Why I wrote this post #

Hey everyone, I have a small announcement: I just landed a new job! 🚀

More than just sharing the news, I want this post to encourage those of you—especially fellow System Administrators—who are chasing a similar career transition. We work with servers, networks, helpdesk tickets, and paperwork. Some of us may only have limited exposure to CI/CD, containers, or Kubernetes. Switching to a DevOps career isn’t easy.

I haven’t fully realized my “DevOps dream job” yet, but I’m getting closer. This post is a cheer of support: achieving our dream role is not easy and may not be accomplished in one leap. Just take some time and keep grinding!

My background #

I worked as a System Administrator for seven years. Over time, the work felt repetitive, and my career started to feel stagnant—I needed a new challenge.

My previous company was in manufacturing, so software development wasn’t a core part of the business. When I asked about Git, most people shrugged. In my opinion it was hard to grow technically in that environment, so I decided to switch a job.

As a part of my plan to change a job, in 2023 I earned my AWS Cloud Practitioner and Solutions Architect Associate certifications. That motivated me to apply for Cloud Engineer roles, but my 2023 job hunt didn’t go well.

How community helped me bounce back #

After that failed attempt, I felt discouraged and unsure of my next step. Should I try for more senior SysAdmin roles at tech-focused companies? Was the Cloud Engineer path right for me?

Thankfully, two things helped me regain direction: taking time to reflect and joining tech communities.

I started attending local meetups—on web development, mobile development, blockchain, AI, and more. These events not only expanded my network, but also gave me insight into trending tech and career paths.

One standout was the KubeCraft online community. It stood out for being open and transparent—members used real names and profile photos and even held video calls. Unlike anonymous forums, KubeCraft fostered genuine support. Members regularly shared their career wins, certifications, and learning journeys. But it wasn’t just about success stories—many also asked for advice, shared their struggles, or opened up about feeling discouraged during their studies. Overall, the atmosphere is genuine yet supportive. Witnessing how people struggle but able to overcome it, I regained my confidence and set a new goal: to become a professional DevOps engineer.

Retrying my job hunting: practice, practice, practice #

One of the hardest parts about switching from SysAdmin to DevOps is proving you have the competences. DevOps spans many technologies, and career changers often lack formal experience.

For us, career changers, hands-on projects and a solid portfolio are key. Here’s what I did:

• Cloud Resume Challenge: I built and deployed my resume as a static site in the cloud. It’s a simple but powerful project that touches on various cloud and DevOps tools.
• Kubernetes Homelab: In the industry Kubernetes is becoming the de facto technology to deploy a service. Mastering Kubernetes is definitely a strategic action for my next job hunting.

Confession: I haven’t finished the homelab yet! Earlier this year, I had a sabbatical to travel to the US and Europe for inspiration and personal growth. Traveling made it hard to run a dedicated server. But now I’m back in Japan with a new home and a new PC on the way. Can’t wait to continue! ❤️‍🔥

Job hunting timeline #

Here is the timeline of my 2025 job hunting.

• December 2024: quit my job
• January 2025: joined KubeCraft community
• February - May 2025: travel in the US and Europe, attended local meetups while doing the KubeCraft online course
• June 2025: returned to Japan, restart the job hunting
• July 2025: got a new job

The outcome #

I applied mainly for Cloud Engineer and DevOps/SRE roles. The closest I got was a final-round interview for an SRE role in a large IT company’s distributed database team. Sadly, I didn’t make it.

Still, I’m proud to say I’ve started a new position as a Cloud Infrastructure Engineer at a leading blockchain company. I originally applied for an SRE role, but the hiring manager offered me this position instead—explaining that if I prove myself, I could take on both responsibilities or maybe move into a full-time SRE role. I think that’s fair, especially since my Kubernetes homelab isn’t finished yet 😅.

In short: I haven’t landed my dream job yet, but I’m one step closer. And you can get there too. Don’t give up. Keep learning, keep building, and keep pushing forward.

Thanks for reading. I hope this post motivates and encourages you. Furthermore, I also hope I can write the second episode of this post when I land a DevOps role 😄.