From Chess Trainer to DevOps: How Csaba Moved from the Board to the Cloud

Csaba shares his unique journey from chess trainer to scrum master to applying DevOps principles successfully for his clients as a freelance web developer (DevOps Bootcamp Review)

Csaba is one of our successful graduates,

He went from Non IT to DevOps with our IT Fundamentals Course and DevOps Bootcamp 🙌

Meet Csaba 👋

Originally from Budapest, Hungary, I now call Salzburg, Austria, my digital command center.

As a former Scrum Master turned tech freelancer, I ensure workflows run smoothly and efficiently.

As a freelancer, I specialize in helping businesses optimize and scale their tech workflows.

My work spans across multiple areas, including DevOps, where I build CI/CD pipelines, automate deployments, and optimize cloud infrastructure to make workflows more efficient and scalable. 

From Chess to Code: A Logical Transition

For over 15 years, Csaba dedicated his career to teaching chess.

From mentoring young students in schools to teaching facultative classes at a university, his goal was never just to teach the game but to improve it.

Csaba developed his own teaching method, using feedback cycles and iteration to refine his lessons:

“I structured my sessions with an Agile mindset. Treating each month like a sprint and focusing on continuous improvement.”

When the pandemic hit, Csaba found himself with time to explore a long-standing curiosity: coding.

What began as a hobby quickly became a passion:

“Debugging a program felt just like analyzing a chess position. It required patience, precision, and the ability to see five moves ahead.”

This blend of strategic thinking and a drive for efficiency made DevOps the perfect next step. 

Why DevOps?

Scrum is all about iteration and adaptability, and DevOps takes those principles and turns them into action.

It’s about aligning outcomes with principles, automating workflows, and responding to ever-changing environments.

“In today’s digital world, where cloud environments thrive, having a DevOps skillset isn’t just valuable—it’s essential."

When I first started learning about Scrum and Agile, I didn’t immediately grasp why they were created in the first place.

It wasn’t some groundbreaking revelation—it was empirical, iterative, and practical.

But once I dove into coding and engineering, I finally saw how these methodologies actually empower teams.

That’s why DevOps felt like a logical next step.

With expertise in DevOps, I can bridge the gap even more—helping teams beyond just facilitation, but with meaningful insights into optimizing workflows. 

I may not be working as a Scrum Master at the moment, but the mindset never leaves—so expanding my knowledge in DevOps only strengthens that foundation.

Plus, let’s be honest—automating things and making processes actually efficient is a dream come true for any Agile practitioner 😃

When Csaba decided to dive deeper into DevOps, he chose Nana’s DevOps Bootcamp.  Why?

I already knew Nana from her YouTube videos, and I always appreciated how she explained complex concepts in such a clear, structured way

I had learned a lot from her content, so when I saw the bootcamp, it was an obvious move—kind of like castling in chess: a no-brainer for long-term success.

Also, a friend of mine—who’s a seasoned developer—was very fond of her teaching style.

And let’s be honest, when someone more experienced and knowledgeable than me gives a solid recommendation, who am I to argue?

So, between Nana’s expertise and a trusted opinion, this bootcamp was the clear choice.

Did you try other learning platforms before enrolling into our IT Fundamentals Course and DevOps Bootcamp?

Oh, I’ve tried many learning platforms—really, many.

And while they all had their strengths, I always felt something was missing: straightforwardness.

"I’m not a fan of jumping between topics without a clear reason or getting lost in abstract explanations without practical application."

What I needed was a structured, well-defined roadmap—a clear plan that builds knowledge progressively.

I like challenges, but not just for the sake of being difficult; I want real, approachable challenges that push me to grow.

That’s what I found in this bootcamp—clarity, hands-on experience, and a no-nonsense approach to mastering DevOps.

The only hesitation I had was the timing—I had just left my job and was starting fresh as a newbie in tech.

My original plan was to progress my career as a Scrum Master (or so I was promised after a year of being a customer agent to ‘learn’ about the company’s products… yeah, that went well 🙃).

But other than that, I had no doubts.

What part of the DevOps training did you find the most valuable? 

Let’s be clear—I'm not here to butter up the authors (at least not in the conventional way 😆), but every part of this course was valuable, especially for someone new to DevOps.

That said, I know a generic ‘everything was great’ answer is about as useful as a broken CI/CD pipeline, so let me give you a real example:

CI/CD is about continuously delivering software to users

The first time I got a complete CI/CD pipeline working—connected to my GitHub repo, triggering everything with just a single push—was magic.

Seeing it react, come alive, automate like clockwork… yeah, that was a moment.

Of course, it took a few hair-pulling troubleshooting attempts to get there 😆

But once it worked, it was incredibly satisfying.

And another thing that made this course truly valuable—it gave me the power to finally build and manage my own backends with real automation and proper streamlining.

Before, I had ideas; now, I have execution.

Monitoring, automating, optimizing—I could go on and on.

"DevOps didn’t just add tools to my belt; it leveled up how I think about development."

And that’s something you can’t unlearn.

Which specific concepts or tools did you find most challenging, and what helped you finally grasp them? 

I wouldn’t say any of the topics themselves were challenging per se—don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to flex some genius-level skills here. 😆

But because the lessons were structured so well—clear, well-defined, and designed for continuous improvement—it never felt overwhelming.

Instead, it was inviting, even intriguing.

As for what helped me grasp new concepts? Well… let’s just say, politely, I might be a bit of a maniac 😁

If I don’t understand something, I have to figure it out.

"I’ll learn, experiment, and reinforce my understanding by actually doing the thing until it clicks."

Some might call it stubbornness—I prefer to call it overly resilient and passionately obsessed :)

Whatever works, right?

From Learning to Applying: Give us some DevOps in Action

Sure! I’ve already started applying DevOps concepts in my work.

A few weeks ago, I had a job developing a backend for a local store, and I didn’t just build it—I optimized it using DevOps principles.

I automated workflows to ensure deployments were smooth sailing, reducing the risk of manual errors and making updates seamless.

But the real game-changer? Monitoring.

Now that I know how to track and analyze system performance, I can provide data-driven feedback to my clients, helping them make informed decisions.

It’s no longer just ‘Here’s your backend, enjoy!’—it’s ‘Here’s your backend, and here’s how we can keep it running optimally while improving efficiency over time.’

"So yeah, DevOps isn’t just something I learned—it’s something I use, and it’s already making a real impact on the quality of work I deliver."

Would you recommend the Bootcamp?

Absolutely. Why?

"Because it doesn’t just throw theory at you—it makes you do the work, face real-world challenges, and walk away with actual, applicable skills.

If you’re serious about learning DevOps in a structured, hands-on way, this is where you want to be.

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Csaba’s journey from chess trainer to DevOps engineer is a testament to the power of strategic thinking, adaptability, and lifelong learning.

From debugging code like a chess position to automating workflows like a well-executed strategy,

Csaba has turned his passion for optimization into a thriving career 👏

Do YOU want to transition into DevOps or Cloud too?

Csaba's success story is proof that with the right mindset, dedication, and learning resources, you can transform your career and achieve your goals.

Whether you’re new to DevOps or looking to deepen your expertise, the DevOps Bootcamp might just be the push you need to get to the next level 🚀

So if you too, want to level up your skills with tremendous career opportunities, that's exactly what we do best. We've already helped 1,000s of engineers on this journey with our Bootcamps! 🤗

We can help you go from absolutely zero DevOps knowledge to becoming a senior engineer, who is proficient in DevOps within just few months, with our meticulously structured, fully up-to-date DevOps Bootcamp 🚀

Before starting with the DevOps bootcamp, you can download the extensive syllabus to see how our program can help make YOUR CAREER DREAM come true.