The world of technology is evolving at an unprecedented pace. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a greater push for cloud adoption and sustainable budget planning for IT projects. As a result, the demand for skilled professionals in DevOps and Cloud Engineering has skyrocketed. Code Platoon recognized this need and set out to bridge the gap by offering a comprehensive DevOps bootcamp tailored to military Veterans and spouses looking to embark on a career in this exciting field.

Code Platoon’s primary motivation in creating a top cloud engineering Bootcamp is to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in the ever-changing technology landscape. 

“Our curriculum is carefully crafted to combine theory with practical, hands-on assignments and projects, ensuring that our students are well-prepared for the real-world challenges they will face in their DevOps careers,” said Chandra Arya, Lead DevOps Instructor at Code Platoon. 

“One of the core principles we emphasize in our training program is the DevOps mindset. Effective communication, collaboration, and continuous improvement are the key pillars of success in this field.”

The DevOps curriculum is divided into five major modules. 

• The Linux and AWS track focuses on developing proficiency in Linux operating systems and utilizing the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud platform. 
• The Infrastructure and Automation track emphasizes infrastructure automation and configuration management using tools such as Terraform and Ansible. 
• The CI/CD track centers around implementing Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines using GitHub Actions. 
• The Monitoring track covers various tools and services for monitoring infrastructure and applications, including Cloudwatch, Elasticsearch, Kibana, Logstash, and major beats like Filebeat, Packetbeat, and Metricbeat. 
• Finally, the Containerization and Orchestration track delves into containerization using Docker and orchestration using Kubernetes. 

DevOps students learn to work in cross-functional teams, fostering a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing. They gain a deep understanding of the principles and practices of DevOps, including continuous integration, continuous delivery, and Infrastructure as Code.

“What sets our bootcamp apart is our emphasis on practical, hands-on experience,” says Adam Cahan, Program Director at Code Platoon. “Students work on real-world projects: deploying and managing applications, setting up CI/CD pipelines, and automating infrastructure. This approach helps them gain valuable experience and develop the skills needed for the job.”

“We have closely studied the current job market and industry requirements to ensure that our curriculum aligns with the latest trends and technologies in DevOps,” Chandra says. “We continuously monitor the industry landscape and update our course material accordingly. We want our students equipped with the most relevant skills to meet the available DevOps career opportunities.”

The DevOps curriculum also addresses the specific needs and challenges military Veterans and spouses face. 

“We understand the unique skill sets and experiences they bring to the table, and our program is tailored to leverage and build upon those strengths,” Adam said. “We offer a supportive network of instructors and mentors with firsthand experience in the tech industry and the military. This provides our students with a valuable support system as they transition into their careers.”

Both Chandra and Adam emphasize that the success of our students is at the heart of what they do. 

“Our ultimate goal is to see our graduates secure rewarding DevOps job opportunities, contribute to the success of their organizations, and make a positive impact in the world of technology,” Chandra says. “We have witnessed countless success stories of military Veterans and spouses transforming their lives and flourishing in the tech world.”

Jim Hennessey is Code Platoon’s Director of Marketing. Jim brings a strong background in nonprofit marketing and start-up enterprises to the mission of Code Platoon. Jim is a graduate of Clemson University and currently lives in Chicago. Follow Jim on LinkedIn.

Almost all coding bootcamp students are anxious about getting their first tech job. Many without four-year degrees also worry about advancing their careers in the industry. James Wilton, Technical Team Lead at Procore Technologies and Alpha Platoon graduate, used to feel this anxiety. But his journey proves it’s possible to establish and grow a tech career without a bachelor’s degree.

“In my seven years of experience, practical knowledge is the biggest asset in tech,” James said. “Nobody I’ve ever worked with has treated me differently because I don’t have a four-year degree. They instead see my accomplishments and desire to keep learning.”

Like many Veterans, James actually planned to attend college after his service ended. 

“I enlisted in the Army National Guard in 2008,” James said. “I grew up in a group home. The military was one of the few ways I had seen my peers save money to pursue higher education.” 

But once James left the service, he couldn’t wait four years for a stable, full-time job. Feeling lost, he turned to his friends for guidance. His friend told him about a relatively new concept – the coding bootcamp. 

James explored this opportunity and discovered a Coding Bootcamp exclusively designed for Veterans. He seized the opportunity to join Code Platoon’s inaugural Alpha Platoon.

“Even though Code Platoon was a new training provider, what drew me in was the shared military experience among the students. It felt easier to connect with my cohort of fellow Veterans. I still talk to several of the other graduates from my cohort.”

Once James graduated from Code Platoon, he leveraged his military experience within the vast Veteran tech professional network. 

“I’d look specifically for Veteran recruiters at companies I was interested in and reach out to them for tech job referrals. In interviews, I’d share my unique skill set from my service—leadership, working under pressure, and setting and achieving goals.”

James entered the tech industry as a software engineer apprentice at Enova. He remained with the financial tech company for two years. Then he joined Procore.

“My career progressed organically from there,” he said. “I was assigned to a ‘bug smash team’ at Procore. We started investigating and found more significant issues in the code than leadership had predicted. I spent a lot of time researching and reviewing metrics.

“Because I became the subject matter expert, I began overseeing sub-contractors and became the Product and Technical Team Lead I am today. Now, I help manage my team’s software product, lead Agile ceremonies, and work with stakeholders to strategize the future of the product (and prevent more bugs).”

James is also considering returning to college, but this time for his interest rather than a perceived necessity.

“I’m toying with the idea of continuing my education, but I’d be doing it for me,” James said. “I’m always seeking new opportunities to grow my skill set. I went to Code Platoon because I was excited to discover the tech world. I’ve kept that mindset throughout my career. 

“I’ve discovered this over the years: no matter how long I work in tech, I’ll never know everything. That can be intimidating, but it keeps me coming back for more after all this time.”

Kayla Elkin is the Marketing Content Specialist at Code Platoon. In this role, she uses her marketing, writing, and editing skills developed from previous higher education and educational technology positions. Kayla has degrees in English and Sociology from Clemson University and completed the Study in India Program (SIP) at the University of Hyderabad. She lives with her partner in northern Chicago.

On April 15, 21 Veteran, Active Duty, and military spouse students graduated from Code Platoon’s Full-stack Software Engineering Bootcamp: Evening and Weekend program. During the 28-week Coding Bootcamp, these students put their new software development skills to the test and created some awesome web applications. 

As part of their graduation ceremony, the Delta Evening & Weekend Platoon got to showcase their projects. Here are their tech demonstrations:

Our first group is Book Club. Book Club is a full-stack web application to help people discover new books and connect with a community of bookworms and casual readers. The tech stack for Book Club includes Python code with Django and the Django Rest framework on the back end and JavaScript and JSX code with CSS and Bootstrap for styling on the front end. The Book Club app is containerized via Docker and hosted live on AWS.

A Navy Spouse, two Navy Veterans, and an Air Force Veteran developed Book Club. Check out their final project below.

 

Next up is Journey, a hiking web application. The team behind Journey is an Army Veteran, a Navy Veteran, an Air Force Veteran, and an Army National Guard Veteran. 

Journey is a hiking app with a responsive, mobile-first design. Journey users can document their hiking trails and discover information about US National Parks ahead of their visits.

The team behind Journey built this app with React, HTML, and CSS on the front end and back-end infrastructure of Python on Django. They used the National Parks API to provide park names, information, and videos, and Github, Docker, and AWS to deploy Journey on the web.

Here is the Journey presentation.

MedNOW is the third project in this showcase. MedNOW was created using multiple API calls, including the National Institute of Health (NIH) API RxTerms, the NIH Drug Interaction API, and the openFDA API. The full-stack web application was designed with Ant Design and Bootstrap. It features React JavaScript library on the front end and Django Rest framework with Python on the back end.

MedNOW tracks the user’s medication intake and sends reminders to refill before running out. It also shows essential medication safety information, including drug interactions and potential side effects.

A Marine Corps Veteran, Army Veteran, Air Force Veteran, and Marine Corps military spouse created MedNOW. Watch their demonstration below.

Moose Travel is a travel itinerary and management app developed by two Army Veterans, an active duty Army National Guard Soldier, and an Army spouse. 

The app generates detailed travel itineraries via the ChatGPT API. The traveler inputs their destination preferences, flight, hotel, and rental car information, and the AI Personal Assistant generates an itinerary for every day of the trip.

The Moose Travel team used JavaScript through React on the front end, Python and Django on the back end, and Postman to verify the API endpoints for OpenAI, Amadeus, Avis Budget Group, and Google Maps APIs. Moose Travel has also been Dockerized and deployed through an AWS ec2 instance.

Check out Moose Travel!

The final project developed by Delta E&W Platoon graduates is Bar Path Program. This full-stack application helps personal trainers and gym coaches manage their clients’ workout plans and track their progress. 

Bar Path Program uses Bootstrap, JavaScript, and React on the front end and Python through Django on the back end. The team collaborated on the project via Github and Trello and deployed it via Docker, AWS ECS, and AWS S3.

Watch the Bar Path Program presentation by two Army Veterans, two Marine Corps Veterans, and an Army military spouse.

Congratulations to the Delta Evening and Weekend Platoon graduates! We’re proud of the cohort’s accomplishments on display during the graduation ceremony.

In our never-ending quest to help Servicemembers navigate the SkillBridge process, Code Platoon recently became aware of new guidelines published by the Department of the Navy for DoD SkillBridge program participants. 

Given that these are detailed enough that a mere summary might raise more questions than answers, I will offer the Navy’s main points and a few thoughts afterward. 

As stated on their website:

1. This NAVADMIN message updates SkillBridge registration procedures to be conducted within the new SkillBridge application portal. It additionally institutes new policy controls. Reference (a) remains in full effect except as modified below.
2. Policy and procedure changes in this NAVADMIN are effective immediately for all new SkillBridge applicants. In line with reference (a), Sailors with prior command approval are grandfathered and may start or continue their SkillBridge program as approved by their command. Sailors without command approval must reapply under the guidelines of this message.
3. From this point forward, Sailors desiring to participate in SkillBridge must register and apply for SkillBridge approval using the application portal via MyNavy Education at https://myeducation.netc.navy.mil/. Email registrations are no longer being accepted. Application portal instructions can be found at https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Career-Management/Transition/SkillBridge/.
4. SkillBridge is intended to provide transition assistance and skill development for Service members leaving the Navy. However, it is not an entitlement, and participation does impact readiness. As such, the time allowed for program participation is now based on paygrade. If approved, SkillBridge must occur prior to any terminal leave or permissive temporary duty associated with separation, fleet reserve, or retirement. The following limits indicate the maximum amount of time prior to the actual separation, fleet reserve, or retirement date that SkillBridge participation can commence.
   1. Tier one (enlisted E5 and below) – 180 days or less.
   2. Tier two (enlisted E6-E9) – 120 days or less.
   3. Tier three (officers O4 and below) – 120 days or less.
   4. Tier four (officers O5 and above) – 90 days or less.
5. SkillBridge applications for tier four personnel shall not be approved if participation would result in a gapped billet. Additionally, tier four applicants now require positive endorsement from the Director, Military Personnel Plans and Policy (OPNAV N13) before they can begin SkillBridge. Commanding officers (CO) must certify in any approval for tier four applicants that SkillBridge participation will not result in a gap. The Office of the Chief of Naval Personnel (OPNAV) SkillBridge registrar will forward command-approved requests for tier four personnel to OPNAV N13. The registrar will then notify applicants of OPNAV N13’s decision.
6. Personnel who have received service-funded education, to include tuition assistance, under-graduate and post-graduate education, will not be permitted to start SkillBridge until all obligated service for that education is complete.
7. Officers must fulfill their minimum service requirement for commissioning prior to starting SkillBridge.
8. Officers serving under a retention bonus will not be permitted to start SkillBridge until the service obligation for that bonus is complete.
9. COs should consider whether allowing SkillBridge participation by Sailors in receipt of skill or billet-based special and incentive pays would negatively impact mission readiness. In line with reference (a), COs are always fully authorized to deny or curtail SkillBridge requests in light of mission readiness impacts.
10. Sailors who relinquish an overseas housing allowance or overseas military housing to return to the continental United States for SkillBridge participation are not currently eligible for a housing allowance in line with reference (b). This is a recognized gap that OPNAV is actively working with the Department of Defense in order to develop a solution.
11. All other policies in reference (a) remain in effect.
12. Additional resources are available at https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Career-Management/Transition/SkillBridge/.
13. Direct all questions regarding SkillBridge policy to navy_skillbridge.fct(at)navy.mil or by phone at (703) 604-5310.
14. This message will remain in effect until superseded or canceled, whichever occurs first.
15. Released by Vice Admiral Richard J. Cheeseman, Jr., N1.//BT

The big takeaways for Navy personnel here are that SkillBridge is not an entitlement, and all SkillBridge opportunities are at the commander’s discretion, but also that organizations like Code Platoon are fully capable of working within these guidelines. 

We’re here to help you navigate this process, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Greg Drobny is a former Airborne Infantryman, PSYOP Team Chief, political consultant, professional mil blogger, and is Code Platoon’s Student Outreach and Recruitment Manager. He holds a BA and MA in history, as well as a Masters of Science in organizational psychology. He is married with four children who keep him more than slightly busy and is passionate about helping Veterans find their paths in life and develop the skills needed to pursue their goals.

Sometimes the best career fields are ones we don’t know too much about. A little over three years ago, if you asked me what a software developer did daily, I would probably mumble something about mysterious command line interfaces and social isolation. Thankfully, someone took the time out of their day back in 2021 to say that none of that is true. The profession is highly transparent and very social.

I’ve been working as a full-time software engineer for a little over a year now, and I’m already starting down another new career path! No, I’m not leaving software development behind. I’ve been brought on as a DevOps engineer consultant for a major pharmaceutical company. 

I can still remember the trepidations of becoming a new software developer, and more recently a DevOps engineer. Whether you work in software or you are new to the field, changing career focus can be daunting. Today I want to enlighten you on what DevOps engineers are and encourage you to venture down this career path. I’ll include some context of what the profession is and some helpful things I wish I had known before I started as a DevOps engineer.

WHAT ARE DEVOPS ENGINEERS?

You may be asking, what is a DevOps engineer? Well, that takes some context around where they exist and what kind of environment they exist in. DevOps engineers sit between software developers and operations personnel. Developers are generally the folks who write the code, while operations folks focus on deploying, monitoring, and maintaining applications. DevOps engineers bridge the gap between these two functions by easing workflows, increasing speed of delivery, and ensuring security throughout the process. In the end, DevOps engineers, much like operations and development, are focused on getting quality software into the hands of customers. 8th Light has published some articles that explore specific practices and challenges in DevOps. Amazon Web Services provides a deeper overview as well.

WHAT DOES A DEVOPS ENGINEER DO?

DevOps engineers manage the workflows and delivery cycles for software teams across the organization and all of its digital products. They create shared systems that allow other teams to thrive, and they create custom solutions for their platform’s unique needs.

DevOps Engineers Support Teams

Imagine the following: You are a DevOps engineer supporting a large healthcare corporation. You have seven teams of software engineers delivering applications using different programming languages. You have a bit of .Net in C#, some Java, a bunch of bash scripting, and even some PowerShell! That is a lot of developers and complexity to support.

Your job as a DevOps Engineer is not to understand all of their applications in-depth, but to understand the team’s difficulties and frustrations when working with their apps. Your main concern is ensuring obstacles are removed from their path in the delivery pipeline, processes have quick response times, and only high-quality code is reaching the deployment cycle.

DevOps Engineers Create Custom Solutions

Your engineers already have a lengthy process flow to get code to production. They have to run unit tests, user interface tests, and security analyses on their changes. Then they notify their seniors that their code is ready for review. Once that code is ready for deployment, your teams have to notify their seniors that their code is ready for review. They may have to email the operations team to schedule deployment and generate required government compliance reports.

As a DevOps engineer, you create automation solutions for their workflow. You can write custom programs that automatically test new code before it is uploaded to Github. You can even write custom scripts that run new code through a security analysis. All this is created to improve your supported teams’ quality of life.

One great tool that I’ve been able to master in my first few months on the job has been Github Actions, and my colleague has written an introductory article on the tool.

DevOps Engineers are Problem Solvers

As one of my team leads points out, “anyone can build a website.” Although they might not be sustainable or well-written websites, I completely agree. The amount of documentation out there on every web framework is extensive. Sometimes it feels like everything has a StackOverflow post written about it.

DevOps is different because it’s dependent on the implementation details. DevOps is composed of methods and best practices that have to be applied in a myriad of different situations. You’ll find great articles talking about the best methodologies for ensuring continuous compliance on AWS, but you’ll rarely come across exact instructions for how to integrate a 10-year-old legacy .NET Framework 3.0 application into a security workflow. As a DevOps engineer, you have to be flexible in your approach and be tenacious in figuring out solutions.

Some of the tools and examples of what I use every day are free for public and personal projects. I encourage you to explore open-source projects that pique your interest. If you’re interested in checking out a tool that handles security check automation, try SonarCloud.

CAN YOU BECOME A DEVOPS ENGINEER?

Only you can answer that question, but I have found the work tremendously satisfying. I get to improve the quality of life of engineers. I work on complicated problems and create novel solutions. I am constantly exposed to new technologies, and I always feel like there are new learning paths to go down.

I won’t lie — the DevOps engineer career path is not an easy one and is far from glamorous. This career field is all about support, and if you are doing your job, you won’t be in the limelight. You enable others to reach their full potential, but you’ll rarely get recognition. You sometimes have to stand in the developers’ way, but you do know that the code that customers will receive will be secure. You frequently question process workflows and break down obstacles, but organizational norms are hard to change.

So, if you are ready to impact the lives of software developers and operations personnel, I hope to see you on my DevOps team in the future.

This post originally appeared as What to Know When Becoming a DevOps Engineer, on January 19, 2023. Code Platoon thanks 8th Light for its permission to repost this blog.

Seth Thomas is a Software Crafter at 8th Light. Before joining 8th Light, Seth graduated from Code Platoon’s military Coding Bootcamp, which he attended via the DoD SkillBridge program. Seth lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, and enjoys rock climbing, mountaineering, sailing, and running.