DevOps Engineer Roadmap: Breaking In Without a Degree

Sharon Sahadevan
7 min readAug 20, 2023

DevOps engineering stands as one of the most lucrative and rewarding careers in the tech industry. However, venturing into a DevOps role without a bachelor’s degree may be daunting. I will explain the steps and strategies necessary to break into DevOps, even if you still need a formal degree.

How can I confidently assert that it’s possible to establish a career in DevOps without traditional qualifications? Simply put, I am a testament to that journey. Beginning my career in technical support, I tenaciously climbed the ladder, evolving into a DevOps Engineer and eventually branching out as a freelance Solutions Architect. In this article, I will share my roadmap to reach where I am today.

Essential Skills for Aspiring DevOps Engineers: From Python to Containerization

To excel as a DevOps Engineer, Site Reliability Engineer, or Platform Engineer, you must master certain fundamentals. A foundational grasp of a programming language is paramount for aspiring top-tier DevOps Engineers. Instead of getting bogged down by many language choices, start with Python. It offers a solid introduction to programming fundamentals. Once you’ve got that down, delve into data structures and algorithms.

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