Originally based on reporting from edgylabs.com (2017). Updated and expanded for a DevOps engineering audience.
Automation Creates New Jobs — If You Know Where to Look
The debate about whether automation will eliminate jobs misses a more useful point: automation consistently creates demand for new roles and new skill sets. Every wave of industrial change has produced more specialized, better-compensated positions for workers willing to adapt. The current shift toward cloud infrastructure, AI-driven workflows, and distributed systems is no different.
For IT and software professionals, this environment is unusually favorable. The three steps below outline how to position yourself for six-figure technical roles — even if you are still building your credentials.
Step 1: Understand What DevOps Actually Is — Then Pursue It
DevOps is one of the most in-demand disciplines in modern IT. At its core, DevOps is a set of practices, cultural values, and tooling that bridges the gap between software development teams and IT operations teams. The goal is to shorten the software delivery lifecycle while maintaining high reliability — through automation of builds, tests, deployments, and infrastructure provisioning.
A DevOps engineer typically works across continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, infrastructure-as-code, monitoring and observability, containerization, and cloud platform management. It is a role that demands both breadth and depth: you need to understand code well enough to work with developers, and understand systems well enough to keep production environments stable.
Why does DevOps command high salaries? Demand consistently outpaces supply. Organizations of every size are restructuring their engineering teams around DevOps principles, and there are not enough engineers with practical experience to fill open roles. A formal computer science degree is helpful but not always a hard requirement — demonstrated skill with the relevant toolchain and a solid portfolio of real-world work can carry significant weight with hiring managers.
If you are new to the field, a practical starting point is learning one cloud platform (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud), one CI/CD tool (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or GitLab CI), and one infrastructure-as-code framework (Terraform or Ansible). Those three areas alone will make you a credible entry-level candidate.
Step 2: Build the Technical Skills That Employers Actually Want
DevOps sits at the intersection of several technical disciplines. The following ten skill areas appear repeatedly in DevOps and senior IT job descriptions. You do not need to master all of them simultaneously — but building competency across several will make you a stronger, more versatile candidate.
1. Java
Java remains one of the most widely used languages in enterprise software. It underpins large portions of backend infrastructure at major technology companies and is a baseline requirement in many software engineering job descriptions. If you are targeting roles that touch application development or enterprise tooling, Java proficiency is close to non-negotiable.
2. JavaScript
JavaScript is the dominant language of the web and is increasingly used on the server side via Node.js. For DevOps engineers, JavaScript knowledge is valuable when working with configuration-as-code tools, writing automation scripts, or contributing to internal tooling and dashboards. It is distinct from Java despite the similar name — do not conflate the two.
3. SQL
Structured Query Language (SQL) is used by developers, data engineers, analysts, and operations teams alike. Understanding how to query, filter, and manipulate relational databases is a durable skill that crosses role boundaries. Even if database administration is not your primary function, being able to investigate a production database issue independently is a genuine advantage.
4. Technical Project and Team Management
Senior technical roles increasingly require the ability to coordinate across teams, set priorities, and communicate clearly with both engineers and business stakeholders. Formal project management experience or certification (such as PMP or PRINCE2) can supplement technical credentials. In DevOps specifically, the ability to run an effective incident retrospective or lead a change advisory board process is a recognized leadership skill.
5. C++
C++ is a systems-level programming language that underpins operating systems, embedded systems, game engines, financial trading platforms, and high-performance computing applications. It has a steep learning curve, but that difficulty is part of its value: proficient C++ developers are comparatively rare, which keeps demand — and compensation — high for those who invest the time to learn it well.
6. Python
Python has become the default scripting language for DevOps automation, data engineering, and machine learning workflows. It is readable, has an enormous ecosystem of libraries, and is widely used for writing infrastructure automation scripts, building internal tools, and gluing together disparate systems. For most DevOps engineers, Python is the single most practical language to learn first.
7. Linux
The vast majority of server infrastructure — whether on-premises or in the cloud — runs on Linux. Comfort with the Linux command line, file system, process management, networking utilities, and shell scripting is a foundational requirement for DevOps engineering. Free learning resources are widely available, including the official documentation for distributions like Ubuntu and Red Hat Enterprise Linux, as well as community platforms such as Linux Foundation training courses.
8. Distributed Systems
Modern applications are rarely monolithic. Understanding how distributed systems work — including concepts like consensus algorithms, eventual consistency, fault tolerance, and horizontal scaling — is essential for engineers working on large-scale infrastructure. As big data processing and IoT deployments grow, the ability to design and troubleshoot distributed architectures becomes increasingly valuable.
9. Cloud Computing
Cloud platforms (AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform) have become the default deployment target for most organizations. Cloud skills — including virtual networking, managed databases, serverless functions, container orchestration, and cost management — are among the most in-demand capabilities in the industry. All three major providers offer free-tier accounts and extensive documentation suitable for self-study. Vendor certifications (AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Administrator, GCP Associate Cloud Engineer) are widely recognized by employers.
10. Agile Methodologies
Agile is a set of principles for iterative software development, most commonly implemented through frameworks such as Scrum or Kanban. DevOps and Agile are complementary: Agile governs how teams plan and execute work in short cycles, while DevOps governs how that work gets built, tested, and deployed. Understanding Agile ceremonies, backlog management, and sprint cadences will help you work effectively within most modern engineering organizations.
Step 3: Use Free and Low-Cost Learning Resources
High-quality technical education does not require expensive bootcamps or formal degree programs — though both can accelerate your path if they fit your circumstances. A wide range of free and low-cost options exist for building the skills listed above:
- Public libraries: Many public library systems provide free access to platforms such as LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, or O’Reilly Media through a library card. Check your local library’s digital resources page before paying for a subscription elsewhere.
- Cloud provider free tiers: AWS, Azure, and GCP all offer free-tier access to their platforms, allowing you to build and experiment with real infrastructure at no cost within usage limits.
- Open-source contribution: Contributing to open-source projects gives you practical experience, a public portfolio, and exposure to professional code review — all of which carry weight with technical hiring managers.
- Community courses and documentation: The Linux Foundation, the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), and individual project communities (Kubernetes, Terraform, Ansible) publish extensive free documentation and some free formal training.
- Employer-sponsored training: If you are currently employed in an IT role, many organizations will fund certification preparation or conference attendance. It is worth asking explicitly, as these budgets often go unclaimed.
The most important variable is consistency. Technical skills compound over time: an hour of deliberate practice each day adds up to a genuinely marketable skill set within months, not years.
The Practical Path Forward
The combination of DevOps practice, foundational programming and systems knowledge, and continuous self-directed learning represents a reliable path into well-compensated technical roles. The field rewards demonstrated competence more than credentials alone — which means the barrier to entry is genuine skill, not a specific piece of paper.
Start with one skill area, build something real with it, and move to the next. The demand for engineers who can bridge development and operations, manage cloud infrastructure, and automate delivery pipelines shows no sign of contracting.