Ever felt lost trying to break into DevOps in Saudi?

You’re not alone. Do you go for AWS or Kubernetes first? Terraform or Ansible? Should you memorize all CI/CD tools or focus on soft skills? I’ve been mentoring junior engineers for years now, and most of them are chasing global advice that doesn't quite fit the reality here in the Kingdom.

This blog is my no-filter, real-world guide. A collection of things I wish someone had told me earlier. You won’t find buzzwords or bootcamp hype here. Just hard-earned truths, especially tailored for the Saudi tech ecosystem.

1. Don’t Fight the Culture, Join the Game

This is the first, most valuable lesson.

Saudi’s tech culture is laid-back, often reliant on vendors and consultants. In my early years, I kept trying to change everything building tools from scratch, automating every small task, rewriting delivery pipelines myself. I thought that’s what good DevOps engineers do.

But I was swimming against the tide.

Eventually, I realized: the key is supervision, not substitution. Don’t try to do it all yourself. Instead, guide vendors, improve their output, and focus on process. Play the game, improve it gradually, and don’t get frustrated when things move slower than what you see in global tech stories.

2. Time Flows Differently Here

Another thing nobody tells you: Saudi time is not Silicon Valley time.

In the beginning, I stressed about deadlines and sprint goals. But I soon realized that even simple tasks here can take days, approvals are slow, dependencies are vague, and roles overlap.

Does that mean you should move slow too? No.

It means you should anticipate delays and account for cultural pace in your planning. Be the person who delivers early, but not the one who burns out trying to move at a global pace that the ecosystem doesn't support.

3. There’s No Clear Career Path, So You Create It

In many companies here, DevOps is still misunderstood. I’ve been placed under development teams, infrastructure teams, or even general IT.

When I asked about career development, they asked me to suggest courses.

If you’re expecting a clear ladder to climb, forget it. You’ll need to lead your own roadmap. Decide what kind of DevOps engineer you want to be infrastructure-heavy, cloud automation-focused, or SRE-oriented then build your skills and suggest your own goals. Just make sure to align your goal with your department’s objectives so that it becomes easy for leads to understand and support.

For example, I once asked for GitLab Professional Services not just to improve my skills, but because I saw it as an opportunity to understand the tool deeply. That knowledge allowed me to help vendors automate their build pipelines, improve monitoring, and reduce deployment time. It aligned with the company’s direction and because I could connect the dots, it got approved.

You have to be your own lead, even as a junior.

4. Meetings Are Sacred, Don’t Skip Them

This one may sound silly, but it’s critical: meetings are part of Saudi work culture.

You’ll be in a lot of them. Most will feel wasteful. Some will feel like déjà vu.

Still, always show up. Even if the agenda is unclear or the value seems low, being present is expected, and skipping meetings (even virtual ones) can reflect poorly on your professionalism and commitment.

The trick? Find small ways to add value: summarize the discussion, suggest a follow-up action, or just bring clarity to what’s being said. Those little things get noticed.

5. Change Tools Slowly, But Still Try

Tools here can be outdated. You’ll run into self-hosted GitLab instances with zero CI/CD, broken Jenkins pipelines, and manual deployments.

Don’t shy away from trying to change things.

Yes, you’ll often hit resistance. Yes, your presentation might be ignored. But once in a while, your initiative will lead to a real shift.

Start small. Automate one thing. Document it. Share a quick win. Then pitch something bigger. That’s how you leave your mark not by fighting everything, but by planting seeds.

Final Thoughts

Being a DevOps engineer in Saudi isn’t about chasing the latest trend. It’s about understanding your environment, learning how to navigate it, and leading from wherever you are.

If you’re just getting started, take these truths to heart. And if you’re a few years in and frustrated, I hope this gives you clarity.

You’re not behind. You’re just in a different kind of game.

Let’s play it better.

If this helped you or someone came to mind while reading, share it with them. And feel free to reach out — I’m always open to connect with passionate engineers in the region.

DevOps in Saudi Arabia: Lessons They Don’t Teach You in Courses