How to Become a DevOps Engineer — Roadmap
- Learn Linux and Bash deeply. Use Ubuntu/CentOS as your daily driver. Practice shell scripting.
- Master Git and version control. Branching strategies, PR reviews, Git workflows.
- Get a cloud certification. AWS Cloud Practitioner → AWS Solutions Architect Associate is the most common path.
- Learn containers (Docker). Build images, run containers, write Dockerfiles, multi-stage builds.
- Learn Kubernetes. CKA-certified engineers are in highest demand. Use kubectl, Helm, and ArgoCD.
- Master Terraform. Write reusable modules. Manage state files.
- Build CI/CD pipelines. GitHub Actions or Jenkins — deploy a real project end-to-end.
- Learn observability. Set up Prometheus + Grafana for a personal project.
- Get a CKA certification. The single biggest career booster for DevOps.
- Contribute to open source. CNCF projects (Kubernetes, Argo, Helm) welcome contributors.
DevOps Engineer Certifications Path (2026)
| Stage | Certification | Provider |
|---|
| Foundations | AWS Cloud Practitioner / Azure Fundamentals | AWS / Microsoft |
| Associate | AWS Solutions Architect Associate / Azure Administrator (AZ-104) | AWS / Microsoft |
| Containers | CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator) | CNCF |
| IaC | Terraform Associate | HashiCorp |
| Professional | AWS Solutions Architect Professional / Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305) | AWS / Microsoft |
| Specialist | AWS DevOps Professional / CKS (Kubernetes Security Specialist) | AWS / CNCF |
DevOps Engineer — Common Interview Topics
For mid-level DevOps roles (3–6 years experience), expect questions on:
- CI/CD: Design a pipeline for a microservices app. Tools choice, deployment strategy (blue/green, canary).
- Kubernetes: Pod stuck in CrashLoopBackOff — troubleshoot. Rolling update vs recreate.
- Terraform: State management, drift detection, module composition.
- Linux: High CPU on a server — steps to diagnose. Memory leak detection.
- AWS/Azure: Design a 3-tier app across multiple AZs. Cost optimisation strategies.
- Networking: DNS resolution failure — trace. Load balancer vs reverse proxy.
- Monitoring: SLO/SLI design. Alert fatigue mitigation.
- Incident response: On-call handling, post-mortems, blameless culture.
Senior roles add system design, mentoring, and cross-team collaboration questions.
DevOps Engineer — Work-Life Balance Reality
DevOps roles often include on-call duty. Here's what to expect:
| Company Type | On-Call Frequency | After-Hours Pager Volume |
|---|
| Big Tech (Google, Microsoft, Amazon) | 1 week in 4–6 | Low (mature observability) |
| Mid-size product (Razorpay, Cred) | 1 week in 4 | Medium |
| IT services (TCS, Infosys) | Rare; project-dependent | Low to medium |
| Startups | 1 week in 2 (heavy on-call) | High — expect pages |
Work-life balance varies hugely by company. Big-tech and mature product companies invest heavily in observability, which reduces pager noise. Startups are the opposite — every engineer is on-call more often.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a DevOps engineer actually do?
Builds CI/CD pipelines, manages cloud infrastructure (AWS/Azure/GCP), orchestrates containers (Kubernetes), writes infrastructure-as-code (Terraform), and maintains observability for production systems.
Is DevOps a good career in 2026?
Yes — DevOps is one of the most in-demand tech careers globally. Salary ranges from ₹6–10 LPA (fresher) to ₹70 LPA – 1 Cr+ (principal) in India.
What skills are required to become a DevOps engineer?
Linux, Bash, Git, CI/CD, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, one cloud in depth, observability (Prometheus/Grafana), and security basics.
Can a fresher become a DevOps engineer?
Yes — freshers with strong Linux + cloud + scripting skills, AWS Cloud Practitioner or CKA, and a portfolio of CI/CD projects can land DevOps roles.
DevOps engineer vs SRE — what is the difference?
SRE is a specialisation within DevOps focused on reliability, SLOs, error budgets, and incident response. DevOps is broader (CI/CD, IaC, platform engineering).
What certifications should a DevOps engineer pursue?
Start with AWS Cloud Practitioner or Azure Fundamentals. Move to AWS SAA Associate, then CKA. Add Terraform Associate and an AWS DevOps Professional.
Fazlur Rahman
