DevOps Engineers: How to Become One
If you were to ask a group of devops engineers about how they arrived at their current job, there's a good chance you would get several different answers about the paths and steps that each person took.
That said, there are still ways that you can develop a baseline understanding of the preparation that is necessary to become one.
The Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has gathered data to provide you with insight into the type of education that's commonly required for devops engineers to land a job. This page contains information, sourced from real job postings, that describes the experience levels and specific skills that employers of devops engineers expect candidates to have. In the end, this information will help you create an education or professional development plan that aligns with your career aspirations.
Keep reading to learn more about career steps for devops engineers.
What Education & Experience is Needed for DevOps Engineers?
Do devops engineers need a degree? What kind of experience do devops engineers typically need? Thanks to data sourced from Lightcast™ from real job postings, we can get some clarity on those questions, as well as the level of education that is commonly required for devops engineers to secure jobs.
Education Level Required in Job Postings for DevOps Engineers
Jobs Postings for DevOps Engineers By Education
- Bachelor's degree: 828,432 (49%)
- No Education Listed: 518,902 (31%)
- Master's degree: 235,775 (14%)
- Ph.D. or professional degree: 52,195 (3%)
- High School or GED: 38,890 (2%)
A bachelor's degree is the level of education sought the most by employers of devops engineers. According to job data, a bachelor's degree was required for 49% of positions. In 31% of job listings no education level was listed and in 14% of postings a master's degree was required.
Experience Level Required in Job Postings for DevOps Engineers
Jobs Postings for DevOps Engineers By Experience
- 0-1 Years: 66,963 (7%)
- 2-3 Years: 246,746 (25%)
- 4-6 Years: 388,987 (40%)
- 7-9 Years: 169,951 (18%)
- 10+ Years: 98,346 (10%)
While the amount of required experience will vary based on the responsibility and seniority of the position, an aggregate view of job posting data can help paint a picture of the experience level sought for most job openings for devops engineers. In 40% of job postings for DevOps Engineers, employers were looking for candidates with 4-6 years of experience. In 25% of listings employers were looking for candidates with 2-3 years of experience, while 7-9 years of experience was sought in 18% of job postings for devops engineers.
What Kind of Degree Do DevOps Engineers Need?
So far this page has provided detail into the level of education and the amount of experience required in job openings for devops engineers, but what type of education or degree will help prepare you for a career in the field?
According to occupational data obtained through Lightcast,™ there are 32 key academic programs that can help prepare prospective devops engineers, and in 2021 a total of 217,487 of those programs were completed at institutions in the United States.
Check out the information below to learn more about the specific programs that should be considered by prospective devops engineers.
Top Degree Programs for DevOps Engineers
Top 5 Degree Programs for DevOps Engineers (2021)
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Computer Science. | 59,346 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | 51,511 |
| Information Technology. | 31,478 |
| Information Science/Studies. | 18,279 |
| Computer Engineering, General. | 13,416 |
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Computer Science. | 59,346 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | 51,511 |
| Information Technology. | 31,478 |
| Information Science/Studies. | 18,279 |
| Computer Engineering, General. | 13,416 |
| Computer Programming/Programmer, General. | 8,719 |
| Computer Software Engineering. | 4,226 |
| Computer/Information Technology Services Administration and Management, Other. | 4,000 |
| Systems Engineering. | 3,904 |
| Informatics. | 2,726 |
| Game and Interactive Media Design. | 2,639 |
| Computer Programming, Specific Applications. | 2,399 |
| Computer Systems Analysis/Analyst. | 2,305 |
| Medical Informatics. | 2,004 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, Other. | 1,880 |
| Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other. | 1,755 |
| Computer Software and Media Applications, Other. | 1,437 |
| Bioinformatics. | 1,156 |
| Systems Science and Theory. | 884 |
| Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation. | 854 |
| Data Science, General. | 526 |
| Artificial Intelligence. | 518 |
| Cloud Computing. | 386 |
| E-Commerce/Electronic Commerce. | 293 |
| Computer Software Technology/Technician. | 248 |
| Computer Programming, Specific Platforms. | 173 |
| Computer Game Programming. | 169 |
| Computer Programming, Other. | 152 |
| Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other. | 91 |
| Linguistics and Computer Science. | 6 |
| Medical Illustration and Informatics, Other. | 5 |
| Economics and Computer Science. | 2 |
What Skills Do DevOps Engineers Need?
Education and experience have been covered, so what are the specific skills and traits needed by devops engineers to secure a job?
A good way to understand this is to examine actual job postings for skills commonly sought by employers. Continue reading for a breakdown of specialized skills found in job postings for devops engineers, as well as common skills that can help you thrive in the workplace.
In-Demand Skills for Today's DevOps Engineers
Based on 1,397,591 job postings
Top 5 Specialized Skills for DevOps Engineers
| Skills | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 531,780 | 38% |
| Software Engineering | 498,883 | 36% |
| Agile Methodology | 452,224 | 32% |
| Java (Programming Language) | 443,305 | 32% |
| Software Development | 415,452 | 30% |
Top 5 Common Skills for DevOps Engineers
| Skills | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Communications | 493,857 | 35% |
| Management | 284,394 | 20% |
| Problem Solving | 276,973 | 20% |
| Troubleshooting (Problem Solving) | 247,317 | 18% |
| Leadership | 208,186 | 15% |
Based on 1,397,591 job postings related to devops engineers, computer science was the top specialized skill sought by employers, with 38% of all postings looking for that skillset. Skills for software engineering, agile methodology, java (programming language), software development and sql (programming language) were also highly sought.
As for common skills, communications was the most desired skill found in job postings for devops engineers, followed by management, problem solving, troubleshooting (problem solving), leadership and operations.
| Skill | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 531,780 | 38% |
| Software Engineering | 498,883 | 36% |
| Agile Methodology | 452,224 | 32% |
| Java (Programming Language) | 443,305 | 32% |
| Software Development | 415,452 | 30% |
| SQL (Programming Language) | 359,517 | 26% |
| Python (Programming Language) | 340,621 | 24% |
| JavaScript (Programming Language) | 337,441 | 24% |
| Amazon Web Services | 318,373 | 23% |
| Application Programming Interface (API) | 288,272 | 21% |
| Automation | 238,067 | 17% |
| C# (Programming Language) | 219,748 | 16% |
| Scalability | 212,350 | 15% |
| Debugging | 209,475 | 15% |
| Microsoft Azure | 206,986 | 15% |
| Git (Version Control System) | 204,438 | 15% |
| DevOps | 200,003 | 14% |
| CI/CD | 195,282 | 14% |
| RESTful API | 188,836 | 14% |
| Angular (Web Framework) | 187,565 | 13% |
| Skill | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Communications | 493,857 | 35% |
| Management | 284,394 | 20% |
| Problem Solving | 276,973 | 20% |
| Troubleshooting (Problem Solving) | 247,317 | 18% |
| Leadership | 208,186 | 15% |
| Operations | 195,780 | 14% |
| Writing | 175,924 | 13% |
| Planning | 157,877 | 11% |
| Innovation | 154,782 | 11% |
| Customer Service | 141,130 | 10% |
| Research | 136,743 | 10% |
| Self-Motivation | 128,534 | 9% |
| Mentorship | 127,268 | 9% |
| Information Technology | 124,844 | 9% |
| Detail Oriented | 112,492 | 8% |
| Verbal Communication Skills | 110,443 | 8% |
| Mathematics | 106,387 | 8% |
| Interpersonal Communications | 100,688 | 7% |
| Sales | 89,235 | 6% |
| Presentations | 80,936 | 6% |
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about devops engineers? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for devops engineers.
What do devops engineers do?
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