Introduction

Hi there, I’m Arnab.

I’ve been working in tech for close to 3 years now — 2.8, to be exact. But my entry into tech was far from conventional. I come from a commerce background — yes, I did my master’s in it. Numbers, accounts, markets — that kind of thing.

I had a strong desire to understand how business and management work, but even then, my interest in technology never really faded — it just quietly coexisted alongside my formal education.

Honestly, there wasn’t some dramatic turning point. No life-altering decision. No “this is my calling” moment. It was as simple as sitting for a campus placement for a tech company. I got the job, and I thought, “Okay, this is new. Let’s see what happens.”

But deep down, there was always something that made me curious about tech. I used to play computer games as a kid and remember opening up the CPU case just to explore where all the wires went. I didn’t understand what I was looking at — I just wanted to see what was inside. That curiosity stuck with me, even if I didn’t know it at the time.

If you asked me when I became interested in tech, I wouldn’t be able to point to a specific moment. It happened gradually — more like a quiet fascination than a deliberate choice. During my +2 years, I had a subject called Information Practices, kind of like an introduction to computer science, and I genuinely enjoyed it — I was actually quite good at it too. Later, during graduation, we were required to take CBCT electives — basically an elective that wasn’t part of our core commerce curriculum. Every semester, without fail, I chose something tech-related. Programming, databases, cryptography — whatever allowed me to keep that spark alive. Looking back, it’s clear that tech wasn’t just a passing interest.

When I made the shift to tech, the main feeling I had was: “Will I be able to adjust?” There was no pressure from anyone. Just that quiet realization that I was about to swim in completely uncharted waters — and that maybe, just maybe, I’d figure out how to float.

Through this blog, I want to document how I became genuinely interested in DevOps — how that initial curiosity slowly turned into something deeper.

Over time, I’ve grown enthusiastic about the possibilities within this field, and I hold a strong desire to pursue a long-term career in DevOps. But I’m also aware of how challenging that path is. This isn’t a “made it” story — it’s me trying to find my footing, one step at a time.

The Cloud that Changed Everything

A while into my current role, our project team made it somewhat mandatory to get a cloud certification. I initially thought it was just another checkbox to tick off. I decided to go with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and started preparing for it using “A Cloud Guru” learning platform.

I wasn’t expecting much at first. But the way they explained concepts — especially with their animated visuals — made things start to click. What stood out to me was just how many services AWS offered. And more importantly, how each of them addressed real-world problems I hadn’t even realized existed.

I was watching tutorials and trying to wrap my head around all the services AWS offers, and I kept thinking — there are so many tools here, solving so many problems… and here I am, not even aware those problems existed. That hit me hard.

For the longest time, I thought “cloud” just meant file storage — Google Drive, Dropbox, that kind of stuff. Then I learned about compute services, auto-scaling, networking, IAM, serverless — and I realised cloud was so much more than I ever imagined.

One of the first “wow” moments for me was discovering the 99.999999999% durability of AWS S3 Storage.

I remember blurting this fact out to my friends, completely out of context, just because I didn’t know what to do with that information. I didn’t know systems could be built with that kind of reliability — It fascinated me — and made me curious about why such a level of reliability was possible and necessary.

I used to explore mostly after office hours — after my 9–5 — and whenever I got free time during work. I carved out time for YouTube videos, documentation, and just thinking through concepts — even if it was just in small windows between tasks.

Mapping the DevOps Universe

Once I was in, I wanted to know everything. Not in a “master all tools” kind of way — more like, “Wait, how big is this thing?”

That’s when I came across the idea of pie-shaped learning: going deep in one area while also getting a sense of how everything fits together — Know everything about something, and something about everything.

So I did what any confused learner does: I searched “where to start with DevOps” on Google… and went through about 10 pages of results.

I followed YouTube channels like Tech with Nana, read reddit community threads on r/devops, and browsed through roadmap.sh to figure out what this DevOps landscape actually looked like.

One learning habit that helped me a lot was visual note-taking. I used Goodnotes on my iPad and started scribbling notes on it.

I don’t mean clean, polished notes — I mean messy doodles, analogies, arrows connecting things, funny mental models. I would ask ChatGPT to explain tools to me using real-life or ridiculous examples. Then I’d try and break those down even further — like

This was my favourite way to learn.

I wasn’t learning everything in depth yet. But I was starting to build a map — even if it was rough and filled with question marks.

Among all the tools I stumbled across, one that really stood out was Kubernetes. I didn’t understand it. I still barely do. But something about it felt important — like this is oxygen in the DevOps world, and I’d eventually need to learn how to breathe it.

Getting My Hands Dirty with Linux

With so much going on, I had to pick somewhere to start. And I picked Linux.

It wasn’t love at first sight. My first thought was: “Where’s the UI? Why are these commands so unusual? How does the cat command open a file? What does chmod even mean?” I was frustrated. Nothing made sense. But for some reason, I stuck with it.

One of the hardest things for me was learning how to SSH into a Linux server, especially when working with AWS EC2 instances. I must have watched every video on the internet about SSH and still couldn’t get it right. The concept of PEM files confused me to no end.

Then one day, it just clicked.

I understood why we use the PEM file, what it represents, how it’s tied to secure communication and how it fits into the authentication process. That moment felt like a personal breakthrough — not huge to others, maybe, but a milestone for me. That was my little Eureka moment. A small win.

Why I’m Writing This

It’s been more than six months since I started down this DevOps learning path. I’ve been learning consistently — some days more than others — but until now, I hadn’t really documented anything. Two days ago, I sat down and made a quiet decision to start writing things down.

Not just notes, but my actual journey. My thoughts. My progress. The doubts, the wins, the confusing rabbit holes I fall into, and the cool little tricks that I figure out along the way.

I’m writing this because I believe there are other people like me — people who are curious but overwhelmed, excited but unsure, motivated but stuck. If even one person reads this and feels like, “Okay, maybe it’s not just me,” — then this blog has served its purpose. If you’re someone who’s thinking about starting your journey into DevOps or cloud — and you’re unsure, anxious, or just overwhelmed by the amount of stuff out there — I get it. I’ve been there. Honestly, I am there.

I was inspired by the “learn in public” mindset — the idea that you don’t have to wait until you’re an expert to share. You just need to be honest and willing to show your progress.

In the long run, I hope this blog becomes something like a Mirror of Erised (yes, a little Harry Potter reference).

A snapshot of who I am now, what I’m reaching for, and where I hope to go. Someday I’d love to look back at this blog — maybe because I made it, or maybe because the dream changed along the way — and just smile.

I’m hoping to share weekly or monthly updates as I go, and in between, write about specific tools or concepts that I find interesting or challenging.

I don’t have a perfect roadmap. I’m okay with taking my time. The goal is to keep moving — one topic at a time. Just me — learning, failing, understanding, and writing.

Thanks for reading. I hope this blog has been helpful. If it is, do leave a like and share it around for more reach. Cheers!