Free Career Roadmap
Become a DevOps Engineer
Automate everything. Ship faster. Sleep better.
Duration
12 months
Salary Range
$70k – $180k+
Difficulty
challenging
Job Demand
very high
4
Phases
19
Skills to Learn
11
Projects
5
Certifications
1
Phase 1 · Months 1–3
Foundation & Systems
Master Linux, networking, and scripting like a pro.
Core Skills to Master
Recommended Projects
Automate 3 real workflows with Bash
Set up a Linux home server
Build a GitHub portfolio
Industry Certifications
Linux Foundation Essentials (free)
Key Milestones (3)
Comfortable with Linux CLI
Can write production Bash scripts
5+ GitHub repos
2
Phase 2 · Months 4–6
Containers & Cloud
Master Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud infrastructure.
Core Skills to Master
Recommended Projects
Containerize a full-stack app
Deploy multi-service app on Kubernetes
GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline
Industry Certifications
AWS Cloud Practitioner ($100)
Docker Certified Associate
Key Milestones (3)
App deployed on real Kubernetes cluster
AWS account with multiple projects
2 DevOps portfolio pieces
3
Phase 3 · Months 7–9
Production Excellence
Terraform, monitoring, and production-grade infrastructure.
Core Skills to Master
Recommended Projects
Full AWS infrastructure via Terraform
GitOps pipeline with ArgoCD
Prometheus + Grafana monitoring dashboard
Industry Certifications
Kubernetes CKA ($395)
AWS Solutions Architect ($300)
Key Milestones (3)
CKA certified
3 production-grade portfolio projects
LinkedIn profile fully optimized
4
Phase 4 · Months 10–12
Land Your DevOps Role
Target infrastructure-first companies aggressively.
Core Skills to Master
Recommended Projects
Open source infrastructure contributions
Technical blog posts
Target Companies
Key Milestones (3)
20+ targeted applications
5+ interviews
First DevOps offer
Job Ready — DevOps Engineer
Completing this pathway equips you with verified projects, assessment scores, and the exact skills required by current hiring managers.