I’m based in the UK and on an apprenticeship programme at work. After completing a general IT technician course at level 3 I’m moving onto a level 4 course. It looks like my choices are going to be devops or network engineering. I know a little about networks but I know nothing about devops. My question is, which is likely to give me more career opportunities?

  • Toes♀@ani.social
    1·
    1 month ago

    Sysadmin and network roles are saturated. You only need a couple for a few hundred employees and colleges are pumping out dozens a semester each.

    So unless you’re interested in certification hell and rock a stellar GPA. I’d suggest DevOps of the two choices.

    Database and legacy code roles are in demand though.

  • nottelling@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    Devops will have more job openings, network will have a higher salary, especially as you become more senior.

    Devops people who don’t know networking and/or general traditional sysadmin work are a crushing pain in the ass for those of us who have to support them though. Networking background will make you better at devops, but not necessarily vice versa.

    • slazer2au@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      2 months ago

      Becoming a networking expert will also make you an expert in troubleshooting everything else in the IT stack from web servers not turned on to database queries causing high CPU usage. All because when something goes wrong it’s the network fault.

      • MelodiousFunk@slrpnk.net
        1·
        1 month ago

        I’m far from a networking expert, but I was usually the guy that had to reel the network guys back in when they said “you always blame the network” and stood around waiting to be proven in the wrong. It’s amazing what a couple tracert and continuous ping commands will show (and how little interest corporate IT shows in doing even the basics unless monitoring is under their team).