I have revised my roadmap for learning core DevOps technologies. The prioritized list has been updated to include Linux and AWS certifications strategically placed based on how the curriculum is organized.
This is an aggressive plan that assumes 4 to 6 hours a day of focused study, 5 days a week. The intent of the plan is not to know every little nuance, but to acquire basic competencies with technologies I have identified as being relevant to a DevOps role. I had to make decisions in areas where there are competing or cross-platform options (for example, AWS vs Azure). I based those decisions on my own initial research supplemented by informal conversations with contacts at the company I currently work for who are familiar with the day-to-day tasks in a typical DevOps environment.
Learning these skills, building projects, acquiring certifications, and documenting my process along the way will all be used as a means to prepare myself for a career transition to DevOps and can be discussed and reviewed as part of potential interviews as I begin to apply for these positions.
Estimated Timeline: 8 months
Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-4)
| Technology | Duration | Key Focus Areas | Certification Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux Essentials | 3 weeks | Command line, file systems, processes, permissions, networking basics | Linux Professional Institute (LPI) Linux Essentials |
| Git | 1 week | Version control, branching, collaboration, GitHub workflows | – |
Week 4 Milestone: Take LPI Linux Essentials exam
Phase 2: Core Skills (Weeks 5-10)
| Technology | Duration | Key Focus Areas | Certification Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Python | 4 weeks | Automation, scripting, APIs, file handling, Linux integration | – |
| YAML | Integrated | Configuration syntax (learn alongside other tools) | – |
| Advanced Linux | 2 weeks | Process management, systemd, security, shell scripting | LPIC-1 (101 & 102 exams) |
Week 10 Milestone: Take LPIC-1 exams (101 & 102)
Phase 3: Containerization & Cloud (Weeks 11-22)
| Technology | Duration | Key Focus Areas | Certification Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Docker | 3 weeks | Containerization, Dockerfiles, image management, networking | – |
| AWS Foundation | 2 weeks | EC2, S3, IAM basics, AWS console navigation | AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner |
| AWS Infrastructure | 4 weeks | VPC, networking, security groups, load balancers, auto scaling | AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate |
| AWS Development | 3 weeks | Lambda, API Gateway, CI/CD services, CodePipeline, CodeBuild | AWS Certified Developer Associate |
Week 15 Milestone: Take AWS Cloud Practitioner exam
Week 19 Milestone: Take AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam
Week 22 Milestone: Take AWS Developer Associate exam
Phase 4: Infrastructure as Code (Weeks 23-26)
| Technology | Duration | Key Focus Areas | Certification Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraform | 3 weeks | Infrastructure as Code, AWS provider, state management | – |
| PowerShell | 1 week | Cross-platform automation, Azure integration basics | – |
Phase 5: Orchestration & Automation (Weeks 27-32)
| Technology | Duration | Key Focus Areas | Certification Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kubernetes | 5 weeks | Container orchestration, deployment, services, ingress | – |
| CI/CD Pipelines | 1 week | GitHub Actions, Jenkins basics, automated testing | – |
Week 32 Milestone: Complete portfolio project integrating all technologies
Linux Certification Path:
- LPI Linux Essentials (Week 4) – Covers fundamentals
- LPIC-1 (Week 10) – Industry-standard Linux certification
- LPI DevOps Tools Engineer (Optional, Week 36) – Specialized DevOps certification
AWS Certification Path:
- AWS Cloud Practitioner (Week 15) – Foundation for AWS concepts
- AWS Solutions Architect Associate (Week 19) – Infrastructure design and networking
- AWS Developer Associate (Week 22) – Automation and deployment services
Portfolio Projects by Phase:
- Phase 1: Linux system administration scripts
- Phase 2: Python automation tools for system management
- Phase 3: Containerized web application deployed to AWS
- Phase 4: Infrastructure provisioning with Terraform
- Phase 5: Complete CI/CD pipeline deploying to Kubernetes