This will be a long story, where I swerved to become a DevOps Engineer rather than being a Network Engineer where it was a major I took at school. So, here it is…
Awareness
First time I heard the word “DevOps” when a teacher scolded us about current technological advancements and tardiness if we keep following the school lessons. Don't be fed, must find your own food. Because by chance he had met with several people from a company who desperately needed a DevOps, and it seemed that not only those who needed it. Often he does that on us, until some of us get the bored hearing it, and lazy to enter his class. But I considered it like the wind that passes by. Nothing special, just like previous scolds. I'm so sorry sir.
A few months after that. A surprising thing happened. A senior who has graduated and is now employed. A person that we are very proud of as one major. A person who represents us to go forward in a prestigious event, LKS Network Engineer, and boast us by going home with first place. And make him the only student from the Network Engineer major who photographed on the Wall of Fame. A person who is pleased to share his knowledge about networking in an extracurricular that he manages with his friends. A person that we made as a legend, and we perpetuate it as school folklore. Does that sound excessive?
Okay, back to the topic. A surprising thing happened. Suddenly he was included by someone in our Network Engineer majors WhatsApp group. He sent an image, then he said…
“Please, learn this for those who want to work.”
“Don’t be like me who doesn’t know anything.”
“Don’t just rely on lessons from school.”
“So there’s no difficult after your graduation, with no regrets.”
“That’s all.”
*And then, he left the group*
After I read it, my mind seemed to say “He’s a legend to us and says that he doesn’t know anything. What the hell just happened!”. A simple incident that made me thrown into the abyss of contemplation. Whereas he is a legend to us, but instead he doesn't know anything after work. Moreover, I am nobody, and certainly not as smart as he was. I only a crumb of a biscuit.
What will I become after graduation?
Awakened
And another surprise. The image he sent was a learning pathway that showed a set of DevOps tools, certifications, and industries! What a sign is this!? After realizing it. So I was immediately curious and wanted to know what DevOps really is. Why does that haunt me? Then I read my first article about DevOps, which is Apa Itu DevOps? Mengapa Harus Jadi DevOps Engineer?. And yeah, that opened my mind to how much that role is needed and very influential in industries today.
After reading a few articles about it. Because I am lazy in reading, so I took my first 2.5-hours-course from Udemy and finished it for almost 3 weeks. What a tiring course. But all of that is worth to me. In the end, I have a new one thing that can be fought for.
Don’t be better, be more different from others so people can easily recognize you.
- Pandji Pragiwaksono
During that course, I discovered something new. Something that can make me different. I found myself new. “This is me!”. Then a crazy idea popped into my head “When I graduate, I don’t want to be a Network Engineer. I have to become a DevOps Engineer!”. Being mainstream is less challenging, too boring to be the same as the others.
Discouragement
After completing the course, I realized that knowledge of DevOps was very broad and not enough for me to master it in just a few months, it took a couple of years.
So I worked even harder to take courses on various platform courses such as edX, Coursera, and Udemy. However, I didn't found the hands-on course as good as my first course, most of them were in the form of literature and I lazy to listen for a long time. My hands need to be moved!
After weeks of being in obscurity looking for a course that suits me. A sense of discouragement came. But I’ll not let it ate me, there must be obstacles during the process. I knew it, and this is it.
Then I tried to consult with my teacher, who used to scold us during class. Hoping for enlightenment from him. Like a suicide decision where you consult with a killer-teacher. But I don't care, I need my freakin’ soul back!
After thinking for a long time, thinking about all the risks that will occur. Finally, I contacted him and started a conversation with him via chat. Then I issued all the complaints in learning it. And he advised me to take certification as proof of competence and stay focused on studying it. Like lightning in the sunny sky, he challenged me to meet him to share my knowledge about DevOps! Then I confused, thinking about what knowledge I would share with him. I haven’t even learned it for 2 months! It will look funny when a student teaches his teacher right? But that is precisely what I want, someone that I can discuss with. So I said, “Okay, after school, at the teacher’s office.”.
Enlightenment
The next day, I met him at the teacher’s office as I promised before. Then we share information about DevOps and it turns out we are both learning it! There is no teacher-student term here. Our conversation gets deeper, where we discussed the development of the curriculum and its effects on students. Tardiness in learning technology turns out to be true. We must be able to go hand in hand with the rapid renewal of technology today. If not, prepared to be wasted. A relaxed yet deep discussion.
After that, we gathered in a community. Which consists of a teacher, some juniors, and seniors where it is me and some of my friends. The amount was not much, less than 20 people. But the most important thing for me is our involvement in “find your own food”, the number of members doesn't matter.
And at the first meeting with them, I had the opportunity to share my knowledge about containerization technology. And yeah, they all don’t know what it really is. Inner happiness, when you make someone know something that they didn’t know before.
After that incident, I occasionally discussed with him in our busy schedule. Although we don’t meet often, it made every discussion with him very valuable to me. I have no friends to discuss. Only he can, for now. That’s the difficulty of being different.
And yeah, when my soul has returned. I continued to look for a course that suited me. A course that makes my hands move. Then, like a revelation that came to me, I found a new course platform, Linux Academy! But the course access is limited because I don’t have much money for the premium plan. Hmm so sad. But there are still many courses that can be accessed by free accounts like me!
Surprisingly, their course material is very up to date and all the knowledge needed by industries today is there. I'm fallin’ in love with their way in the course, the practice is accompanied by an explanation that is very suitable for laypeople like me. They provide course instructors by themselves, so the quality of teaching is guaranteed. This is a course platform that I recommend for you guys.
Because I already realized that knowledge of DevOps was very broad. So I will study one by one the value of DevOps then I will focus on one point as my first reference. Long story short, after several months of running and completing several courses, finally I was interested in going deeper about cloud platforms, which is Amazon Web Service. The most interesting thing about that is when you can have a non-on-premise computer and you can easily multiply the amount of it! Technology is going crazy nowadays.
So, Now What?
I must have goals when doing something. I must have goals when studying. And my goal in learning it is because of my desire to work after my graduation. It was enough that I felt at school. I want to go out, to be someone who is not only beneficial to me but other people and society. Because it is under the principles of my life were being a useful person.
At school, I'm not a smart person in the academic field. I did not emphasize school to study. Instead, I focus on the organization and some activities that I have participated in, where I can feel more useful when I am there. I prefer being outside than being in class. And there’s a red line with the principle earlier.
The survey says that the salary of a DevOps is very high, but happiness did not arise in me. Instead, I came back with the question “Do I deserve to be paid that high? When my knowledge was not much.”. I did it because of my passion. A passion that can lead me to continue my life to the principles of my life. Being a useful person.
And my target is to be accepted as a DevOps engineer in a startup. Of course, I need hard work to make that happen. I'm not targeting where I will get employed, because the most important thing for me is that they want to accept someone who is learning like me, or not. A very high dream for a person like me.
Ah Finally…
Yeah, that’s the story behind the reason I swerved to become a DevOps Engineer. Hopefully, it can be a motivation for you to find yourself. Be sensitive to any signs that may come to you, something that can change your whole life. Keep looking for who you are! Because it never comes to you, but you’ll found it.
Thank you for spending your time reading this story. Have a great day!
