Good evening or morning depending on where you live. I have been in IT for about twenty years and in 2021 took a career change to get into the telecommunications field. But I found that I just missed IT too much and am trying but struggling to get back into it seeing the changes that have taken place over the last 4+ years, its hardly recognizable. AI and devops are really the new niche fields and although I began to see it at the end of my last IT job back in 2021, as I was already taking AWS and Azure certifications I never really got into getting to know the other tools, concepts of Devops like Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform and Ansible. I am still in the telecomm field but want to begin again in IT/Devops/AI. Currently refreshing my skills in Linux and Git. But I would be open to some of your suggestions as to what I should be studying, doing as I look to obtain a job in Devops in 2026

In 2025, DevOps engineers in the U.S. earn an average salary of $141,357 annually. Source: Coursera Specializing in Kubernetes can further enhance earning potential, with salaries ranging from $142,000 to $162,000, depending on experience. Source: Bluelight Software Solutions The demand for DevOps skills remains high, with yearly growth projected at 17% between 2023 and 2033. Souce: Coursera Proficiency in tools like Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud platforms such as AWS and Azure is highly sought after. Source: Brokee

Linux desktop usage has passed 5% in 2025 and is still climbing. That is a steady rise from roughly 3.7% earlier this year. On Steam, Linux gamers now represent just over 3% of all players, a huge shift for a platform that used to be almost invisible in gaming statistics. This is not just coming from developers and power users anymore. A big driver is the new wave of user friendly distros focused on performance and simplicity. Bazzite is an example aimed towards gamers, plug and play with Steam pre-installed. It is built specifically for gaming and daily use, offers a console like experience, works out of the box with Proton, and removes much of the friction people associate with traditional Linux setups. At the same time, more people are questioning Windows direction, updates, hardware requirements, and privacy concerns. Linux is no longer a backup plan. For many, it is becoming a primary operating system. On top of that, the market growth of Linux is expected to grow 20% per year, this is huge in comparison. If you don't start to understand Linux on a deep level, you'll fall behind in the coming years.

We all got exposure to DevOps at some point. Some as software engineers, some as sysadmins, and some from completely non-technical backgrounds. I share the story of how I went from nurse to DevOps in the DevOps Blueprint in the Classroom, Image #2 has something to do with it. Do you know what it is? But I want to hear your story. At what point did you decide that DevOps is the thing you want to pursue?

Just had a pretty sweet victory: I successfully set up Docker Compose to get my FastAPI, React, and PostgreSQL patient management app running with containers. Feeling great about that one! It's really nice to see it actually working in practice. Next: Kubernetes :)