Are you considering a career shift into DevOps but unsure where to start? Andrijana recently took the step into the world of DevOps, and shares valuable insights and tips for anyone embarking on a similar path 👩🏻💻
Andrijana is one of our top DevOps Bootcamp graduates 💙 who secured a great job as a DevOps engineer coming from a software development background.
Be sure to not skip this TechWorld with Nana DevOps Bootcamp review. It's a short read filled with valuable lessons and tips, for anyone seeking to switch from one IT field to another ⏰ 💡
But rather than me telling you all the details, this is her story and how she got hired, so I’ll pass you over to her 👇
Meet Andrijana 🙋🏻♀️
Hi, my name is Andrijana and I come from Serbia. I recently started working as a DevOps Engineer.
The company Azul is located in Silicon Valley, but has locations in multiple places globally. They recently opened a new office in Serbia, so that's how I started working there 💼
For me, the main value of switching to DevOps Engineering is to work in a super interesting IT field now. I like to see “the big picture”, so that’s why I enjoy my new DevOps job so much :)
"The DevOps Bootcamp played a key role during job applications and in the interview process. Basically this project portfolio was the most important part of my pitch and I'm very thankful to TWN for enabling me to build it!"
But let's start from the beginning.. 👏
What did you work before DevOps Engineer?
I studied computer engineering at the faculty of electrical engineering and started my professional career as Embedded Software Developer.
💡 What is Embedded Software Engineering
A specialized discipline within the field of software engineering that focuses on designing, implementing, and testing software for embedded systems.
Embedded systems are computing devices that are designed to perform specific functions within larger systems, often with real-time constraints, limited resources (such as memory and processing power), and often operate in environments where reliability and efficiency are critical.
Embedded software engineers typically work closely with hardware engineers to develop software that interacts directly with the hardware components of the embedded system.
I worked in this field for ~3 years, and although hardware and low-level programming was something that I found interesting during university, I didn't find much satisfaction in developing embedded software professionally 🤷🏻♀️
As I got exposed to DevOps and infrastructure while working in the industry, I realized that it's the area of IT that's most appealing to me.
So I decided to quit embedded development and work towards switching to DevOps 💪
First step was to move to backend development, so that I get exposure to large infrastructure from dev perspective.
That's how I started working as backend C++ developer in video streaming for a TV provider.
I started TechWorld with Nana's DevOps Bootcamp training while working on this job.
And why did you decide to switch to DevOps field in the first place? 😍
The thing that makes DevOps field so appealing to me is that you get to observe the infrastructure and processes that deliver a software product from an end to end perspective.
"If there are multiple apps in the company - you need to know where they are running, how they all talk to one another. You need to have insight into how different teams work, which tools do they use, how teams collaborate etc."
This holistic "zoom-out" view required for the job aligns with my preferences way more than partial "zoom-in" view in app development 🤷🏻♀️
Plus, you get to automate repetitive tasks and promote efficient workflow practices through automation, which makes a lot of sense to me!
When and how did you decide to enroll into TWN DevOps Bootcamp?
I started exploring Youtube tutorials and various online resources on DevOps topics. I watched a few Nana's videos and really liked the unique teaching style, so I decided to explore the channel further 👀
That's how I discovered the Bootcamp. I looked into the curriculum and concluded that it's exactly what I needed!
I quickly decided to enroll, as I figured out that such structured learning would speed up switching to DevOps significantly 😃 💨
And how was your learning experience? How did you use the knowledge and skills from the bootcamp?
I liked really many aspects of it 😃
the structure
the selection of DevOps technologies
the hands-on projects
and of course Nana’s unique teaching style
Here's what I mean 👇
🎙️ Teaching Style:
I like the clarity of presentation. Nana always starts with the basics, makes sure that essentials are well defined, tells you where things fit into the bigger picture, and then proceeds to specifics and technical details.
🎯 Structure and Selection of DevOps technologies:
The content is organized in such a way that after you complete the training you have a very clear picture about where each piece of the DevOps puzzle fits. And you get to learn this big picture while developing hands-on projects in widely-used technologies, which is great for portfolio.
👩🏻💻 Hands-on Projects :
These hands-on projects were a gold mine for me! 💎
I used them as the basis and inspiration, expanded on them and developed a set of portfolio projects, which simulate DevOps processes in an imaginary company that deploys 2 apps.
This portfolio was afterwards the main point in my pitch for interviews 👇
We are curious, so how did you handle the job search and how was the interview process? 🗣️ 😀
I started by preparing for it. After I completed the Bootcamp:
✅ I developed a set of portfolio projects mentioned above
✅ updated my CV with details about DevOps Bootcamp training and links to these projects
✅ updated my LinkedIn profile with the same
..and started job hunting! 🏃🏻♀️ 💼
In parallel I was working on further interview preparations from various online materials.
I also did interview-specific preparations:
For example, if a job posting mentioned Terraform I'd dive deeper into Terraform specifics prior to the interview. My strong basis from the Bootcamp allowed this process of deep-diving to go smooth, as I typically had a good starting point.
The interview process for my current job (as well as for many other positions) also involved a take-home assignment.
"This assignment (but others as well) had plenty of similarities with portfolio projects that I developed based on the DevOps bootcamp projects, so I could even re-use some code."
This allowed me to quickly develop quality assignments ✅
So this and my extensive portfolio was afterwards the main point for landing the job 😊
Finally, some tips for our TWN community, who want to get into DevOps and Cloud Engineering? 👏
Sure! Transitioning your career can be a lengthy process, so you will need patience, discipline and structure. But with right mindset and resources, it can be an incredibly rewarding journey 📈
👉 1) Define your goals and steps required to achieve them clearly and do your best to not deviate from them
👉 2) Apart from learning a lot, which you will have to do, make sure to present your newly acquired knowledge well
👉 3) Devote time to develop a portfolio and document it well. Presentation is super super super important. I think it can't be overstated!
👉 4) Get Feedback: If you can, have somebody knowledgable take a look at your CV, your projects and ask them for feedback
That's it from me!
Good luck and remember, every step forward brings you closer to realizing your goals in this dynamic and ever-evolving field 😊
Do YOU want to upskill in DevOps or Cloud?
If you’re like Andrijana and want to become a DevOps engineer or just upskill, be sure to check out our popular, but intensive DevOps Bootcamp.
Thousands of students use our bootcamps and courses to upskill and become highly-demanded DevOps and Cloud Engineers.
If you're starting with zero IT knowledge, no worries, we also got you covered. 🤝
If you’re not sure where to start, check out our custom career path quiz for some advice on where to start and what path to take ✅ 🙂
