The Rise of the Platform Engineer: A Guide to Shaping Your Career”
Platform Engineering is the discipline of designing, building, and managing the infrastructure and services (the “platform”) upon which software developers build applications. This platform often includes hardware, operating systems, networks, databases, servers, and other software and hardware that support application development and execution.
Platform Engineering aims to create an environment where software developers can focus on developing software applications without worrying about the underlying infrastructure’s intricacies. This can be seen in the use of cloud platforms (like AWS, Google Cloud, Azure), container orchestration platforms (like Kubernetes), and PaaS platforms.
Facts:Platform engineering is reported as the 2023 Top Strategic Technology Trends by the Gartner link
Platform Engineering has become increasingly popular in recent years for several reasons:
- Rise of Microservices and Cloud Computing: With the advent of microservices and the shift to cloud computing, there is a greater need for Platform Engineers who can manage the complexity of deploying, scaling, and managing services across diverse environments.
- DevOps and Automation: The move towards DevOps practices has stressed the need for automation and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD). Platform Engineers often build the tools and infrastructure necessary to support these practices.
- Scalability and Performance: As applications grow, they must handle more traffic and data. Platform Engineers play a critical role in building infrastructure that can scale effectively and maintain high performance.
- Focus on Core Business Logic: By abstracting away the complexities of the infrastructure, Platform Engineering allows software developers to focus more on writing the code that directly delivers value to the business.
- Cost Optimization: Efficient use of resources in the cloud can lead to significant cost savings. Platform Engineers can help design systems that make optimal use of resources.
- Standardization and Compliance: With the increased focus on privacy and data protection, there is a need for standardized processes and tools to ensure compliance. Platform Engineers can help build systems that meet these requirements.
Facts:
engineering organizations will establish platform teams as internal providers of reusable services, components and tools for application delivery. Source: Gartner
The rise of Platform Engineering is closely tied to industry trends like cloud computing, DevOps, and microservices. The role has become essential for businesses that want to be agile, scalable, and efficient in their software development practices.
Choosing Platform Engineering as a career path
Platform Engineering serves as a distinct and valuable career path within an organization, complementing roles like DevOps and Site Reliability Engineering (SRE). While DevOps and SRE ensure smooth software development processes and reliable, scalable infrastructure respectively, Platform Engineers are entrusted with the unique responsibility of crafting the tools, processes, and platforms on which software development and operational tasks occur. They bring specialization and a long-term strategic viewpoint, focusing on both current platform maintenance and future technical strategies. Their expertise promotes platform standardization across the organization, fostering enhanced collaboration and streamlined workflows, while their platform-centric insights contribute to more efficient and robust system design. Therefore, a dedicated Platform Engineering career path is crucial to leverage this distinct set of skills and perspectives for improved software processes and infrastructural growth.
Platform Engineering Career pathing
Platform Engineering Roles and Responsibilities :
Junior Platform Engineer
Gaining exposure to platform architecture, managing routine tasks, troubleshooting existing systems, participating in code reviews, assisting with cloud configurations, understanding developer tooling.
Skills: Familiarity with scripting languages, basic knowledge of cloud technologies and containerization, and understanding of operating systems and networks. Familiarity with Golang and Kubernetes.
Platform Engineer
Implementing features within the platform, working with cloud technologies, containerization, CI/CD tools, and scripting languages, helping implement security measures, ensuring system reliability, scaling systems to meet demand.
Skills: Advanced knowledge of cloud platforms, containerization, CI/CD tools, and scripting languages. Proficiency in Golang and Kubernetes.
Senior Platform Engineer
Designing system architecture, making key infrastructure decisions, mentoring junior team members, maintaining system security, managing complex projects, utilizing cloud services, optimizing developer tooling.
Skills:Expertise in system architecture, deep knowledge in a variety of tech stacks, cloud computing, containerization, CI/CD, databases, and security practices. Proficiency in Golang and Kubernetes.
Lead Platform Engineer
Leading a team of platform engineers, managing project timelines and resources, making strategic infrastructure decisions, interacting with stakeholders, balancing technical and business needs, driving cloud strategies, optimizing developer tooling processes.
Skills: Profound understanding of systems design and architecture, mastery of various tech stacks, and advanced knowledge of project management methodologies and tools. Proficiency in Golang and Kubernetes.
Staff Platform Engineer
Setting the technical direction for the platform, defining coding and infrastructure standards, leading large projects, guiding the use of cloud services, and enhancing developer tools.
Skills: Mastery of several tech stacks, extensive experience with modern platform technologies, expert understanding of systems design, and deep knowledge of performance, security, and data management strategies. Proficiency in Golang and Kubernetes.
Principal Platform Engineer
Acting as a technical leader for the entire organization, setting the technical vision and long-term platform strategy, driving the creation of complex engineering processes and standards, steers the organization’s cloud strategy, and optimizes developer tooling.
Skills: Deep technical expertise in a broad range of technologies, advanced skills in strategic technology planning, and expertise in designing and implementing complex engineering processes and standards. Proficiency in Golang and Kubernetes.
Platform Engineering Manager
Overseeing the work of multiple teams, driving the strategic direction of the platform, managing team performance and development, budgeting, aligning team goals with business objectives, setting cloud strategy, and improving developer tools.
Skills: Strong technical background, deep understanding of the tech stacks used in the organization, familiarity with budgeting and resource allocation, and experience with recruiting and talent development. Proficiency in Golang and Kubernetes.
Senior Manager, Platform Engineering
Setting the strategic direction for platform engineering across the organization, managing multiple teams, making key decisions that affect the platform's future, fostering cross-team collaboration, driving cloud strategy, and overseeing the enhancement of developer tooling.
Skills: Broad technical knowledge across multiple tech stacks, understanding of the business side of platform technologies, and deep knowledge of engineering management and operational excellence. Proficiency in Golang and Kubernetes.
Director of Platform Engineering
Setting the vision, planning, and execution of platform engineering tasks across the organization, making decisions on technology selection, shaping team structures, managing budgets, driving strategic planning and execution, leading the organization’s cloud strategy, works to enhance developer tooling.
Skills: Broad technical understanding, advanced strategic planning skills, understanding of finance and business strategy, and ability to manage large-scale tech teams and projects. Proficiency in Golang and Kubernetes.
Facts:
It is just the beginning of the platform engineering journey. Let's Ride the rollercoaster journey for the next ten years !!!!
