How To Succeed In DevOps Without Really Trying

@DaveZwieback Head of Systems

DevOps (Lite) is about…

Culture Lean Automation Measurement Sharing

OK, and why aren’t we explicitly talking about humans?

T-shaped people?

-shaped people

Finding just the right LOLCATS for a presentation

Hunting Unicorns

Javascript Debugging Fu

Neck Beard Maintenance

Kernel tuning, definitely

You might be a generalist if you…

•  have been doing this “for a while”

•  have a jagged, non-linear career path

•  have a healthy interest in “disaster porn”

•  have some arcane, secret knowledge

•  have wide-ranging interests

•  are open to new things

You might be a generalist if you…

•  have been doing this “for a while”

•  have a jagged, non-linear career path

•  have a healthy interest in “disaster porn”

•  have some arcane, secret knowledge

•  have wide-ranging interests

•  are open to new things

Good News/Bad News

Herd of Unicorns.

division of labor to its extreme, [is] a principle which should never be followed but with circumspection.

Walden; Or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau

“

Burj Khalifa, 2,723 ft

Thoreau’s cabin, 10 ft (estimated)

But, dude! We’re building at “web scale”!

Generalist Salary: Medium to High Risk of Extinction: Low

Cuteness: Off the Charts!!!!

Specialist Salary: High to Ridiculous

Risk of Extinction: Extreme Cuteness: Arguable!

You might want to be a generalist

Public Service Announcement For Make Benefit

Glorious Teams of Devs and Ops

•  Put junior people through team rotation

•  Make it easier for mid-level/senior people to switch teams (bonus: helps retention)

•  Put developers on ops rotation, and give them root

•  Mentor ops people to go beyond scripting, and become full developers

http://knewton.com/jobs

We’re hiring generalists.

Photo Credits •  Egg Cup, Unknown. Retrieved from http://homeklondike.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/3-egg-egg-cup-by-normann-

copenhagen.jpg

•  Nppon Fantasy Army , Unknown. Retrieved from http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ts1HdLGjywM/TBal2p8AZ0I/AAAAAAAAL9Y/kAacSEVnQHQ/s1600/nippon_fantasy_army_book_warhammer.JPG

•  Thoreau’s Cabin, Unknown. Retrieved from http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3iRlTMt47Qc/TN65ZHHlS2I/AAAAAAAAAGk/Y7WDBC161v4/s1600/thoreaucabin.JPG

•  Lunch atop a Skyscraper (New York Construction Workers Lunching on a Crossbeam), 1932, Charles C. Ebbets

•  Peek a Boo, Insight Imaging: John A Ryan Photography

•  Koala, Jo Christian Oterhals

•  Burj Khalifa under sunrise, Nicolas Lannuzel

•  Clams, avlxyz

•  Broken Comb, Unknown. Retrieved from https://thedreamzone.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/broken_comb2.jpg