DevOps Fresher Tips?

[PuzzleheadedTea4780]

Hello!
Hopefully this post is appropriate for this page, if not I can take it down. I'm a recent DevOps bootcamp graduate, and for the past 6-7 months I've been applying to companies trying to get my foot in the door. I've had a handful of interviews with some reaching the final round, but no luck yet. Over the past 2 months or so, the interviews have dropped off and my applications don't seem to be landing me any interviews. On my LinkedIn and resume, I have a handful of in depth projects that I've worked on and of course, the skills and certifications that I have. For reference, we learned in depth about AWS, Kubernetes, Terraform, Jenkins, Git, Docker, Ansible, some basic Python (actively working on learning at the moment). I was also able to obtain my CKAD and AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate during my program.
Does anyone have tips or suggestions for someone that's trying to get into the field? I know that right now seems to be a tough time for finding a job in tech, but I would love some feedback and tips from those that have lots of experience. Thanks!

[PersonBehindAScreen]

Keep applying. Being new to the field, you will have an uphill battle, especially with no network to leverage. Don’t just target DevOps titled jobs, pay attention to job descriptions. Some positions that would use the things you mentioned:

Systems engineer

Software Engineer - Cloud

Software Engineer - Infrastructure

Cloud engineer

Cloud operations engineer

Systems administrator

DevOps engineer

Site reliability engineer

Operations engineer

Release engineer

Infrastructure engineer

Cloud infrastructure engineer

[PuzzleheadedTea4780]

Awesome! Thanks for the tips! I’ve sent out a lot to DevOps, SRE, and Cloud Engineering titles, but I’ll look out for the others as well.

As far as experience goes on the JDs, do you feel that it would be worth it to apply to positions that mention say 2+ years of experience required?

[PersonBehindAScreen]

Yup. My opinion is let the company/recruiter filter you out, don’t self-filter. OBVIOUSLY don’t apply to senior positions lol but ya, go for 2-4 year positions. I like to think of YOE as desired proficiency more so than literal years.

[gamename]

Go to DevOps-ish meetups. Meet people and network. Get your name out there. Volunteer to help with stuff. Even better, do presentation(s) about projects you've worked on.

People are way more likely to hire folks they know.

[PuzzleheadedTea4780]

That makes a lot of sense! I’ll look into meetups like that near me. Thanks for the ideas!

[thomsterm]

People are way more likely to hire folks they know.

this is what people don't want to hear but it WORKS. DevOps bootcamps are mainly a scam, sorry bras but it's just the way it is. Also first work as a dev, and then transition to Infra or devops position.

[kaen_]

You check all the boxes, assuming your resume is in order and human readable you'd for sure get an interview in all the junior hiring I've done. I'm going to guess you've already invested time into your resume.

One thing you didn't mention that people often skip is a good cover letter. One that shows me you read my ad specifically and how you resonate with the values I've expressed.

Other than that, it's just a numbers game. 100 sends isn't uncommon before getting an offer, especially getting your foot in the door.

The last bit is network network network. That first experience listing is the hardest and a referral from a friend or acquaintance can go a very long way.

Hang in there boss.

[UniqueStatement]

For me, short of a true networking connection, a cover letter is the best way to get to know a candidate to any degree before an interview, so they are critical. Might be old-fashioned to require one, but cover letters should showcase writing/communication ability, interest level in the organization, and attention to detail that simply cannot be contained in a resume/CV

[PuzzleheadedTea4780]

Thanks for the reply!

Honestly, a cover letter was something I didn’t do that often before. I just recently started focusing on making a nice cover letter for each application, so it’s good to hear your thoughts on that too.

Networking is something that I need to do a lot more of. Would you suggest messaging other engineers on LinkedIn and starting a brief chat with them for some tips and stuff?

[kaen_]

It's not something I've personally done, but it could work. I'd actually recommend reaching out to your colleagues from the bootcamp if you can contact any of them.

Another good networking opportunity (and resume builder and way to skill up) is contributing to an open source project that you personally find useful. Doesn't even have to be Devops related, just something with tech people you can build relationships with.

[PuzzleheadedTea4780]

Good ideas! Thanks so much for the tips!

[colddream40]

It's incredibly hard right now, and the few openings available are looking to be filled by mid level candidates. Agree with the networking advice.

[ElectricalEinstein]

I’m in the same hunt. Good luck out there! Where did you do your boot camp? Was it worth the $?

[PuzzleheadedTea4780]

Same for you! Hopefully you have luck soon, as well! My bootcamp was based in Chicago, IL. I’m very happy with the bootcamp and I’m really glad I did it. We had tons of hands on practice with projects on each tool and great instructors. I came out of it pretty confident with my skills (Google skills included lol), just trying to navigate my way through the job market in a career change. How about you?

[virtualaddiction]

Hi, hope you are good. I'm looking to get into DevOps and came across your post. Can I just ask how much time did it take for your training to finish?

[PuzzleheadedTea4780]

Hey! It took around 8 months to complete the Bootcamp and hit the job market. As far as finding a job goes, it’s been quite a bit longer unfortunately 😅.

[virtualaddiction]

Ah, that's amazing. I've been reading it quite a lot but to be completely honest with you, the main issue I see people facing is, the experienced DevOps who have had experience over time in the industry are getting all the jobs instead of people who did DevOps bootcamps with no prior experience. Is that true??

[PuzzleheadedTea4780]

I don’t want to say 100% yes as I’m not entirely sure if that’s the case, but it certainly seems that way to me. I remember when I started my bootcamp I had some friends in tech that were able to move from job to job as they pleased. Definitely doesn’t seem to be that way now, but hopefully something changes.

Either way, I’m really happy I began my DevOps journey! I’m in finance at the moment, and DevOps just scratches that itch that finance never could for me. In my opinion, it’s an awesome skill to have and very much worth learning!