A DevOps engineer bridges the gap between software developers and infrastructure: balancing with different teams is always difficult and means they need to have both strong technical and soft skills. While engineering jobs are in high demand, and with good reason, a talented engineer can make or break a business. However, what does it take to be an excellent engineer? It takes more than just technical skills. It also takes interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills, and creativity – soft skills that are overlooked or not taught at all.
These are the must-have soft skills every DevOps engineer should have to make their job less stressful.
- Patience
When working in a fast-paced environment, it’s easy to lose patience with things you can’t control. However, you must learn to work in a team and resolve conflicts. Not everyone will agree, and that’s fine. But don’t forget to take the time to explain your point of view. Try to create a safe environment where you can air your grievances.
Even if the other person is wrong, you have to learn to disagree without being angry. Patience is an essential soft skill, especially for the development team, as they don’t always have time to sit around and complain about the work they are being asked to do.
- mindfulness
Therefore, each individual has to build up a thick skin to handle any issues that may arise, whether it’s customer complaints, a problem with another team, or a new developer upgrade.
You should be able to understand your own personality and how it affects your decisions. It’s also a good idea to find out how others perceive you and use that to improve your development process.
- Listen
An engineering task may seem simple at first glance, but when broken down into steps, the path to success is often long and complex. A good engineer will decipher the problem and ensure that their solution is the best possible solution.
They will communicate this to their engineering colleagues without it seeming like a difficult decision. Instead, they will convey the best solution and allow the team to make the best choice for themselves. A good engineer will listen to their team and gain their team’s trust by remaining positive and empathetic with their approach.
- Direction
DevOps engineers are often involved in a digital transformation that can be difficult for some teams to follow. During this period, the engineer should show as much presentation, leadership and teaching skills as possible. Sharing knowledge through additional materials, external trainers and courses could be very beneficial on the long road to results and will alleviate stress and help every member get on the same page.
- Adaptability
DevOps is a dynamic field that requires quick-witted people who can grow in their careers. This may not be true for all areas of engineering, but DevOps is one of the few, if not the only one, that requires continuous learning. You can’t “know” the difference between Ruby, Python, or JavaScript and be a successful DevOps engineer. You need to practice and experiment with different tools and codebases to keep up with changing technology.
- Diplomacy
Developing tact and exercising diplomacy is extremely important for DevOps engineers. When dealing with people, it is crucial to adapt to the needs of others. Unfortunately, it’s a skill that many people think they have but can’t put into practice.
To be successful in DevOps, you will need to communicate well, you will need to know how to make effective decisions, and you will need to use your diplomatic skills to solve problems. A DevOps engineer with diplomatic skills will collaborate well with diverse teams and build consensus for projects.
- Team work
Developers usually enter the mix already knowing the basics of technology and how to write code. But it’s easy to feel out of place as a newcomer to the team, especially if you’re new to software development. You don’t want to make a rookie mistake that will ruin your day.
Instead of reinventing the wheel, you need to learn how your team works. It is essential that you learn more about their workflow and how they interact with each other. You can be the expert on a technical concept, but you still have to create an efficient and functional team.
- Responsibility
Engineering must be accountable to customers, stakeholders, and ultimately the organization. Be honest and proactive, and don’t be afraid to admit your mistakes and acknowledge them. Don’t use “Oh, I’m new” as an excuse.
Every engineer should be comfortable admitting their mistakes or mistakes without letting the whole team down. Once a mistake is made, you need to tell your co-workers quickly and openly.
For example, imagine you accidentally send the customer the wrong version of software containing critical security updates. The customer will surely panic and immediately notice the error. With that in mind, it’s important to make the team aware of your current situation and apologize for the mistake.
Summary
Obviously, a DevOps engineer must be thoughtful and have a broad knowledge of software engineering, system administration, and computer networking. Additionally, write code in multiple languages and understand the complex technical architectures used in modern web applications to adapt to the industry. But the mix of hard and soft skills will open doors for your career opportunities and make your day-to-day work more enjoyable and less stressful.
