She Quit Her Stable Job to Become a DevOps Engineer (And is Now a Golden Kubestronaut)

After 8 years as a Senior Manufacturing Engineer in medical devices, Ana Pedra walked away from a stable career to start over in tech - with zero DevOps experience. Now she's a Cloud DevSecOps Engineer deploying production systems with Kubernetes across AWS, Azure, and GCP. She's achieved Golden Kubestronaut status and is now helping others make the same transition. 𝗔𝗻𝗮 𝗣𝗲𝗱𝗿𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: 🔗 DevOps Bootcamp: https://bit.ly/3OJhClW 🔗 DevSecOps Bootcamp: https://bit.ly/46DHB4k ▬▬▬ Thanks Ana Pedra for sharing your journey with the community 💙 ▬▬▬ ► Connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anapedra/ ► Be sure to checkout her Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@UCKfkLkeesYqXCEHrYEvcTbg ► Read Ana's full DevOps story here: https://www.techworld-with-nana.com/post/from-manufacturing-engineer-to-devops Her journey: → 2-month career break → intensive learning → first DevOps job within weeks → DevSecOps role at Spitch → became Golden Kubestronaut → teaching others to do the same In this interview, Ana breaks down: → How she proved her skills without professional experience → What actually got her hired (hint: it wasn't just certifications) → Her exact interview prep strategy → Day-to-day reality of working in DevOps → Why starting over was the best decision she ever made If you're thinking it's too late to switch careers or you need years of experience to break into DevOps - Ana's story proves otherwise. ▬▬▬▬▬▬ T I M E S T A M P S ⏰ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ 00:00 Introduction to Ana Pedra & Overview 01:59 Changing Careers after 8 years 07:58 Choosing a Profession in Tech and DevOps 12:31 Learning Strategy 14:35 Interview Challenges 17:17 DevOps bootcamp experience 21:58 Triple Proof Strategy for Securing a Job 28:05 The Job Interview Breakthrough 37:30 Navigating the Job Market as a Junior DevOps Engineer 41:21 Advice for Aspiring DevOps Professionals 44:00 First Days at Work 46:55 Choosing the Right Job for Growth 51:49 Day in the Life of a DevOps Engineer 54:18 Continuous Learning Mindset - DevSecOps 56:19 Your career is not set in stone 58:35 Importance of Intentional Learning (Staying motivated) 01:03:27 Becoming a Golden Kubestronaut and Helping People 01:04:30 Career Timeline Recapped ▬▬▬▬▬▬ 🎙️ PART OF INTERVIEW SERIES 🎙️ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ Link to playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLy7NrYWoggjzWeggYOnCigkyu4feE_ADd This series features in-depth conversations with industry experts like Kelsey Hightower and real career journeys, from people who made it happen, sharing practical insights on learning paths, interview preparation, and day-to-day DevOps work. I capture real transformation stories from our DevOps bootcamp graduates about building a DevOps career. Hear how people learned Kubernetes, prepared project portfolios, landed multiple job offers, and navigate the evolving landscape of AI in infrastructure. Whether you're considering DevOps or already in the field, these conversations reveal what's actually working. ▬▬▬▬▬▬ Connect with me 👋 ▬▬▬▬▬▬ INSTAGRAM ► https://bit.ly/2F3LXYJ TWITTER ► https://bit.ly/3i54PUB LINKEDIN ► https://bit.ly/3hWOLVT TechWorld with Nana DevOps Bootcamp | DevOps Bootcamp Review | How To Become a DevOps Engineer | Best DevOps Bootcamp