Devops Career Progression Roadmap

This roadmap outlines the skills and technologies to learn for advancing in a Devops career over a 5-year period. Each year is divided into specific goals, skills, technologies to learn, suggested courses, and progress tracking.

Year 1: Junior Engineer

Goal	Skills	Technologies to Learn	Suggested Courses	Progress
Python	Python programming	Python programming	Python for Everybody: Course
IBM Applied DevOps Engineering	Representational State Transfer (REST), Cloud Applications, Openshift, Microservices, Software Testing, Automated Testing, CI/CD, agile, TDD/BDD, Infrastructure As Code, Observability, Telemetry, Monitoring, Docker, Kubernetes, Container, Kanban, Zenhub, Scrum Methodology, Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP), Cloud Computings	DevOps principles & tools	IBM Applied DevOps Engineering: Course
Linux System Administration	Shell Commands, SSH for remote access, Virtualization, Text Editors, File System Permissions, Package Management, Process Management	Linux shell commands, SSH, Virtualization basics, Text editors, File permissions, Package managers, Process management	Linux System Administration: Course Linux Command Line Basics: Course
Containerization w/ Docker	Docker	Docker	DevOps w/ Docker: Course
Computer Networking	IP Addressing, Ports and Protocols, Network Services, Routing and Switching Basics, Authentication and Authorization, Security Best Practices, Shift-Left Security, Firewalls and Network Security	Networking basics, TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, Security concepts	Computer Networking: Course
SQL	Database (DB) Design, SQL, Database(DBSM)	Database design to database architecture and deployment.	Oracle SQL Databases: Course, Intro to Databases w/ SQL: Course

Building a Foundation (Year 1):

• Focus on Fundamentals: Build a strong foundation in essential DevOps skills such as scripting, version control, cloud computing basics, CI/CD, Linux system administration, and networking fundamentals
• Explore Specializations: Exploring specializations in areas like cloud computing or CI/CD to deepen your knowledge.
• Certifications and Advanced Courses: Pursue advanced courses such as the Docker Certified Associate.

Develop a strong foundation in essential DevOps skills such as scripting, version control, cloud computing, CI/CD, Linux system administration, and networking fundamentals.

Year 2: Junior Engineer

Goal	Skills	Technologies to Learn	Suggested Courses	Progress
AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials	AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials	AWS	AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials: Course
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)	Infrastructure Provisioning, Configuration Management	Terraform, Ansible, IaC principles	Terraform Getting Started: Course Terraform Zero to Hero Course Ansible Documentation: Course
Fundamentals of CI/CD	Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment basics	CI/CD pipelines, Automation tools	Jenkins zero-to-hero: Course
Container Orchestration	Kubernetes	Kubernetes	DevOps w/ Kubernetes: Course
Prometheus and Grafana	Monitoring and Observability	Prometheus, Grafana, Monitoring best practices	Grafana Tutorials: Course Prometheus Documentation: Course
GitOps	CI/CD, IaC	ArgoCD	ArgoCD Documentation: Course GitOps Guide: Best Practices
Service Mesh	Service Discovery, Traffic Management	Istio - Service Mesh concepts	Istio Documentation: Course

Advancing Expertise (Year 2)

• Advanced Skills Acquisition: In cloud computing, CI/CD practices, Infrastructure as Code, containerization, monitoring, GitOps, and service mesh.
• Hands-on Experience: Continue contribute to open-source projects to gain practical experience and apply your skills in a professional setting.
• Advanced Courses: Pursue advanced courses such as AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials (Coursera course prep content good to practice with)

Advance expertise in cloud computing, CI/CD practices, infrastructure as code, containerization, continue scripting scripting (python), monitoring, GitOps, and service mesh.

Year 3: Mid-Level / Senior Engineer

Goal	Skills	Technologies to Learn	Suggested Courses	Progress
Leadership Development	Leadership skills, Team management	Leadership	Strategic Leadership and Management Specialization:Course
Team Collaboration and Communication	Collaborative skills, Communication	Effective communication techniques, Team collaboration	Interpersonal Communication Skills: Course Effective Collaboration: Course

Transitioning to Leadership (Year 3)

• Continuous Improvement: Continuously seek feedback from peers and mentors, and actively work on improving your skills and addressing any gaps identified.
• Mentorship: Take on roles to aid junior team members grow and develop their skills, and seek opportunities to coach others in areas where you have expertise.

Transition into a mid-level or senior Engineer role by focusing on leadership development, advanced DevOps practices, technical proficiency in tooling, team collaboration and communication, project management.

Year 4: Tech Lead Manager

Goal	Skills	Technologies to Learn	Suggested Courses	Progress
Business Acumen	Business strategy, Industry knowledge	Business strategy frameworks, Industry research	Business Strategy Specialization: Course
Cross-functional Collaboration	Collaborative leadership, Conflict resolution	Cross-functional collaboration strategies	Cross-functional Collaboration: Course

Year 5: Tech Lead Manager

Goal	Skills	Technologies to Learn	Suggested Courses	Progress
Lead teams in developing and operating critical infrastructure	Infrastructure Management, Operations	Infrastructure Management Courses	Infrastructure Management Specialization: Course Operations Management: Course

Preparing for Leadership Roles (Year 4 & Year 5)

• Preparation for Leadership Roles: Prepare for leadership roles by focusing on thought leadership, business acumen, cross-functional collaboration.
• Strategic Initiatives: Lead strategic initiatives within your organization, such as process improvements, technology adoption, or culture-building activities.
• Networking and Visibility: Build your professional network by continuing to attend industry events, participating in conferences, and contributing to thought leadership publications.

Elevate to a tech lead manager role by honing thought leadership, business acumen, mentorship skills, cross-functional collaboration, strategic planning and execution.

Timetable (example) & Accumulated Skills

7-Day Learning Plan - Year 1

Skills

Day Goal Time Allocated 1 Hands on labs - DevOps (~2 hr) 2 hours Read tech blog (~30 min) 30 min Work on personal project [i.e BargoDrip] (~1 hr) 1 hour Contribute to FOSS (~2hrs) 2 hours 2 Hands on labs - DevOps (~2 hr) 2 hours Read tech blog (~30 min) 30 min Work on personal project [i.e BargoDrip] (~1 hr) 1 hour Contribute to FOSS (~2hrs) 2 hours 3 Hands on labs - DevOps (~2 hr) 2 hours Read tech blog (~30 min) 30 min Work on personal project [i.e BargoDrip] (~1 hr) 1 hour Contribute to FOSS (~2hrs) 2 hours 4 Hands on labs - DevOps (~2 hr) 2 hours Read tech blog (~30 min) 30 min Work on personal project [i.e BargoDrip] (~1 hr) 1 hour Contribute to FOSS (~2hrs) 2 hours 5 Hands on labs - DevOps (~2 hr) 2 hours Read tech blog (~30 min) 30 min Work on personal project [i.e BargoDrip] (~1 hr) 1 hour Contribute to FOSS (~2hrs) 2 hours 6 Hands on labs - DevOps (~2 hr) 2 hours Read tech blog (~30 min) 30 min Work on personal project [i.e BargoDrip] (~1 hr) 1 hour Contribute to FOSS (~2hrs) 2 hours 7 Hands on labs - DevOps (~2 hr) 2 hours Servers & APIs (~1 hr) 1 hour Read tech blog (~30 min) 30 min Work on personal project [i.e BargoDrip] (~1 hr) 1 hour Contribute to FOSS (~2hrs) 2 hours

Hard Skills Soft Skills SDLC Leadership Development Linux Team Collaboration Python Scripting Problem-Solving Kubernetes Adaptability Docker Continuous Learning Git Cross-functional Collaboration Network Services Strategic Planning and Execution VPC Thought Leadership EC2 Effective Communication S3 Stakeholder Management RDS IAM Lambda CloudBuild & CloudWatch EBS EKS Terraform Ansible Jenkins GitOps Prometheus SQL Microservices unittests

Note: not everything that has a link that reads course is a study material resource, some are reading material for information purpouses.