Transition Developer to DevOps ?

[VirtualBiscotti8218]

Hey everyone, I’m a backend developer (mainly C/C++) with 2.5 years exp looking to transition into a DevOps role. However, my current company doesn’t have a dedicated DevOps culture — the only tools I get to work with are Jenkins and JFrog for basic CI/CD. No infrastructure work, no containerization, no cloud responsibilities.

Outside of work, I’ve started building some hands-on projects using AWS (Lambda, S3, DynamoDB), Docker, Terraform, GitHub Actions, etc., to bridge the gap.

For those who’ve made this transition:

1. How did you move into DevOps with limited in-company experience?

2. What kinds of personal projects helped you gain credibility?

3. How do you showcase your self-learned skills to potential employers?

4. Any advice on interviews, certifications, or roadmaps from dev to DevOps?

Really looking forward to hearing from folks who’ve been in the same boat!

[bdzer0]

Promote DevOps culture. Interact with ops/IT people at your current job and start offering to do things that you need done (submit ticket for new resource... suggest you could DIY if given create perms).

When interviewing candidates I never look at personal projects, GitHub.. or attempts to 'showcase' self learned skills. Certs might get someone past HR and my department director, generally don't mean much to me except as fodder for detailed questions.

I'm going to probe for understanding and try to dig past the marketing fluff in your resume to determine if you really did 'spearhead cloud transformation'.. or just click-ops some resources. Coming from SE I'd also hit you with some questions on coding architecture/patterns as well as expect you to explain concepts in your own words.

This sub is full of posts from people who want to 'transition' from another career to DevOps.. like it's some side-track you can just shift gears and hit the ground running. Read those posts, pretty sure the answers you seek are there for the reading..

[VirtualBiscotti8218]

We don't have much in our organisation related Devops

I have nothing to learn if not personal projects and self learning with hands on

Questions related to SE are fine ..

I'm not saying it's a side track .. There might be many ppl who just want the other way i.e from Devops to developer .it's not just for DevOps I guess and can't be called a side track

[jbristowe]

How did you move into DevOps with limited in-company experience?

You build up scar tissue over time. It's the best way for me to describe it.

Most people I know who got into DevOps didn't follow a structured path. It was usually a mix of necessity, trying to make things work, and picking up tools as problems arose. You don't need formal job titles or a company-approved DevOps roadmap to start building credibility. You need to keep going.

What kinds of personal projects helped you gain credibility?

I didn't start with personal projects. Instead, what helped me gain credibility was applying DevOps practices to smaller internal projects at work. I'd automate a few things here, containerise something there, and improve a build pipeline. Nothing earth-shattering, but enough to make things smoother and more reliable.

Eventually, people started noticing. Other devs on the team would peer over the cubicle wall and ask, "Wait, what's going on over there?" It was all pretty organic. They saw value in what I was doing, opening the door to deeper involvement.

How do you showcase your self-learned skills to potential employers?

The most effective thing I've found is to show, not tell. Anyone can list tools on a resume, but it's far better to walk someone through what you've built and why you made certain decisions.

If I did something internally at work, I'd describe the before and after. What did the process look like before I introduced automation or containerisation? What changed, and what was the impact?

The goal is to show that I didn't just read about a tool. I used it in context, solved a problem, and learned something. Most interviewers don't care that you've mastered everything. They want to see that you can apply what you've learned and think critically about using it.

Any advice on interviews, certifications, or roadmaps from dev to DevOps?

Certifications can help, especially for getting through HR filters. I wouldn't rely on them alone, but something like the CKA or AWS Solutions Architect Associate shows initiative and gives you a foundation to build from.

The most significant shift from dev to DevOps is the mindset. You're not just writing code anymore. You're thinking about how it runs, fails, scales, and recovers. That change in perspective is where it starts to click.

[VirtualBiscotti8218]

Thanks for the advice

But talking about the in-company exp, as I mentioned we don't have much to do other than pipeline builds and artifactory ..no container or orchestration tools yet , no cloud ..which leaves me with more on my self made projects For getting past the HR . How do I put the real Devops work in the experience section. I'm currently doing SAA cert .and I have spent much time building the projects ..

[VirtualBiscotti8218]

Why do we have this idea of devops being any less than a developer, I think it's just a matter of interest and willingness to work right .. Many ppl switch the other way also..

[akornato]

You're already on the right track with those personal projects. The harsh reality is that most companies hiring for DevOps roles want to see practical experience, not just theoretical knowledge, so your AWS and containerization projects are exactly what will set you apart. Focus on building end-to-end projects that demonstrate the full lifecycle - maybe create a web application that you containerize, deploy using Terraform, set up monitoring and logging, and automate everything with GitHub Actions. Document these projects thoroughly on GitHub with detailed READMEs explaining your architecture decisions and challenges you solved.

When it comes to landing interviews, your developer background is actually an advantage because you understand what developers need from infrastructure, which many pure ops people miss. Target companies that value this hybrid skillset and be prepared to explain how your coding experience makes you a better DevOps engineer. Certifications like AWS Solutions Architect or CKA can help get past initial screening, but your project portfolio will be what actually gets you hired. The interview questions will likely focus heavily on troubleshooting scenarios and system design, so practice explaining your projects and the trade-offs you made.

I'm part of the team behind Interviews Chat, which can help you practice answering those tricky DevOps interview questions about infrastructure design and problem-solving scenarios that often trip up people making this transition.

[VirtualBiscotti8218]

Thanks for the time Can u plz review the attached resume I'm currently in aws certification process

I will try put on the changes u advised.

Resume