How to become a DevOps Engineer: the complete roadmap
DevOps engineers make shipping software fast, repeatable, and safe. It's a second-step career — it builds on development or operations experience — and one of the most certification-responsive paths in tech.
Roughly 12–18 months, typically alongside a dev or ops role.
Stage_01
Linux and one cloud
Skills
- Linux administration
- Networking basics
- Scripting (Bash, Python)
Project
Host a service on a Linux VM you harden and monitor yourself.
Certifications
CS 63 · See official page
Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS)
Linux Foundation · Intermediate
CS 70 · See official page (varies by region)
Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA)
Red Hat · Intermediate
Either Linux credential works — RHCSA where enterprises run Red Hat, LFCS elsewhere.
Stage_02
Automation core
Skills
- Infrastructure as code
- CI/CD pipelines
- Containers
Project
A pipeline that takes a repo from commit to deployed container automatically.
Stage_03
Orchestration at scale
Skills
- Kubernetes
- Observability
- Incident response
Project
Run a multi-service app on Kubernetes with alerts and a game-day exercise.
Certifications
CS 63 · $250
Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA)
CNCF / Linux Foundation · Beginner
CS 63 · $395
Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
CNCF / Linux Foundation · Advanced
KCNA first if you're new to the ecosystem; CKA is the credential employers ask for.
Where DevOps Engineers go next
- Cloud Engineer
- Platform Engineer
- Systems Administrator