Mastering DevOps and Cloud can be a daunting task, especially when you see a list of over 100 tools associated with these fields. But the truth is, you don't need to learn all of them to become a DevOps or Cloud professional. As someone who has been working as a Lead Cloud Architect for nine years, I can tell you that there are only four skills that you need to master to make your mark in these fields.

DevOps and Cloud are two of the hottest trends in the IT industry today. However, with their popularity comes an overwhelming number of tools, such as Docker, Jenkins, Grafana, Prometheus, Kubernetes, ArgoCD, Bamboo, Helm, and many more. The question is, do you need to learn all of these tools to become a DevOps or Cloud professional? The answer is no.

Every few months, new tools are introduced, making it impossible to learn and use all of them. Even within the same industry, different companies use different tools. For instance, one company may use Jenkins for CI/CD, while another uses Bitbucket CICD Pipeline, and yet another uses CircleCI or AWS CICD Pipeline. Similarly, there are countless services available on the AWS cloud, and even the creators of these services are not aware of or using all of them.

Instead of focusing on the tools, let's look at the skills that are critical for mastering DevOps and Cloud. These skills are the foundation upon which these fields are built and will not be replaced anytime soon.

1. Cloud: As a DevOps professional, you will need to work on the cloud as a platform. This is the foundation on which you will build your tools. Therefore, it is essential to become proficient in a cloud platform such as AWS, Azure, or GCP. Start by learning the AWS Cloud Practitioner and AWS Solution Architecture Associate skills.

2. Docker: Docker is used to creating a Docker image of your project. When you run this image, it creates a container that runs your project. Therefore, Docker is a gateway to the DevOps world.

3. Kubernetes: Kubernetes is a container management tool that is used to handle the containers created by Docker. You may have multiple containers, and Kubernetes is the tool that manages them all. It is essential to know Kubernetes to work with containers effectively.

4. Terraform: Terraform is a tool that helps you create servers on the cloud by using scripts in YAML. It saves time and effort by automating the creation of servers instead of doing it manually through a cloud platform's interface.

If you can master these four skills in six months, you will be ahead of 70% of the crowd. Keep in mind that tools like CI/CD, Grafana, and others are useful only when you know these four skills. So, it is essential to focus on the foundation first.

To conclude, mastering DevOps and Cloud is not about learning dozens of tools. Instead, it's about mastering the skills that serve as the foundation for these fields. By focusing on these skills, you can achieve success as a DevOps or Cloud professional. Don't waste your time and money trying to learn every tool in the market. Instead, set a six-month target to learn and master the four skills we've discussed, and you'll be on your way to building a successful career in DevOps or Cloud.

Thank you for reading

see you at the next one.