Professional certification in devops for practitioner level professionals.
| Dimension | Score |
|---|---|
| Content Quality | 74/100 |
| Practical Application | 88/100 |
| Learner Outcomes | 71/100 |
| Instructor Credibility | 81/100 |
| Exam Readiness | 75/100 |
| Value for Money | 77/100 |
Deciding whether to invest time and resources into a professional development program like LinkedIn Learning's "Become a DevOps Engineer" career path requires careful consideration. This article provides an honest review and ROI analysis, examining its value for career transition, skill acquisition, and potential salary impact. We'll explore who this path is best suited for, its practical implications, and what sets it apart from other learning avenues.
Transitioning into a DevOps role typically involves a shift in mindset and skill set, moving from traditional siloed development and operations to a more integrated, automated, and collaborative approach. For many, this transition offers significant career growth and increased earning potential. The "Become a DevOps Engineer" path from LinkedIn Learning aims to facilitate this by structuring content around core DevOps principles and tools.
The worth of this transition, and by extension, the LinkedIn Learning path, largely depends on your existing background and career goals. If you're already in a software development, system administration, or IT operations role, the learning curve might be less steep as you'll likely have foundational knowledge in areas like scripting, networking, or coding. For those completely new to IT, the path provides a structured introduction, but the breadth of information can be overwhelming without prior context.
A key trade-off is the depth versus breadth of coverage. Online learning paths, especially those designed for a broad audience, often prioritize covering a wide array of topics rather than diving deeply into specific, niche areas. This means you'll gain familiarity with many tools and concepts (e.g., Git, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, cloud platforms), but mastery will require additional hands-on practice beyond the course material. The practical implication is that while the LinkedIn Learning path can provide a strong theoretical foundation and introduce you to essential tools, it's not a substitute for real-world project experience. You'll need to supplement this learning with personal projects, open-source contributions, or even entry-level professional roles to solidify your understanding and build a portfolio.
For example, a course might introduce Jenkins for CI/CD, covering pipeline setup basics. However, it likely won't delve into advanced Jenkins Groovy scripting, plugin development, or complex distributed build architectures, which are often essential in professional environments. This isn't a flaw in the course itself, but rather an inherent limitation of a broad introductory program.
Age is often a concern when considering a career change, and at 35, many wonder if it's "too late" to transition into a demanding field like DevOps. The short answer is: no, it's generally not too late. In fact, many aspects of DevOps benefit from the maturity, problem-solving skills, and broader professional experience that often come with age.
DevOps is not solely about writing code or configuring servers; it's about optimizing processes, improving collaboration, and solving complex infrastructure challenges. These aspects often rely on soft skills like communication, project management, and strategic thinking, which professionals with more experience tend to possess. A 35-year-old transitioning from a related IT field (like system administration, quality assurance, or even project management) might find their existing experience highly valuable. For instance, a former QA engineer might bring a strong understanding of testing methodologies and release processes, which are critical in a DevOps pipeline.
The LinkedIn Learning path, in this context, serves as a structured way to formalize and fill in technical gaps. It provides the technical vocabulary and practical introductions to tools necessary to speak the language of DevOps. However, the true "worth" at 35 often comes from how you leverage your existing career capital. Instead of starting from scratch, consider how your past roles have prepared you for aspects of DevOps. Did you manage projects? Troubleshoot systems? Optimize workflows? These experiences, combined with the technical knowledge gained from the LinkedIn Learning path, can create a compelling narrative for potential employers.
A trade-off might be the initial salary expectation. While experienced DevOps engineers command high salaries, a career changer, even at 35, might need to accept an entry or junior-level DevOps role initially to gain practical experience. The ROI calculation should factor in this potential temporary dip in earnings against the long-term potential for growth. The key is to highlight transferable skills and demonstrate a strong commitment to learning the new technical stack, which the LinkedIn Learning path can help showcase.
LinkedIn Learning offers a vast library of online courses, and the "Become a DevOps Engineer" path is a curated collection of these individual courses. This structure has both advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
The "DevOps Online Training Courses" within the path cover essential domains such as version control (Git), containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), CI/CD (Jenkins, GitLab CI), cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud), infrastructure as code (Terraform, Ansible), and monitoring (Prometheus, Grafana). The practical implication is that you'll gain a foundational understanding across these critical areas, preparing you to understand job descriptions and contribute to a DevOps team.
When considering the "Become a DevOps Engineer" learning path, it's important to clarify what this role entails and what it does not.
What it is:
What it isn't:
The value proposition here is primarily in its accessibility and comprehensiveness at an introductory level. For someone looking to understand the DevOps landscape, identify key technologies, and build a theoretical framework, it's a solid starting point. The curriculum typically includes courses on:
Comparison Table: LinkedIn Learning vs. Other Learning Avenues
| Feature | LinkedIn Learning Path | Dedicated Bootcamp (e.g., Flatiron, General Assembly) | University Course (e.g., Master's in DevOps) | Self-Study (Free Resources) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Low (subscription based) | High (thousands to tens of thousands) | Very High (tens of thousands) | Free to low (books, cloud credits) |
| Pacing | Self-paced, flexible | Intensive, fixed schedule | Semester-based, fixed | Fully self-paced, unstructured |
| Depth | Broad, introductory-intermediate | Intermediate-Advanced, project-focused | Deep, theoretical & practical | Varies widely, depends on resources |
| Support | None (community forums sometimes) | Mentorship, peer support, career services | Instructor access, TAs, peer groups | None (rely on online communities) |
| Credentials | Certificate of Completion | Bootcamp certificate, project portfolio | Accredited degree, academic transcript | None (project portfolio is key) |
| Hands-on Practice | Exercise files, suggested projects | Extensive projects, real-world simulations | Labs, research projects | Self-directed projects, documentation |
| Time Commitment | Varies (e.g., 40-60 hours total) | Full-time (weeks to months) | Part-time/Full-time (1-2 years) | Varies widely |
The practical implication is that the LinkedIn Learning path is an excellent first step or a supplementary resource. It's less effective as a standalone solution for someone aiming for an immediate, high-paying DevOps role without any prior technical background.
For someone who graduated in 2018, you likely have 5-6 years of professional experience, presumably in a related technical field like software development, system administration, or IT support. This places you in a strong position to transition into DevOps, and learning DevOps is generally a good career move.
Your existing professional experience is a significant asset. Unlike recent graduates, you've already navigated workplace dynamics, likely contributed to real-world projects, and understand common IT challenges. This context makes the theoretical concepts taught in the LinkedIn Learning path much more relatable and actionable. For instance, if you've been a developer, you've likely experienced slow deployments or environment inconsistencies, making the benefits of CI/CD and infrastructure as code immediately apparent.
The "Become a DevOps Engineer" path can serve as a highly efficient way to formalize your understanding of DevOps principles and tools, and fill in any knowledge gaps. It allows you to leverage your existing career momentum rather than starting completely fresh.
Potential ROI for a 2018 Passout:
The difficulty for a 2018 passout might lie in unlearning old habits or adapting to new ways of thinking, especially if your previous role was in a more traditional, siloed environment. However, your existing professional maturity and problem-solving experience should help overcome these challenges. The LinkedIn Learning path provides the technical scaffolding, but your existing experience will provide the context and drive.
While not a direct course title, the idea of "9 Key Skills" for DevOps is representative of how many learning paths, including LinkedIn Learning's, break down the vast field into manageable components. Identifying and focusing on core skills is crucial for anyone entering or advancing in DevOps.
The LinkedIn Learning "Become a DevOps Engineer" path implicitly covers many of these "key skills" by structuring its curriculum around them. These generally include:
The LinkedIn Learning path provides a solid introduction to the tools and concepts associated with these skills. However, simply completing the courses won't make you proficient. The "difficulty" of mastering these skills after the LinkedIn Learning path lies in the hands-on application.
To truly internalize these skills, you need to:
The LinkedIn Learning path does an effective job of introducing you to what these key skills are and how to get started with the associated tools. The challenge, and where the real "worth" is generated, is in the subsequent dedication to practice and application. Without that follow-through, the learning path remains a theoretical exercise.
LinkedIn itself is a platform for job searching, not an employer that sets a universal "DevOps engineer salary." However, data from LinkedIn's aggregated job postings and salary insights, combined with other industry sources like Glassdoor, Indeed, and Payscale, consistently show that DevOps engineers command competitive salaries.
In the United States, the average salary for a DevOps engineer can range significantly based on experience, location, specific skill set (e.g., expertise in a particular cloud provider or orchestration tool), and the size/type of the company.
These figures are approximate and can fluctuate. The "Become a DevOps Engineer" path on LinkedIn Learning can help you acquire the skills to enter this salary bracket, but actual earnings will depend on your ability to demonstrate those skills in real-world scenarios.
For many, becoming a DevOps engineer is absolutely worth it. The demand for these professionals remains high, and the role offers:
However, it requires a commitment to continuous learning, problem-solving, and often involves dealing with complex systems and tight deadlines. If you enjoy solving puzzles, automating tasks, and bridging communication gaps between teams, it can be a very rewarding career.
Whether LinkedIn Learning is "worth it" depends on your learning style, budget, and specific goals.
Pros:
Cons:
For foundational knowledge, exploring new topics, or supplementing existing skills, LinkedIn Learning offers excellent value. For career-changing programs like "Become a DevOps Engineer," it's a strong starting point and a valuable resource, but it should ideally be complemented with hands-on projects and potentially other, more intensive learning experiences if deep specialization is desired.
The LinkedIn Learning "Become a DevOps Engineer" career path offers a structured, accessible, and cost-effective entry point into the world of DevOps. It provides a comprehensive overview of essential concepts, tools, and practices, making it particularly valuable for those looking to transition into a DevOps role or upskill from related IT positions.
Its worth is highest for individuals with some existing technical background (like a 2018 passout in a technical field) who can leverage their professional experience to contextualize the learning. For those completely new to IT, it provides a solid foundation, but the journey to becoming a proficient DevOps engineer will require significant supplementary hands-on practice, personal projects, and potentially further specialized training beyond the LinkedIn Learning curriculum.
While it won't replace the depth of a university degree or the intensive, project-driven experience of a dedicated bootcamp, it serves as an excellent accelerator for learning, providing the theoretical and introductory practical knowledge needed to confidently pursue a career in this high-demand field. The ultimate return on investment will depend on your dedication to applying what you learn and continuously building upon that foundation.