What are soft skills and hard skills? Why mastering both is important for a DevOps engineer.
You’ve probably heard about soft skills and their importance for DevOps engineers.
But what are soft and hard skills?
Why do you have to develop them both?
Our professional foundation rests on three pillars: Mindset, Soft Skills and Hard Skills.
- Mindset: how do you think?
- Soft skills: how do you behave?
- Hard skills: what tools do you use?
Mindset
Your mindset is a set of beliefs that shape how you make sense of the world and yourself. It means that if you believe that you are ugly, you will act like an ugly person. Every glance you catch on yourself, you will think that people are staring at you because you are ugly.
If you believe that it is impossible to achieve anything in our world unless you were born into a rich family, then you will not achieve anything.
On the other hand, if you believe that you can become anyone you want, the sky is the limit.
If you understand and believe that our time here is limited and you have nothing to lose (because anyway, you will lose everything in the end), you will behave like a person who is playing a game and trying to take what he can (before the man says it’s time to go).
Soft Skills
It’s a set of skills that enable someone to interact effectively.
There are many soft skills exist, here are some of them:
- Communication
Clear and concise communication is crucial for conveying ideas, discussing issues, and collaborating with team members.
This skill encompasses not just talking but also listening. Effective communication involves conveying technical information clearly to both technical and non-technical team members. It’s also about understanding others’ viewpoints and being receptive to feedback.
Read more about communication skills here.
- Critical Thinking
Critical thinking involves the ability to evaluate situations objectively, assess information, and make informed decisions.
DevOps engineers often need to make decisions under pressure, and this skill helps in choosing the best course of action.
Read more about critical thinking here.
- Adaptability
DevOps environments are dynamic.
DevOps engineers must embrace change, whether it’s adopting new tools, responding to shifting priorities, or accommodating evolving project requirements.
Being adaptable means staying agile in the face of change.
- Time management
Prioritizing tasks, managing deadlines, and allocating resources efficiently are vital aspects of time management.
It ensures that projects progress smoothly and are completed on schedule.
- Leadership
Even if not in formal leadership roles, DevOps engineers may need to take the lead in certain situations.
Leadership skills include motivating and influencing team members, setting a positive example, and driving initiatives forward.
Read more about leadership here.
- Attention to Detail
Paying close attention to details is essential in DevOps, where small oversights can lead to significant issues.
Being accurate in coding, configuration, and processes helps maintain high standards. Most skills come with experience, but there is a great way to develop some of them, and that's by reading books.
Hard Skills
Are the specific knowledge or abilities needed to do a job.
It’s your Docker or Kubernetes knowledge.
This is your understanding of how a particular product works.
This is your knowledge of networks and protocols.
Et cetera.
You can be the best specialist in a certain field, but if you don’t know how to tell the world about it, no one will know.
You can be the most technical person in the company, but if you don’t prioritize and manage your time well, you could do more harm than good.
If you don’t know how to quickly switch to new technologies, if you’re a “creature of habits," this can be a problem in the DevOps field.
Imagine a DevOps engineer who is excellent at scripting, automation, and quickly identifying technical issues during a major system outage. However, he is struggling with clear and effective communication.
During the crisis, he failed to provide concise updates to the team and project manager, leading to confusion and delays in decision-making.
Or imagine a highly skilled DevOps engineer who has difficulty working collaboratively with other team members.
He works in isolation, not sharing his knowledge or documenting his processes. This is leading to knowledge silos, making it difficult for the team to function effectively when this engineer is not available.
As a result, the team’s overall productivity and ability to solve complex problems suffer.
In the ever-evolving world of DevOps, how do you stand out? The answer lies in a unique combination of soft and hard skills.
You need to develop both.
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