Hi everyone,
I'm looking for some honest career advice from people working in DevOps, SRE, Platform Engineering, or related fields.
I'm currently working as a QA Automation Engineer (SDET) with around 2+ years of experience. My primary tech stack includes:
\- Python
\- Robot Framework
\- Selenium
\- API Testing (REST/Postman)
\- CI/CD (Atlassian Bamboo)
\- Git, GitHub, and Linux basics
\- Automation framework development and maintenance
Lately, I've been seriously considering transitioning from QA Automation to DevOps.
There are a few reasons behind this decision.
First, with the rapid advancement of AI, I feel traditional testing and even parts of automation engineering could undergo significant changes in the coming years. I'm concerned about how this might impact long-term opportunities in QA.
On the other hand, DevOps interests me because it involves infrastructure, cloud computing, system reliability, deployments, automation, and problem-solving at a deeper engineering level.
I also feel that DevOps requires substantial practical experience and a strong understanding of systems, networking, infrastructure, and production environments. AI can certainly assist engineers, but I don't think it can completely replace the experience and judgment required to manage real-world infrastructure.
Another factor is the job market. From what I've observed, DevOps roles seem to offer good opportunities and compensation compared to QA Automation, although I'd like to hear whether this is actually true from people working in the industry.
I'm willing to put in the effort and dedicate to learning and gaining hands-on experience
Fortunately, my current organization also supports internal role transitions, so there's a possibility of moving into a DevOps-related role internally rather than having to start completely fresh at another company.
I'd particularly appreciate advice from people who have transitioned from QA to DevOps, hiring managers, and engineers with 3–5+ years of experience.
I'm not looking for motivational answers. I'd genuinely appreciate realistic opinions, including reasons why I shouldn't make this switch.
What would you do in my position?
Thanks!