Certifications

taylorhuston9533 · 2016-05-24T19:04:08.000Z

DevOps sits in kind of a weird world, between IT/Operations, where certs are all but mandatory for many companies, and Development, where certs are seen as completely useless.

How does that end up working when working in/applying for DevOps related positions?

Neally · 2016-05-24T19:16:12.000Z

To me DevOps is a Programmer / Developer kind of job.
As such you don’t have to have certifications, but a good portfolio of projects you worked and completed and that were implemented successfully.

ivanbarjaktrov · 2016-05-26T06:24:52.000Z

It’s a Sysadmin that understand a little bit more code, and a Developer that understands a little bit more system administration.

jamesfletcher2 · 2016-05-26T07:57:08.000Z

I’ve been doing some looking into this and after speaking with a few recruitment agencies I have decided to go down the multi certificate route. Essentially pick your passion and focus on that primarily, whether that is development or sysAdmin, then do a few courses and certifications on the counterpart just to prove you are capable of it.

Depending on different DEV OPs roles you will often find they will be more heavily weighed towards one or the other, so I will come back to my original point and just simply say pick your favourite and go for it!

ellenlennie · 2016-05-26T08:10:45.000Z

Adding to motarski’s definition that I largely agree with, relevance of certs would depend on your specific role within the devops team. No-one in devops is a jack of all trades by definition, just part of a whole.

Certs are arguably “proof” that you know at least something about aspects your fellow devs/ops will be working with, but I’m a junior sysad so what do I know. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

jeffjones3 · 2016-05-26T11:47:19.000Z

sysadmirer:

Adding to motarski’s definition that I largely agree with, relevance of certs would depend on your specific role within the devops team. No-one in devops is a jack of all trades by definition, just part of a whole.

Certs are arguably “proof” that you know at least something about aspects your fellow devs/ops will be working with, but I’m a junior sysad so what do I know. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Second this ^^. Certs may sometimes only prove someone passed a test and has no real world experience that they are able to apply. But I’ve also met a few highly certified folks who could probably create all the exams, too.

zootal · 2016-05-26T12:38:39.000Z

Devop? A wannabe programmer without a computer science degree and probably doesn’t know a double linked list from a scope resolution operator. When they write code, we have to come along behind them and clean up the mess they make.

Certs mean absolutely nothing. The worst programmers I’ve ever worked with had certs. Didn’t make any difference, they still didn’t know what they were doing.

tobyhessellund1477 · 2016-05-26T14:14:03.000Z

I commented on another post about what I think of Certifications:

Job hunting without certifications? IT & Tech Careers

I am an IT Director that manages several local medium sized businesses. I solo handle about a hundred users and several hundred devices from Macs, to PC's, to Linux boses, tablets, phones, VOIP, networking, just about everything. I am going to be job searching here again soon but I know certifications are a bit of a big deal now. Am I severely hurting myself by not getting certifications? Which ones should I focus on getting as a generalized IT tech? I avoid programming like the plague, it is my…

I’m a SysAdmin guy and never wanted to be a developer although coding always piques my interest in some fashion and I script well enough not to have to repeat myself

With that side, I would think that if you’re a developer breaking into devops/operations then certs would be a good segway into the operations side. Going the other way, just learn to script and automate and you will be working towards being a full fledged devops

Basically we all have to meet in the middle somewhere. but hopefully you have a good mix in your team

joecurrao · 2016-05-26T14:41:35.000Z

zootal:

Devop? A wannabe programmer without a computer science degree and probably doesn’t know a double linked list from a scope resolution operator. When they write code, we have to come along behind them and clean up the mess they make.

Certs mean absolutely nothing. The worst programmers I’ve ever worked with had certs. Didn’t make any difference, they still didn’t know what they were doing.

I’m not a DevOp myself but not all are as bad as you suggest. I feel bad that you’ve had such a seemingly terrible experience but what you said is fairly demeaning towards other well-respected DevOps. Depending on the organization, they fill a necessary void to keep operations flowing smoothly.

That being said, I have rarely had certifications provide real-world tangible benefits on the job. The worst co-worker I had on site had the highest level cert of any of us, but he never had a clue what he was doing. He was the only person I’ve ever seen fired here. So yes, many certs do not provide real world benefits, but some jobs require them, whether it be for contractual purposes or a tangible justification for a raise or job title.

sactownchad · 2016-05-26T19:52:42.000Z

All I see in this picture is the word DeVo

Twist away the gates of steel.

stevefaust · 2016-05-30T12:27:49.000Z

“Devop? A wannabe programmer without a computer science degree and probably doesn’t know a double linked list from a scope resolution operator”

Ah yes, because having a degree is the be all & end all of being a programmer.

Never mind the fact that to make mistakes is human…

zootal · 2016-05-31T13:35:24.000Z

X49Raven:

“Devop? A wannabe programmer without a computer science degree and probably doesn’t know a double linked list from a scope resolution operator”

Ah yes, because having a degree is the be all & end all of being a programmer.

Never mind the fact that to make mistakes is human…

No, having a degree - more specifically having formal training in data structures and algorithims and memory management and related topics - is what makes or breaks a programmer. Those without that background, degree or not, are the ones making the messes that people like me get to clean up. I don’t mind, really, I get paid well to fix the messes wannabe programmers make.

zackwhite · 2016-06-03T11:23:30.000Z

Unless it’s a cert in automation, I probably wouldn’t get any additional certifications. If you already have N+ or something similar, it can only help you.

fizgignz1 · 2016-07-02T08:43:26.000Z

Zootal said:

“No, having a degree - more specifically having formal training in data structures and algorithims and memory management and related topics - is what makes or breaks a programmer. Those without that background, degree or not, are the ones making the messes that people like me get to clean up. I don’t mind, really, I get paid well to fix the messes wannabe programmers make.”

Okay, so you’ve obviously been burned by something someone less than stellar did, we get it. But for those of us really considering this (and I’m coming from the Ops side), this is relevant. Not what messes there are or have been (and who had to clean up), but what we should really be looking to achieve to fulfil that DevOps position, because it’s becoming more prevalent in today’s IT.

Can we just get a perspective from people that are considered DevOps and what has made the difference for them? Without the “who did what to whom”? Please?