Why is the DevOps direction in IT the most profitable?

calendar Jun 27, 2023 · 4 min read · devops  ·
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Let's analyze the reasons why people choose DevOps, along with its pros and cons.

This is Interesting

In the times when there were only developers and only "admins," many thought that being an admin who just installs a package given by developers on bare metal was boring. To some extent, that might have been true, but those times are long gone, and now things are a bit more complex. An admin now has to know more than just how to install a package. The installation itself should be automated through CI/CD. Developers no longer create packages for admins; they simply commit code to git. Of course, DevOps approaches may also include requirements for developers to write pipelines and Helm charts, but a DevOps engineer is now much more involved in development than the previous admin. For this reason, the ability to program and understand how code will work in production is important for a DevOps engineer.

And how many trendy and necessary tools have appeared to solve these tasks! It can be challenging to figure out all this diversity, but it is definitely interesting. Someone might say, "Our grandfathers lived without your Kubernetes, and we'll manage somehow too!" Undoubtedly, but I fear that even the grandfathers are now looking at Docker and Kubernetes.

This is Profitable

The salaries of DevOps/SRE engineers are generally higher than those of most developers for several reasons:

  • Universal Skills: DevOps engineers usually possess a wide range of skills, including knowledge in development, system administration, automation, containerization, and infrastructure management. This allows them to perform various tasks related to software development and operation. A broad skill set makes them valuable to companies, which can reflect in their salaries.
  • Job Complexity: DevOps engineers usually deal with creating and maintaining highly scalable systems.
  • Business Importance: DevOps engineers play a key role in ensuring continuous software delivery and efficient infrastructure management. Their work aims to ensure high availability, scalability, and security of the system. The successful functioning of infrastructure is critically important for the business and can significantly affect its profitability.
  • Growing Demand: The role of a DevOps engineer is becoming increasingly popular and in demand. Modern companies are increasingly recognizing the need to automate development and delivery processes, as well as effectively manage infrastructure. As a result, the demand for DevOps engineers is significantly increasing. With a limited number of specialists in this field, companies are willing to offer higher salaries to attract and retain talented DevOps engineers.
  • Responsibility and Risks: The work of a DevOps engineer involves significant responsibility and risks. They are responsible for the stability and security of the system, as well as for continuous software delivery.

This is Reliable

In crisis situations for companies, DevOps engineers are likely to be the last technical specialists to be laid off, for obvious reasons. If development can be halted without significant problems, the support of the product's operability cannot be easily stopped. The workload for a DevOps engineer may decrease, but they will not be fully laid off until the company or the direction is closed.

Cons

Of course, there are no pros without cons. The cons include:

  • High Expectations and Stress: DevOps engineers usually face high expectations and stress. They need to maintain high system availability and quickly respond to failures and issues. This can lead to a constant need to be on call and ready for unforeseen situations at any time of the day or night.
  • Continuous Learning and Skill Updating: DevOps engineers must constantly update their skills and keep up with new technologies and tools. The DevOps field is constantly evolving, and to remain in demand, one needs to continuously learn new technologies and improve their skills. This may require additional time and effort for self-learning and professional development. But this is a conditional con.
  • Complexity and Difficulty of Tasks: The work of a DevOps engineer can be complex and require solving various technical problems. They need to be ready for deploying and managing complex systems, as well as processing and analyzing large volumes of data. This may require deep knowledge of various technologies and tools.
  • Risk of Errors and Issues: DevOps engineers are responsible for the stability and security of the system. Errors or issues in configuration or deployment can lead to failures or disruptions in the system's operation. This can have serious consequences for the business, including loss of revenue, loss of customers, and damage to the company's reputation. Therefore, DevOps engineers must be detail-oriented and carefully check all changes before implementing them.

In reality, this depends on many factors and the company's working principles. The practice of on-call shifts makes this drawback more predictable and less stressful. Moreover, a well-configured fault-tolerant system will not cause frequent disturbances.