What Does a DevOps Engineer Do? And How to Become One

Key takeaways

A DevOps engineer's goal is to streamline the software development process and facilitate more dependable releases by uniting operations teams and development teams.

• DevOps engineers earn a median total salary of $142,000 annually in the US [1].

• DevOps engineers are knowledgeable in software development methodologies, project management, configuration management tools, cloud computing, virtualization, and leadership.

• You can become a DevOps engineer by earning a degree in a related field, completing a certificate program to build necessary skills and credentials, and gaining experience. 

Explore what a DevOps engineer does, what DevOps culture is like, how much you might expect to earn, and a step-by-step guide for becoming a DevOps engineer. If you're interested in building credentials right away, consider enrolling to earn the IBM Applied DevOps Engineering Professional Certificate. In as little as three months, you could learn to develop RESTful Python microservices, test with TDD methods, practice CI/CD, and gain technical experience through hands on labs.

What does a DevOps engineer do?

DevOps engineers generally oversee the development and production of applications and other software programs. The day-to-day duties of a DevOps engineer vary depending on the size of the team you are working with and the leadership hierarchy of the company. Still, they will typically include troubleshooting, conducting quality assurance, and optimizing user software security. 

Within a DevOps team, an engineer plans infrastructure and project requirements. In this role, you may be responsible for identifying the tool stack used for the project and other high-level decisions. You may also be responsible for deploying updates, monitoring performance, or maintaining databases. 

Some of the tasks you might expect to engage in include the following: 

• Provide systems administration and security

• Work with developers and other members of the IT team

• Monitor software performance and manage updates

• Release engineering and infrastructure provisioning

• Troubleshoot problems and improve user security

A DevOps team may include professionals such as a release manager, security and compliance engineer, software tester, and more, in addition to a DevOps engineer. 

DevOps engineer jobs

When starting your career in DevOps, your best bet is to look for junior DevOps engineer roles. However, because DevOps requires a mix of different skills, many beginners start in related entry-level positions to build their foundation. Great stepping-stone jobs include junior Linux systems administrator, cloud support associate, or junior software developer. As you gain hands-on experience in these roles, you will pave the way for advanced, high-paying positions like senior DevOps engineer, cloud architect, or engineering manager.

Senior DevOps engineer

Median annual total salary in the US(Glassdoor): $177,000 [3]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2024 to 2034): 15 percent [4]

Education requirements: To start working as a senior DevOps engineer, you will need a bachelor’s degree and five or more years of experience in DevOps. 

As a senior DevOps engineer, you’ll have many of the same responsibilities as roles with lower experience levels but with the additional requirement of acting as a mentor to other team members. You will work to deploy, release, test, and automate applications.

Cloud architect

Median annual total salary in the US (Glassdoor): $199,000 [6]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2024 to 2034): 12 percent [7]

Education requirements: To start working as a cloud architect, you will likely need to earn a bachelor’s degree. 

As a cloud architect, you will develop and design cloud applications and networks, oversee cloud-based applications, and optimize or troubleshoot when needed. You will also work as a liaison between the technical team and the client to communicate needs and keep clients up to date on cloud computing trends and developments. 

Engineering manager

Median annual total salary in the US (Glassdoor): $224,000 [8]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2024 to 2034): 4 percent [9]

Education requirements: To start working as an engineering manager, you will likely need to earn a master’s degree or a combination of a bachelor’s degree and experience in the field. 

As an engineering manager, you’ll be responsible for planning and overseeing projects, leading teams to create the projects, managing financial information, and communicating with stakeholders as the project progresses. At this career stage, you’ll spend more time leading others than directly working on applications and other projects. After gaining experience as an engineering manager, you may qualify to become a senior engineering manager or director. 

Read more: 7 DevOps Roles that Make a Team Successful

DevOps engineer salary and job outlook

The average base salary for DevOps engineers in the US is $114,742 per year [1]. When acknowledging additional pay like commissions or profit-sharing, Glassdoor estimates the total pay value to be $138,112 [1]. DevOps engineers may work overtime or spend time on call, as software issues can come up at odd hours. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects job growth for people working in this field between 2024 and 2034 is 15 percent, a rate much faster than average [4]. 

DevOps engineering specializations

DevOps engineers may take on specific roles, depending on their interests and the needs of the organizations where they work. A few specialized roles in the DevOps engineering field include:

• A release manager manages ongoing software updates.

• Software developers write code.

• Quality assurance engineers are responsible for reviewing and testing new code.

• Security engineers ensure the security of the software in the system.

Does a DevOps engineer code?

One of the top skills you need as a DevOps engineer is the ability to code and knowledge of programming languages. One of your primary tasks in DevOps engineering involves coding through scripts to develop and eventually deploy functional software. Examples of programming languages a DevOps engineer should know include JavaScript, C++, and Python.

Skills for DevOps engineer jobs

DevOps engineering requires a mix of technical and workplace skills (also known as soft skills) to succeed.

Technical skills

DevOps engineers are, first and foremost, engineers. In addition to standard engineering skills, like math and analytical thinking, they should understand:

• Project management: As the person responsible for ensuring that a company's software is up to date, secure, and free from bugs and glitches, a DevOps engineer needs to be looking for and implementing any relevant improvements constantly.

• Production infrastructure: A good DevOps engineer must have a strong understanding of the initiation, planning, execution, and monitoring of everything from minor bug fixes to massive updates. Continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) is a crucial aspect of the DevOps approach to software development.

• Coding and scripting: To become a DevOps engineer, you will need a strong foundation in programming and scripting languages such as Java, Ruby, PERL, and Python. Ultimately, the exact languages you should learn will depend on the projects you want to work on.

• Server administration: DevOps engineers administer a company's networks and servers that host any software being created. This means creating accounts, updating permissions, and ensuring that everything is regularly backed up. They also set the procedures junior IT professionals follow when troubleshooting, debugging, or making other changes.

• Operating systems: As a DevOps engineer, you must understand how operating systems work, including Windows and Mac. Many DevOps engineers work primarily in Linux. You’ll also need to know how to access and use the command line. 

• Configuration management tools: Configuration management tools like Chef, Ansible, Jenkins, and Docker help DevOps engineers complete essential tasks and manage configuration. You can automate maintenance and other actions using configuration management tools to increase team efficiency and spend less time on tedious tasks. 

• Cloud computing and virtualization: As a DevOps engineer, you must understand cloud computing tools like Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS). These tools can help you deploy and develop applications and create testing environments. 

Workplace skills

DevOps professionals are also team players and spend a lot of their days working with people from different professional backgrounds. To be successful, you must understand:

• Communication: Communication skills are essential for DevOps engineering roles. You must be able to effectively explain what's happening in the software development life cycle to people with varying degrees of technical expertise, from software engineers to marketing roles.

• Coaching: An effective DevOps engineer should always be looking to improve their team and software. This means identifying gaps in the skill set and devising ways to fill them, whether training existing staff or hiring new staff.

• Flexibility: Software issues can happen at any hour of the day or night. DevOps engineers often work irregular hours and stay on call to resolve any issues. 

How to become a DevOps engineer

To become a DevOps engineer, you should consider pursuing a degree, earning a certification, or starting your career in an entry-level or related role.

Consider a degree.

Many job descriptions for DevOps engineering roles call for at least a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field, though some employers will accept equivalent work experience. Seventy-five percent of DevOps engineers have a bachelor's degree, 20 percent have a master's degree, and 2 percent have an associate degree [2].

Earn a certificate or certification.

Some companies might look for certifications in subjects like Linux administration and SQL server development to show competency. For example, an aspiring DevOps engineer may take a course in Linux System Administration with IBM Power Systems:

Certificates can help you further your skills and provide a tangible demonstration of your expertise, which can help you land a job when you're just starting. These credentials can also help you grow your career, gain credibility, and get an edge over other candidates. A few DevOps certifications to consider include the following:

• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer

• Google Cloud DevOps Engineer 

• DevOps Leader

• Microsoft Certified DevOps Engineer

Start in a related role.

DevOps engineers should have experience with software tools and coding languages. You may work in IT, system administration, or software development to gain this experience.

DevOps engineers may start with an entry-level system administrator, support, or help desk role to gain experience with software maintenance.

How long does it take to become a DevOps engineer?

The amount of time it’ll take you to become a DevOps engineer will depend on factors like your learning style, current skill level, and whether you’re early in your career or already have a few years of experience. If you’re just starting out, you’ll likely need to take a bachelor’s degree in a related field, which could take three to four years. A master’s degree will add a year or two to that timeline. When building relevant DevOps skills like Kubernetes or Jenkins, it might take you six to 12 months to fully grasp these concepts. Pursuing certifications and jobs can further add to the timeline, as most employers for DevOps engineers require at least two years of experience working in a similar role.  

Skill-building made simple with these guides

Looking for more ways to grow? Get career advice and expert insights into your industry by subscribing to our LinkedIn newsletter, Career Chat! Or if you want to keep exploring DevOps skills, careers, and courses, check out these free resources: 

• Take the quiz: Which DevOps Course Should You Take? 

• Watch on YouTube: Breaking Down SRE and DevOps: Which One Fits You Best?

• Hear from a fellow learner: How One Software Developer’s Leadership Aspirations Led Her to Graduate School 

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