90 Percent DevOps Engineers do these 7 learning mistakes

Summary

In this video, Abhishek highlights seven common mistakes made by DevOps aspirants during their learning phase. These include starting with cloud platforms before understanding DevOps fundamentals, prioritizing certifications over practical experience, chasing tools without grasping core concepts, and failing to practice after watching tutorials. He also stresses the importance of learning step-by-step, using real-world scenarios, and documenting your learning journey for better retention. Abhishek encourages a practical approach, ensuring aspirants build a strong foundation and avoid falling into the trap of FOMO and rushed learning.

Takeaways

• 😀 Start with understanding DevOps fundamentals before jumping into cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• 😀 Certifications are helpful, but practical experience and hands-on learning are far more important for becoming a skilled DevOps engineer.
• 😀 Don't focus on mastering tools first; instead, learn the core concepts behind DevOps, such as containerization and infrastructure as code.
• 😀 Watching tutorials is not enough—always practice what you learn to fully grasp the concepts and tools.
• 😀 Avoid trying to learn everything at once. Build your knowledge step by step, mastering one concept before moving to the next.
• 😀 Real-world scenarios are crucial for learning. Don't just learn concepts theoretically—understand how they are applied in real DevOps tasks.
• 😀 Documenting your learning journey through notes, diagrams, and architecture visuals helps solidify and retain knowledge.
• 😀 Instead of focusing on 'end-to-end' projects, break down DevOps concepts and learn them incrementally to better integrate the tools later.
• 😀 Cloud platforms may offer free trials, so make use of them for practical experience—even if it costs a small amount.
• 😀 Learning is a gradual process, and practicing regularly will make challenges more manageable and lead to deeper understanding.

Q & A

What is the first common mistake that DevOps aspirants make during their learning phase?

The first common mistake is starting to learn with a cloud platform like AWS, Azure, or GCP without understanding the fundamentals of DevOps. This leads to learning how to use managed services rather than understanding DevOps concepts.

Why is it important to learn DevOps before jumping into cloud platforms?

It’s important because cloud platforms like AWS, GCP, and Azure offer managed services, which might be easy to use, but without understanding core DevOps concepts, such as virtualization or containerization, you won't be able to fully grasp the underlying technologies like EC2, Kubernetes, or managed services like EKS, AKS, or GKE.

What does the acronym FOMO stand for, and how does it relate to DevOps certifications?

FOMO stands for 'Fear of Missing Out.' DevOps aspirants often fall into the trap of prioritizing certifications over practical learning because they see others posting certifications on LinkedIn, which may not be as valuable as hands-on experience.

What should DevOps aspirants prioritize first: certifications or practical learning?

DevOps aspirants should prioritize practical learning first. It's more important to understand concepts and practice them before worrying about certifications. Certifications can come later as a way to validate your skills.

What’s the mistake DevOps aspirants make by chasing tools instead of learning the fundamentals?

A common mistake is jumping straight into learning tools like Jenkins, Docker, or Kubernetes without understanding the fundamentals first. DevOps is about mastering the concepts behind these tools, such as containerization, orchestration, and infrastructure as code.

Why should DevOps aspirants understand fundamentals before learning specific tools?

DevOps aspirants need to grasp the core concepts before focusing on tools. Understanding fundamental concepts like containerization, CI/CD, and infrastructure as code helps you use the tools effectively and solve problems that arise in real-world applications.

What’s the issue with watching tutorials without practicing DevOps concepts?

Watching tutorials without practicing is a major mistake. Tutorials can help explain concepts, but true understanding only comes from hands-on practice. DevOps, like programming, requires you to get your hands dirty and solve real-world challenges to truly learn.

Why is it wrong to try to learn everything at once in DevOps?

Trying to learn everything at once can lead to confusion and superficial knowledge. Instead, focus on learning one concept at a time, mastering it, and then moving on to the next. This ensures you build a strong foundation and understand how to integrate different concepts effectively.

What’s the importance of applying real-world scenarios in DevOps learning?

DevOps aspirants often know theoretical concepts but struggle with practical applications. Learning how tools like Nginx, load balancing, or reverse proxies are used in real-world scenarios ensures better understanding and application of the concepts in actual environments.

How can documenting your learning process help DevOps aspirants?

Documenting your learning, whether through notes, architecture diagrams, or personal reflections, helps solidify your understanding. It also provides a valuable reference for future use and ensures that the concepts stay ingrained in your memory.