Is a DevOps Engineer Just a Myth in Tech Circles?
Lately, there’s been this recurring statement floating around: “There’s no such thing as a dedicated DevOps engineer.” People claim that DevOps isn’t a role but rather a culture — where software engineers, QA engineers, and ops folks all share the responsibility of operations.
But, here’s the thing: while this idea may resonate with some purists, it doesn’t reflect what’s happening in the majority of companies today.
For over a decade now, the idea that DevOps is a culture, not a title has been a point of contention within the community. Sure, I get it. The purest interpretation of DevOps revolves around breaking down silos and fostering collaboration across teams. Everyone — devs, ops, testers — working together, shoulder-to-shoulder, to deliver faster and more efficiently.
Sounds great in theory, right?
The Reality of DevOps Workload
The truth is, DevOps is a lot of work. We took things like infrastructure, configuration, and turned them into code. Now someone has to write, test, release, and maintain all of that code. On top of that, they’re expected to ensure the continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines are flowing smoothly for the applications themselves.
Let me break it down:
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC) isn’t just some plug-and-play concept; it’s intricate and requires deep knowledge.
- Managing CI/CD for complex microservices? That’s no joke either.
So, if someone tells you that DevOps is just a culture, ask them: who exactly is supposed to manage all that work? Who’s the one building the pipelines, automating infrastructure, writing the code that manages everything?
The “Cross-Functional” Dream
I’ve heard another popular theory floating around: the idea of “cross-functional” teams where ops folks do some dev work, and devs take on some ops tasks. And yeah, it sounds collaborative and modern — until you try to put it into practice.
Here’s the cold, hard truth: this doesn’t work in the real world. There’s just too much specialized work involved. Sure, you can have people dabble in each other’s domains, but to really excel? You need folks who deeply understand the nuances of either development or operations.
The Moving Target of DevOps
One of the biggest challenges with defining the role of a “DevOps engineer” is that the goalposts are constantly shifting. DevOps ushered in a whole new paradigm of software delivery — and with it came an ever-evolving set of responsibilities. We moved from manual processes to Everything as Code. The complexity has grown, the tools have multiplied, and the skills required to keep up are constantly expanding.
Let’s break it down:
- DevOps, the idea — It’s a mindset shift, yes. It’s about shortening feedback loops, improving collaboration, and speeding up development cycles.
- DevOps, the process — It’s all about automation. Automate everything. Test everything.
- DevOps, the implementation — You need someone who knows how to do all this.
So, the role of a DevOps engineer is essential because there’s a lot of work to be done, and someone needs to do it.
So, Is There Really a DevOps Engineer?
In short, yes. There are hundreds of thousands of job openings for DevOps engineers across the globe, and the demand isn’t slowing down anytime soon. The idea that a DevOps engineer doesn’t exist is a bit laughable when you look at how essential these people are to modern software delivery.
In my opinion, the main goal of DevOps is to remove barriers. Back in the day, devs would be frustrated with ops because it took weeks to get a new server ready. On the other hand, ops would be equally frustrated, blaming devs for delivering unmanageable code.
DevOps shifted this dynamic. In environments where developers are more involved in operations and operations engineers apply software development techniques, both sides start to understand the challenges and obstacles the other faces.
Once everyone is on the same page, it’s easier to collaborate and deliver what actually matters: the product.
Specialties Still Matter
At the end of the day, people will still have their respective specialties. Devs will continue to focus on building features, and ops folks will continue to manage infrastructure — but the lines will blur. Responsibility will be shared, and collaboration will increase. But make no mistake: there will always be a need for specialized DevOps engineers who can bring it all together.
Because while DevOps may have started as a culture, in today’s complex technical landscape, it’s also a job.
