Disclaimer: I used AI to help draft this post from my own thoughts and experiences.

I've been in DevOps for ~14 years and teaching DevOps/Cloud at universities for around 4–5 years. One thing I've noticed: getting your first DevOps job has become much harder in the last 2–3 years.

The market is tougher, and AI has made it incredibly easy for everyone to have a polished CV and cover letter. So my advice to students/juniors is:

• Don't choose DevOps because you want to avoid coding. You'll still write code/scripts, automate things, debug systems, and spend a LOT of time investigating why things broke.

• Understand the responsibility. Production doesn't care that you're at dinner. Depending on the role, alerts, on-call, ownership and occasional odd hours come with the territory.

• Build your GitHub. Don't just create an account with 3 tutorial repos. Build things regularly: scripts, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Ansible, CI/CD, etc. Consistency + meaningful projects matter.

• Gamify it. Find a friend. One meaningful GitHub contribution = 1 point. First to 100 wins. Reset and repeat. By graduation, you'll have years of visible work instead of trying to build a portfolio one week before interviews.

• Stop mass-applying with the same AI-generated CV/cover letter. Read the JD and personalize your application. 10 thoughtful applications may teach you more than 500 "Easy Apply" clicks.

• Add some human touch. I sometimes include a 60–120 second Loom/video introduction. Tell them who you are, what you've built, and why you're applying.

• Be willing to prove yourself. Mention that you're happy to take a technical evaluation or practical assignment if that's part of their process.

None of this guarantees a job. But when everyone's application looks polished because of AI, showing actual work and showing the human behind the CV becomes much more important.

For people here involved in hiring: what makes a junior DevOps candidate stand out to you today?

Note: I kept this short here on purpose. A long version is available on my blog, DM if interested and I will share the URL with you.

1. Linux Fundamentals: Proficiency in Linux is crucial since most DevOps tools run on Linux-based systems.

2. Scripting and Coding: Knowledge of scripting languages like Python, Ruby, or Bash is essential for automating tasks.

3. CI/CD Pipelines: Understanding Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment processes, along with tools like Jenkins, GitLab, or CircleCI.

4. Configuration Management: Experience with tools like Ansible, Chef, or Puppet for managing infrastructure.

5. Containerization: Familiarity with Docker and Kubernetes for container management and orchestration.

6. Cloud Platforms: Proficiency in cloud services like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.

7. Monitoring and Logging: Knowledge of monitoring tools like Prometheus and Nagios, and logging tools like ELK Stack.

8. Networking Concepts: Understanding networking basics, including DNS, TCP/IP, and VPN.

9. Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Experience with IaC tools like Terraform or CloudFormation for managing and provisioning cloud infrastructure.

10. Collaboration and Communication: Strong communication skills to work effectively in cross-functional teams and manage complex projects.

Hi everyone, I’ve just started learning DevOps from scratch and thought it might be fun to learn together with others here. If anyone is also starting out, we can share resources, discuss concepts, and keep each other updated on our progress.

I feel it’s always more motivating when a few people are learning the same thing together. Having a small group with the same goal makes the process more encouraging and enjoyable.

If you’re interested, feel free to comment.

Working as a trainee DevOps engineer but the company doesn't have any active project so looking to change the company

Hey everyone,

I’m a DevOps beginner. I’ve covered the theory, but now I want hands-on experience.

Instead of learning tools separately, I’m looking for ONE consolidated, end-to-end DevOps project where I can see how tools work together, like:

Git → CI/CD (Jenkins/GitLab) → Docker → Kubernetes → Terraform → Monitoring (Prometheus/Grafana) on AWS.

A YouTube series, GitHub repo, or blog + repo is totally fine.

Goal is to understand the real DevOps flow, not just run isolated commands.

If you know any solid project or learning resource like this, please share 🙏

Thanks!

The company I work (Startup) for is looking for a AWS DevOps Engineer.

100% On site Hyderabad.

Requirements:

• EC2, EKS, IAM, S3, CloudFront

• System Administration (Ubuntu, Rocky Linux)

• Kubernetes

• Networking

• System Design

• Linode VM & Kubernetes

• Postgres, MySql, MongoDB (Optional)

Years of experience does not matter but you need to have knowledge already, it is NOT an internship/training.

18L-24L

DM with resume and anything that you think is impressive.

I don’t usually post things like this, but I need to be honest.

I have a degree in Computer Science and a Master’s in Cybersecurity Operations (graduated August 2025). Since then, I haven’t landed a single tech job.

I started by pursuing SOC analyst roles. After a full year of applying during school and getting zero interviews, I pivoted into cloud and DevOps — and I genuinely fell in love with it.

Since then, I’ve rebranded myself, built 30+ hands-on DevOps projects, and invested heavily in learning CI/CD, Kubernetes, cloud infrastructure, and automation.

Still — almost no interviews.

Just automated rejections.

At some point you start asking yourself:
How is anyone supposed to get experience if no one is willing to give them a chance?

I’ve tailored my resume, optimized for ATS, applied across roles — even entry-level IT and help desk — and it’s still incredibly difficult to break in.

Meanwhile, job postings get 100+ applicants in under an hour.

I know I’m not the only one going through this, but it doesn’t make it any less frustrating.

I’m not giving up — but I’m definitely rethinking the path forward.

If anyone has broken into DevOps, cloud, or infrastructure roles from a similar position, I’d genuinely appreciate any advice.

And if you're a hiring manager willing to take a chance on someone who has put in the work — I’m ready.

Hey folks, I’m a 2nd-year B.Tech student and I joined a startup 3 months ago as a DevOps intern. The stipend was just INR 22k/month (~$250/mon), which I knew was low, but I took the offer anyway because the company had a great culture, solid mentorship, and promised good exposure.

Fast forward 3 months

I’ve literally worked on a dozen projects (it’s a SaaS company so things move fast), handled real production-level responsibilities, and according to multiple senior devs, my performance is already on par with their L2 DevOps engineers. I’ve been working my ass off juggling academics and work, sometimes putting in 10–12 hour days to ship stuff.

So I thought it was fair to ask for a raise. I wasn’t asking for a full-time salary — just a fair stipend for the level of work I’m doing. I asked for INR 80k/mon (~$1000/mon), which is still very less than what full-timers at L2 make.

HR came back with… INR 30k.

I was disappointed but decided to escalate it and spoke to my VP. He agreed that my work has been exceptional and initially sounded positive and said he would talk to HR.

He got back to me later and said:

“You’ve done amazing work, no doubt. But company policy doesn’t allow full-time offers to interns. We have a strict 30k cap on intern stipends. That said, I want to hire you as an L2 right after you graduate.”

And that’s it.

Honestly, I’m broke. I left a previous internship where I was making INR 425/hour (~INR 70k/month with fewer hours), just because I believed this new company would value growth and reward performance.

Now I’m stuck doing high-level work at 30k/month, with no real upside till graduation, which is still 2 years away. It just feels demotivating, financially and mentally, it’s starting to drain me.

I am looking for new jobs in DevOps field since my current job is not paying enough. Can yall rate my resume and let me know if I need to update anything before I start applying?

Hi everyone, I’m a complete beginner and considering DevOps as a career in 2026.

Is it still a good field to get into? If yes, what should I learn first, and which courses/resources would you recommend?

If you were starting from zero today, what roadmap would you follow?

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working as a DevOps Engineer and now I’m interested in transitioning into MLOps. I understand CI/CD, Docker, Kubernetes, cloud (AWS/GCP), monitoring, etc. But I’m not sure where to start when it comes to the MLOps side.

Can anyone guide me on:

1. How to get into MLOps from a DevOps background?

2. Best free resources, YouTube channels, blogs, or documentation to follow?

3. If anyone has a structured roadmap or study plan?

4. Any GitHub repos or sample end-to-end projects I can practice with?

5. Any Google Drive links for learning materials?

if there are free public resources or shared study materials, that would really help.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone, I’m a final-year B.Tech student from a tier-2 college, currently preparing for DevOps (Linux, Git, Jenkins, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, Terraform). I enjoy DevOps, but I keep hearing things like:

“Freshers don’t get DevOps roles.”

“Companies want 2–3 years experience for DevOps.”

“It’s too tough to enter as a beginner.”

This is making me doubt whether I should continue focusing on DevOps or shift to development + DevOps.

My main questions:

1. Do companies actually hire DevOps freshers if they have good projects and skills?

2. Is DevOps really harder to break into compared to software development roles?

3. Should a fresher aim for full-stack + DevOps instead of pure DevOps?

4. What does an entry-level DevOps role normally look like for freshers?

I enjoy cloud, automation, CI/CD, infra-as-code — but I want to know if pursuing DevOps straight as a fresher is realistic or rare.

Honest experiences and guidance would really help. Thanks!

I’ve just started learning DevOps and I’m still a beginner. If anyone else is on the same path, maybe we can connect and learn together 👋

I have started on my devops journey and looking out for a buddy to learn it with.

M currently a DA at a listed US based company, but wanna switch to a career in devops.

M starting with Linux, won't take long.

DM if interested.

Discord Link: https://discord.gg/ejMnccJkF

Hi everyone,

I’m a DevOps Engineer with a few years of experience and I’m looking to invest in certifications that will actually help me in the long run.

Which certifications would you recommend that are relevant now and also future proof.

Cloud, Kubernetes, security, SRE or anything else?

Would love to hear from people who’ve seen real career benefits from certs. Thanks!

Hello, I am looking for a job switch as a cloud/devops engineer and would appreciate any advice regarding my resume. Many thanks!

Hi everyone,

I need some honest advice from people already working in DevOps.

I’m currently working at Accenture and have completed 1 year and 5 months here. My current role is not related to DevOps, and I don’t have real-time DevOps project experience yet.

However, I’ve recently decided to transition into DevOps. I’ve started learning step by step — covering basics like Linux, Git, CI/CD, Docker, and cloud fundamentals. I’m planning to prepare seriously over the next 3 months and start applying for DevOps roles. My goal is to switch before I complete 2 years in my current company.

I have a few doubts:

• As someone without direct DevOps experience, how should I approach the job market?

• Do companies hire entry-level or transition candidates into DevOps roles?

• Is building personal projects and hands-on labs and certifications enough to get shortlisted?

• Or is it necessary to show DevOps-related work experience in my current company before applying?

I’m open to honest feedback - even if it’s tough. I just want to understand what’s realistic and how to move forward properly.

Thanks in advance!

I honestly don’t know what else I’m supposed to do at this point, so here I am venting on Reddit.

I’m a fresher trying to break into DevOps , and it feels almost impossible unless you already have experience, referrals, or money for certifications.

I have the skills.
I genuinely do.

I’ve worked on so many projects that I’ve lost count—CI/CD pipelines, Docker, Kubernetes, cloud setups, automation scripts, monitoring, the whole deal. These aren’t copy-paste tutorial projects either. Yes, I used resources (because who doesn’t?), but at least 80% of the work is mine. I’ve broken things, fixed them, rebuilt them, and learned the hard way.

I tailor my resume for every single job.
I match keywords from the JD.
I run it through ATS trackers.
I get good scores on those tools.

And still…
No calls. Or maybe one in a hundred applications.

Everyone says:

• “Your resume must be bad” → I’ve optimized it to death

• “You need certifications” → Cool, but those exams cost a lot, and I’m already struggling

• “DevOps isn’t for freshers” → Then why are there fresher job postings?

I don’t come from money. Paying for AWS/Azure certifications isn’t a small thing for me. So does that mean I’m just locked out of this field forever? Does skill and hard work matter less than a paid badge?

What hurts the most is knowing I can do the job. If someone just gave me a chance, I know I’d perform. But it feels like companies want a “fresher with 3 years of experience and 5 certifications”.

At this point, it’s just… tiring.
Applying every day.
Getting rejected or ghosted.
Questioning whether all the nights spent learning were even worth it.

I’m not lazy.
I’m not unprepared.
I’m just stuck.

If anyone here has been through this—or actually managed to land a DevOps role as a fresher in India—what did you do differently?
Should I pivot? Wait? Keep grinding? Lower my expectations?

Right now, I’m honestly losing hope.

I recently came across a post on Reddit from someone looking to connect with other DevOps professionals. I reached out, and we ended up moving the conversation to Discord.

It's been pretty nice having a place where we can talk about things we're working on, exchange ideas, troubleshoot things, and share what we've learned.

But the conversations haven't really stayed limited to DevOps - which is actually what I've enjoyed most.

We sometimes end up talking about things like:

• How DevOps/tech work differs between countries

• Differences in workplace and engineering culture

• How people got into the industry and how their careers have developed

• Tools, practices, and technologies people are using

• Interesting things we're currently learning or building

• And occasionally just completely random stuff 😄

I'd like to meet more people from different parts of the world and have more of these conversations.

You don't need to be a DevOps expert or have 10+ years of experience. If you work somewhere around DevOps, SRE, cloud, infrastructure, platform engineering, sysadmin, or software engineering - or you're simply learning in that direction - feel free to reach out.

We're currently a small group (40+) , and we'd like to keep it that way rather than turn it into a huge server full of people who never talk, so please consider joining only if you are an active discord user.

If you'd be interested in chatting and getting to know some other people in the space, leave a comment or send me a DM. Happy to connect.

I want to learn DevOps. What’s the best way to start, and where should I learn from?

Hi everyone,

I’m a student and a fresher learning DevOps, and this is an AWS architecture diagram I’ve put together based on my current understanding.

This is very much a work in progress and honestly, a bit half-baked right now. I’ve reached a point where I feel slightly stuck and unsure whether I’m even moving in the right direction, which is why I’m posting this here.

The intent was to design a fairly realistic setup covering CI/CD, networking, web/app/database layers, and Kubernetes. But I’m sure there are gaps, incorrect assumptions, and things that don’t make sense in real-world systems.

I’d really appreciate feedback on:

• Whether the overall direction makes sense

• What’s missing, unnecessary, or over-engineered

• Conceptual mistakes or bad practices

• How this would typically be done in production

My goal is to learn, correct myself early, and bridge the gaps in my understanding. Any honest review or critique would be a huge help.

Thanks in advance 🙏

Hey guys, I’m based out of Bangalore(India) and currently working in a fintech unicorn startup.

Looking for genuine people, especially from DevOps backgrounds, who also struggle with DSA/coding rounds in interviews and want to improve together.

I’m also starting from the basics/noob level, so the idea is just to practice daily, start with easy questions, and slowly improve with consistency.

No teaching stuff, just people learning together, discussing solutions, staying accountable, and helping each other grow.

If you’re serious about improving, comment or DM.

Hi, I'm a 5 years experienced professional. I started my career with an MNC and worked as an administrator there for three years. I almost wasted those years there. I joined another MNC a year and half back and now working fully as devops engineer. I have good knowledge of gitlab CI/CD, Kubernetes, docker,linux, bash. I never practically worked in python so I'm learning it now. I feel totally stuck in my career. I want to do good work for a brighter future and I want to earn good as well. I don't know what to do and where to start from.