and demand of this profession, let’s dive into how one can achieve the required information and land their dream job.
Step 1: Building a Strong Foundation
A DevOps engineer is responsible for multiple IT operations and software development tasks simultaneously. This can include testing, building, and deploying applications seamlessly.
The foundation of the journey starts with pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, or IT. While pursuing a degree is not strictly necessary, this point is considered to be an important one.
Apart from this, there are several skills that a DevOps Engineer should master to be successful, such as programming skills, cloud computing, system administration, security practices, and monitoring.
Learning at least one scripting language like Bash, Ruby, or Python contributes directly to the core of the DevOps journey. On the other hand, one should also have experience in systems like Linux, automation, and cloud platforms in order to handle the given tasks smoothly.
Step 2: Mastering Required Tools
As we already know, DevOps deals with combining two departments while aiming to accelerate software development. This demands a deep understanding of essential tools that are foundational for DevOps engineers.
Given below is a list of some core tools that anyone willing to become a DevOps Engineer should invest in:
- Git for version control
- Docker for containerization
- Puppet and Chef for infrastructure management
- Selenium for web application
- Prometheus for monitoring
- Nagios for system monitoring
- Terraform for cloud infrastructure provisioning
- Jenkins for continuous integration and deployment
Pursuing a comprehensive understanding of these courses will help one gain the necessary skills and keep them relevant to the industry.
Step 3: Gaining Practical Experience
To gain practical experience as a DevOps engineer, one needs to pursue open and hands-on projects that involve scripting languages like Python, tools like Docker, and platforms like AWS.
There are several ways to acquire this experience. Some of them are given below:
- Hands-on experience: This is a simple yet effective option for someone willing to grow in this position. This option can work with one building their web application & automating its deployment with the help of CI/CD tools. One can also set up a containerized environment with the help of Docker and further orchestrate it with Kubernetes.
- Cloud platform practice: Focus on learning comprehensively about cloud services like AWS, GCP, and Azure. This helps in building and managing infrastructure.
- Scripting and Language: To become a DevOps Engineer, one should be familiar with languages like Python and should know how to automate. Gaining fluent experience in writing scripts with languages like Bash gives a professional an upper hand to move forward in this domain.
- Internships & Entry-Level Position: To become a DevOps Engineer, gaining real-world experience is necessary. This gives you exposure to understand the challenges and nuances of DevOps.
Step 4: Achieving Relevant Certifications
A DevOps Engineer is responsible for automating and improving software development. That results in DevOps Engineers not fitting into any one category for gaining a certificate. You do not need a certain level of degree to excel in this position. To simplify, one can choose various paths for becoming a DevOps Engineer. For example, one can be initially a software developer and can later gain the required skills to advance their position. Thus, this position evidently justifies the need to change business processes and align the goals with solving organizational responsibilities.
There are several courses one can pursue to earn a DevOps certification. Some of them are listed below:
- AWS Certified DevOps Engineer
- Certified Kubernetes Administrator
- Docker Certified Associate
- Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert
Step 5: Keep Upskilling and Networking
As a DevOps Engineer, upskilling and networking are essential. There are various levels where you can actively participate; some of them are listed below:
- Online communities: You can join online communities which are active in this domain and provide regular updates on the industry. This can be Reddit, slack, stack overflow, and LinkedIn.
- Industry events and conferences: The best way is to attend networking, meet-ups, and seminars. This way, you get to understand the industry from the best minds and learn from their experiences.
- Technical demonstration and content creation: Work on building your projects and sharing your knowledge on the subject. Share your expertise and collaborate with experienced developers while aiming to gain real-world experience.
There are a few more things you can take into consideration, such as proficiency in automation tools, AWS, and Azure. Highlighting your understanding of Docker and Kubernetes. Showcasing your expertise in monitoring tools like ELK Slack.
What is the responsibility of a DevOps Engineer?
A DevOps Engineer ensures a lot of procedures which include managing IT infrastructure and computing environments. Their specialty lies in automation and maintenance in a live environment. Given below are a few responsibilities that are performing tasks for a DevOps Engineer:
- Troubleshooting
- Cloud proficiency
- Security Implementation
- Understanding consumer requirements
- Having technical skills to verify, validate, and review
- Monitoring process during the lifecycle
- Building automated process
- Coordination and communication within the team and customers
- Mentoring and guiding teams
- Root cause analysis
DevOps Engineer: Salary and Key Roles
There are several roles within DevOps engineering that you can land depending on your specialization and focused skills. The diagram below demonstrates the positions one can land while preparing for DevOps Engineering.
Keeping this complex role in mind, DevOps Engineering is a booming and in-demand position. Therefore, according to statistics, the average salary of a DevOps Engineer in the US is $1,09,582 per year.
Conclusion
Becoming a DevOps Engineer in 2025 requires undivided attention and needs one to implement a strategic approach. From taking the first step of building the foundation to earning relevant certification it’s all a process of deliberate planning.
As organizations are clearly moving towards adopting DevOps practices to enhance collaboration, automation, and cloud management, it is no longer an unknown position.
This guide solves all the queries related to how to become a DevOps Engineer, contains all the necessary information for this demanding position, and provides a clear roadmap to achieve your goal.
If you are ready to take your preparation to the next level, this is your chance. Start by mastering fundamental tools and exploring other options to enhance your skills with updated industry trends.
Ready to take the next step? Start your DevOps journey and unlock the potential of limitless career opportunities today!
You can also visit Microtek Learning for further details and gain guidance from experienced professionals.
