Ground Rules First

From 0 to DevOps Engineer in 90 Days Architecture

This is NOT a "get rich quick" plan. 90 days is enough to get you interview-ready for junior to mid-level DevOps roles — if you put in 2–3 hours daily. This is the plan I would give someone if they came to me with 90 days before their job search. It's aggressive but doable.

Days 1–20: Linux + Git + Networking Basics

Goal: Be comfortable on any Linux server

  • Learn bash navigation, file permissions (chmod, chown), processes (ps, kill, top)
  • Cron jobs, systemd services, SSH key setup
  • Git: clone, commit, branch, merge, rebase, PR workflow
  • Basic networking: IP, DNS, ports, HTTP/HTTPS, TCP vs UDP

Free resources: Linux Journey (linuxjourney.com), Pro Git Book (free online), TryHackMe Linux rooms

Days 21–40: Docker + Scripting

Goal: Containerize something real

  • Write 5 different Dockerfiles from scratch (Node.js, Python Flask, Nginx, Go, Java)
  • Docker Compose: multi-container app with a database
  • Bash scripting: 10 scripts — backup, log cleanup, health checks, deploy scripts
  • Python basics for automation: file I/O, HTTP requests, JSON parsing

Days 41–60: Cloud + CI/CD

Goal: Deploy something live to the internet

  • AWS Free Tier: EC2, S3, IAM, VPC, Security Groups, RDS (free tier)
  • GitHub Actions: build → test → push Docker image → deploy to EC2
  • Set up a domain, SSL certificate (Let's Encrypt), Nginx reverse proxy

Days 61–75: Terraform + Kubernetes Basics

Goal: Infrastructure as Code + Container Orchestration awareness

  • Terraform: create VPC, subnets, EC2, security groups — from code
  • Minikube locally: Deployments, Services, ConfigMaps, basic troubleshooting
  • EKS or GKE free trial: deploy your Dockerized app to a real cluster

Days 76–90: Monitoring + Project Polish

Goal: Look like a professional, not a student

  • Prometheus + Grafana: monitor your app, set up 3 real alerts
  • Polish your GitHub: README for every project, architecture diagrams
  • Write 1 blog post about what you built (Medium or Hashnode)
  • Update LinkedIn, apply for 5 roles per day
💡 The one rule: Every day, either build something or break something and fix it. Reading without doing is just expensive confusion.