Crisis- and future proof professions in IT: DevOps

What is DevOps?

DevOps - that is built on agile methodology- is the fusion of the words Development and  Operations.  When trying to describe it in simple, we can say that in an organization, instead of the previous, isolated operation, the development and operation teams work together in a coordinated way so that they deliver better and more reliable products.

As rapid development iterations make user-reported problems harder to process and rapid changes increasingly pressure development teams, more and more organizations are turning to DevOps.

Thanks to DevOps, IT teams can respond to customer needs faster and more efficiently, can increase the reliability of the applications they develop, and reach business goals determined by the management faster. One of its key characteristics is that teams focus primarily on end-user experience along with how that affects business needs. In reality DevOps is not a new tool, but rather a new process and culture, that does not only focus on software development, but also on creating the necessary infrastructure and monitoring the running software.

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When is DevOps a good choice?

We recommend this specialization primarily for those, who don't shy away from challenges, enjoy solving problems, are able to understand complex systems, and obtain analytical vision and strong logical sense .

"I’d recommend this career path to those who have a wide range of interests and like to encounter new problems and new things. It happens regularly that you need to solve a problem you have never seen before, and it is very important that it doesn’t create frustration in you, but instead you look at it as a fun challenge"‍

- Samu, our former student, senior DevOps engineer.

Additionally, DevOps is ideal for those who are motivated by continuous learning. Soft skills are also very important in this field, especially communication and adaptability, because you have to communicate and coordinate with partner areas daily. A strong command of English is also essential, since on the one hand, English is the language of IT and professionals of different nationalities work at multinational companies.

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Why is DevOps ideal for developers?

Codes are trackable: In the old model, developers used to hand over the completed code to testers (Quality Assurance team), who later also passed it onto teams who operate the live systems. This way it could occur that the code written by the developer was no longer similar to the initial state upon arming. However, with the DevOps model, developers can now track their own code all the way from writing, through testing, to deployment, thus reducing the error factor.

Less stress: Thanks to the ability that developers can track the codes they write throughout the process, and development teams work closely with operations teams, there are fewer bugs and unexpected errors in production to be fixed. In this new culture, teams (and therefore the organization) are already proactively prepared for these situations and can respond to problems in time, avoiding their escalation.

More time for relevant work: DevOps facilitates smooth communication flow and cooperation between developer and maintenance teams, so there’s more time for actual work processes. In addition, developers need numerous soft skills in this new work culture that contributes to their professional development as well.

More room for innovation: Efficient cooperation between teams not only accelerates information flow, but also gives more time and capacity to develop new ideas and innovative methods. All of these have an inspiring effect on team members.

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What career opportunities this field has to offer?‍

As the process of DevOps develops exceedingly, new names, roles and responsibilities arise. Although companies try to list each role separately, it is important to highlight that there is a lot of overlap between responsibilities, duties and skills required.

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Potential positions, when choosing this technology:

• DevOps Release Manager

These tech experts must fully comprehend the entire Software Delivery Lifecycle. Within the Devops environment, they are responsible for planning, scheduling, monitoring and managing software development and deployment processes, as well as testing the software before delivery.

• DevOps Security Engineer

This role is responsible for the high level of software security in all stages. They use tools like configuration management, and log management.

• DevOps Test Engineer

Software Test Engineers are responsible for adjusting the test plan, test cases, and test automation to the DevOps framework used in the organization. They run verifications as well, to find out if code changes work as intended and ensure that changes do not break the product as a whole.

• DevOps Engineer

These tech experts are generally deeply integrated into the development process by  supervising the code and focusing on smooth automation flow. They have in-depth knowledge on various DevOps automation tools and process implementations, and must have the ability to split their attention between coding, integration, and testing per say. They act as a sort of bridge between the development and operations teams.

• DevOps Architect

A DevOps Architect creates productive DevOps environments by utilizing adequate tools, methods and processes. In addition, they are accountable for the platform and architecture developments that enable unified and automated administration of applications and infrastructure. They oversee and review all technical operations and development teams.

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