So, you’ve just graduated from university and you’re not sure where to go next. You’ve browsed the seemingly infinite range of graduate programmes and entry-level jobs that fit the bill of your degree, but none of the opportunities on offer are exactly setting your world alight. You know you want to work in technology, to be challenged every single day and to work in a fast-paced environment that’ll keep you on your toes. Candidate, meet DevOps.

As a sector which has boomed in recent years, DevOps is crying out for talent as everyone, from multinational, blue chip organisations to local SMEs, starts to appreciate the power and advantages that these teams can yield. In a rapidly developing technological world, DevOps teams are on-hand to speed up processes and make projects more efficient, benefitting businesses, employees and customers alike.

But as with any talent shortage, the industry is having to cast a wider net to find suitable candidates for the roles available. While there are several finer skills required, like an understanding of technology, infrastructure and security protocols, these can all be taught along the way as part of a longer-term development plan. But to plug the gap, the industry needs flexible, talented and tenacious people with just a few key traits.

Collaboration

If you see yourself as more of a lone wolf than an integral team player, then DevOps might not be the best place to look for your next career opportunity. Although there are sometimes elements of autonomy, you will regularly be working between any number of teams and departments making collaboration, communication and clarity absolutely crucial. Far from a solo operation, DevOps is a people-first career choice that will see you constantly interacting with others to reach outcomes that suit everyone.

Flexibility

A DevOps team’s work is never done. From the initial project to launch, and the ongoing need to update everything along the way – and afterwards too – your approach must be a flexible one to deal with the fact you may never quite know what is coming your way next. In a more technical sense, this is also important to manage the growing possibilities with coding as new languages are implemented day after day, and as technology evolves in tow.

Leadership

Although DevOps requires a collaborative attitude, there will be times at which a decision needs to be made with an element of haste and assertiveness. As the landscape constantly evolves and problems arise, a DevOps candidate should be able to make calls quickly and calmly to find solutions and ensure the process continues moving steadily. Failure to do so will create small fractures in the lifecycle of a DevOps project, leading to wider-scale stagnation further down the line.

Empathy

Okay, empathy may be a little strong. DevOps is all about problem solving, largely for the customer. While everything may seem tickety-boo at the heart of the operation, it may not be so for the end user and the ability to notice that and rectify it is key for a good DevOps professional. Put yourself in the shoes of the customer and understand how they would look at and utilise the product or service you have created and are now managing – what do you like, what would you change? Identifying these points and acting on them is priority number one.

Big-picture thinker

A career in DevOps will see you working with a wide range of teams and departments on any given day, so the ability to keep your focus broad and avoiding becoming blinkered is a must. Understanding how decisions made in one department will affect another will allow you to spot problems before they arise and continue sailing on smooth seas with minimal points of contention between teams. You’ll be in a position to keep the harmony in an organisation, and with that great power, comes great responsibility.

If you would like to discuss the opportunities we currently have within DevOps, please get in touch with us via our chatbot on our homepage, or by using our contact form.