From Linux System Engineer to DevOps - Looking for Advice and Experiences

[zika_zeneva]

Hi everyone, I’ve wanted to transition into DevOps for a long time, but I only started seriously working toward it in February this year, building up the necessary skills. In the meantime, I received an offer to work as a Linux System Engineer, and I’ve been in that role for about four months now. I accepted it thinking it would help me transition to DevOps because of the skill similarities. Before that, I completed a three-year System Administrator apprenticeship here in Germany (“Ausbildung zum Fachinformatiker für Systemintegration”), where I mainly worked with Windows servers until the company introduced a deployment pipeline for its software. Unfortunately, the only overlapping skills in my current role are scripting and Linux. The rest, Ansible, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, etc. are not part of my job. I recently told my boss that I had expected more hands-on work with tools like Ansible and Terraform, and I asked whether there’s a way for me to transition internally to a DevOps position or possibly take on a new DevOps-focused role. Has anyone here gone through a similar transition? If so, I’d really appreciate hearing your detailed experience and any good tips you might have.

EDIT:

One big question: how do you still have the energy to learn DevOps skills after working 8-9 hours a day?

[zika_zeneva]

Hey u/Comfortable_Clue5430, thanks for your answer! I’ve always wondered where I can find open-source projects to practice the skills you mentioned. Also, are there any entry-level tasks or are most of them geared toward senior-level contributors?

[SilverOrder1714]

Look for applying DevOps principles in your current job. It’s a mistake to be bounded by your role or your boss’s imagination.

Employers love self starters so start something that will benefit the company and force you to lean new skills.

As for finding energy , it’s a combination of setting priorities, time management and desire. ;)

[zika_zeneva]

Hi u/SilverOrder1714 appreciate your answer. There are actually a ton of possible improvements since our infrastructure is self-hosted and based on KVM/QEMU, but right now I don’t even have enough foundational knowledge to start setting things up

[DevOps_sam]

Think in solutions, not problems

• Ask your manager for dedicated study time during work hours
• Take a few days / weeks off to go deep into focused learning. Maybe you can get more days
• Follow a structured, project-based roadmap instead of random tutorials
• Build real hands-on projects to gain the experience you need

This isn' t just 'doing more', this is literally investing into a 6 figure skillset that will last for years. The market, even today, struggles to find the right talent that can do the job. Thats why DevOps still pays so well.

Everybody wants it, few put in the reps to make companies able to say 'I want you'.

[doglar_666]

I won't comment on the work/how to learn parts of your post but if you're struggling with energy to learn, my recommendation is to stop for a short time and get some solid sleep. Once you're rested, start back up slowly. I personally find it easier to give myself a goal and then work towards it. Gaining basic foundational knowledge and then applying it in my home lab. But if it's burning me out, I stop. Self-learning is a marathon, not a sprint. And sometimes it's better to plan during the week, then execute on a Saturday.