You remember that story I told you about avoiding Kubernetes for 2 years? The one where I said I was "intimidated" and then a client issue forced m...
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Being in the world devops engineer/SRE, reading this was cathartic. I also forward it on to a group of friends who over time I've brought into this wonderful life, I love the job I do but it really does need talking about that we all have times like this.
Thank you so much, Matt. Honestly, comments like this remind me why I keep writing. DevOps is powerful, but it can also be heavy, and hearing that it resonated with you and your friends means a lot. We really do need to talk about the tough moments too. 🙏🔥
Very nice article!
Thank you Kaike! I appreciate it a lot. 🙏✨
A tip for anyone else being afraid of these kind of issues: test your container before deploying it to kubernetes. After you build your image (with
docker buildorpodman buildor whichever tool you prefer), run your container using the same tools without the kubernetes complexity.Second: if you really want to learn kubernetes (even if it's just the basics) to use it in production, follow tutorials/courses that prepare your for their CKAD (certified kubernetes applocation developer)/CKA (certified kubernetes administrator) certifications. The exams for these certifications are based for around 50% on troubleshooting all sorts of issues you can run into when using kubernetes.
And the knowledge required for their CKS (certified kubernetes security specialist) exam is really a must too if you don't want to have your cluster burn down if your application becomes serious business.
To be clear: you don't have to do the exams, but just watching the tutorials that prepare you for the exams will show you all the broken paths you can come across when working with kubernetes.
I have been where you are as well and when you're under pressure, it's not the time to learn new things. Now I'm a kubestronaut and I can honestly say: the kubernetes certifications are the most practical no-nonse certifications I have ever come across.
This is GOLD, Tom. Thank you for sharing this. 🙏
Testing images outside Kubernetes is such a practical tip , it’s one of those things you don’t appreciate until you’ve been burned a few times.
I haven’t taken the CKAD/CKA/CKS exams myself yet, but I really respect how troubleshooting-focused those paths are. Even just learning in that direction exposes you to the real failure modes people don’t talk about enough.
Really appreciate you dropping this knowledge here. 🔥💡
Thanks a lot for this, I'm very early in my Cloud/SRE career and this helped me understand the bittersweet reality. Not everything is going to be smooth sailing, but those storms along the way will shape us into a better person 💪
You said it perfectly , bittersweet. 🤝
Early career in Cloud/SRE can feel overwhelming, but every storm truly shapes you. Keep going, Valentino. You’re already on the right path and it gets better, sharper, and more rewarding. 💪🚀
I do this job for just one reason.
Everytime I struggle, everytime someone asks me something and I'm at the top position and can no escalate more, anytime a client relies on me, I'm in a challenge.
And it's a match between me and the machine, round number i+1.
And I refuse to give up to Matrix, I wanna win this battle once again.
This is such a powerful way to describe it.
Every challenge really is another round with the machine , and refusing to give up builds a different kind of resilience. I love this mindset. Thank you, Davide. 👊⚙️
My example is about JavaScript, but I had a similar moment this summer. I was taking a front-end development class. I breezed through the section on HTML, learned a couple new things from the CSS section, and did pretty well at the basics of JavaScript.
This was mostly stuff I knew already. Then we got to the final project, where you have to build an entire site in JavaScript only using DOM manipulation and calls to an external API. I could not get it to work.
I experienced that same frustration, the same rabbit holes with error messages, and the same feeling of almost giving up.
Eventually, I did figure it out. I came to a similar conclusion as you: all of that frustration was actually my brain re-wiring itself to learn a new skill. It was difficult, but things worth doing, especially in software development, are rarely easy.
Wow, Colin, this is so relatable.
That moment when everything works until the final project hits… then boom, full chaos 😅
But you’re right, those struggles literally rewire our brains. That’s how breakthroughs are made. Thank you for sharing this story , it adds so much depth here. 🚀🧠
Thank you sharing your experience. Beautiful advice to take onboard.
Thank you so much, Smihah. I’m glad it spoke to you. 🙏✨
"By hour 4, I wasn't debugging anymore. I was just clicking random things and hoping something would work." hahaha! been there done that :D Very nice article btw!
🤣🤣 That part was real!
Sometimes the debugging becomes “let me just press anything!”
Thank you Spiros ,happy you enjoyed it! 🔥
Beautiful! Very well said and beautifully done!
Being honest and transparent about our struggles truly helps us overcome them. Congrats!
Thank you Daniel 🙏
I strongly believe in transparency , it helps us all grow and navigate this industry better. I appreciate your kind words! ✨