Once upon a time, if you wanted a steady tech job, it was hard to beat a systems administrator gig. A sysadmin job is still good, but even better in these cloud-powered days is a DevOps job. So it is that The Linux Foundation and the Continuous Delivery Foundation (CDF) have joined forces to release a new DevOps Bootcamp.
Don’t believe that DevOps is a better career move? Just look at the numbers. The 2021 Open Source Jobs Report found that 88% of technology professionals surveyed use DevOps practices in their work. A glance for DevOps Engineer jobs on Dice, the technology job website, showed that there were over 37,000 job openings in mid-October. By Glassdoor‘s count, the average DevOps Engineer salary is just over $105,000 a year. That’s nothing to sneeze at! A sysadmin job, by the same site’s reckoning, is just over $76,000 annually.
See also: What are coding bootcamps, and how do I choose one?
Why? Simple. “DevOps has become the standard way that software is developed and deployed in production, making skills in DevOps essential for anyone working in the industry,” explained Clyde Seepersad, The Linux Foundation’s SVP and general manager of training & certification. “There is a significant shortage of technology talent worldwide, in addition to challenges around upskilling existing professionals who are used to traditional development methodologies. Our goal in creating this Bootcamp is to lower the barrier of entry for those new to the technology industry and also provide a straightforward and structured way for existing professionals to update their skills.”
This Bootcamp starts with an introduction to DevOps and Site Reliability Engineering (SRE). It then moves into specific DevOps toolsets such as Jenkins. It finishes with more advanced topics, including GitOps, using Git for continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD), and DevSecOps principles and practices.
Before you take these classes, you should have programming, sysadmin, or operations experience. While the program covers some specific tools, such as Jenkins, it’s not about specific toolsets. DevOps includes a wide variety of tools, which are used in many combinations. Except for Kubernetes, which almost everyone uses, you’re best served by taking tool-specific training down the road when it’s needed for a specific job. Instead, this Bootcamp focuses on the overarching practices and competencies required to operate in a CI/CD architecture.
The Bootcamp can be completed in about six months with 10-15 hours per week of effort. Its required courses are:
(content available late 2021)
The all-new Implementing DevSecOps (LFS262) course, which will become available later in Q4. is recommended to be completed last in the program. This class, which will be available standalone besides its inclusion in the DevOps Bootcamp, is designed for software developers, site reliability engineers, and DevOps practitioners looking to speed up secure code delivery. It focuses on automating security and incorporating it as part of the process, including continuous delivery, Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC), and observability.
On top of these classes, I’ll add, in my humble opinion, you’ll be well-served if you take the Linux Foundation’s Introduction to Kubernetes class early on. These days Kubernetes is helpful in any kind of cloud-native or DevOps career.
If you take the program, you’ll also have access to a Bootcamp-specific online forum to interact with other students and instructors. You can also use this to access live virtual office hours with course instructors four days per week. Candidates have unlimited access to the program for 12 months. Upon completion of all five courses and their final exams, participants will receive a verifiable certificate of completion and a shareable online badge.
You can enroll in the DevOps Bootcamp today. While the regular price of each course in the Bootcamp is $299, through October 19, 2021, the full Bootcamp is being offered for $525 with offer code DEVOPS30, a 30% discount over standard pricing of $750.