Welcome to The Long View—where we peruse the news of the week and strip it to the essentials. Let’s work out what really matters.
This week: Silicon Valley Bank and what it means for DevOps. After the débâcle of Wednesday’s fire sale, Thursday’s bank run and Friday’s FDIC seizure, came Saturday’s impotent panic, Sunday’s “not a bailout” federal guarantee and Monday’s tentative restart of “bridge” bank operation. (more…)
An analysis of more than 494,000 interview requests for software engineers coupled with a survey of more than 1,300 software engineers and 120 hiring professionals found a lot more employers prefer to hire DevOps professionals who work in the office—but resistance to working in an office (rather than working remotely) remains high.
The survey also found that, despite the preference for hiring local software engineers, more than half of hiring professionals (52%) are filling positions on fully remote teams while another 40% are focusing on hybrid teams.
The interview requests analysis conducted by Hired, a provider of a platform for vetting potential employees, found that nearly three-quarters of interview requests (72%) were for software engineers with more than six years of experience. Backend engineers received 59% of all interview requests.
Hired CEO Josh Brenner said the survey makes it clear that organizations are less inclined to hire less experienced talent. In fact, there’s a decided shift toward DevOps professionals that have degrees versus individuals that are largely self-taught, he added.
Hiring those individuals, however, remains challenging. More of them are willing to consider other employment options given the current state of the economy, but more than two-thirds of engineers (68%) said they are not worried about losing their jobs in the next six months.
However, enterprise IT organizations are now finding it easier to hire DevOps engineers because competition from startup companies and technology vendors such as Google and Microsoft slackened in the wake of a series of ongoing layoffs, noted Brenner.
Competition for software engineers is also impacted by geographic region, with the Los Angeles area seeing the largest negative impact on local salaries, decreasing by 6% to $152,000. Philadelphia had the greatest amount of growth, with local salaries increasing by 7% to $150,000. Despite demand for remote engineering talent, growth in salaries for these positions has flattened. The San Francisco Bay Area had the highest salaries for remote roles at $180,000, followed by Seattle ($175,000) and New York ($169,000). The percentage of active engineering positions “open to remote” fell to 69%, the survey found.
The highest-paying markets for in-office jobs, in contrast, were San Francisco ($180,000), Seattle ($169,000) and New York ($162,000).
Software engineers, as always, are motivated to work for organizations based on new challenges and continuous learning (69%), building products/solutions and problem-solving (66%) followed by earning potential and career stability (60%), the survey found. When learning a new skill, the survey found the biggest motivator remained the simple joy of learning new things (40%) followed by the fact that their current job required it (25%).
Regardless of the state of the economy, it’s clear that demand for DevOps expertise continues to outstrip available supply. However, software engineers may be unable to command as high a salary as they did a short while ago. Of course, no one can be sure what lies ahead, but economies do eventually rebound. In the meantime, DevOps professionals would be well-advised to continue to invest in their own skills to maximize their earning potential, no matter which direction the economic pendulum swings.
Welcome to The Long View—where we peruse the news of the week and strip it to the essentials. Let’s work out what really matters.
This week: Amazon S3 is keeping Ukraine’s data safe, we ask if Windows Presentation Foundation is dead, and developers tell us why they switch jobs. (more…)
Those of us working in DevOps make a good living. According to Glassdoor, the national average salary for a DevOps engineer in the United States is $100,000. Are we worth it? Of course we are; DevOps is hard work. The value we add to an organization more than justifies the salaries we can command. Nobody is giving us the money. We have to earn it every day.
Considering that high school teachers earn on average $48,000, a restaurant manager averages $46,000—about the same as a paralegal—and a forklift driver makes $26,000, DevOps engineers are doing A-OK.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that our average salary, combined with our commercial isolation from others, puts us in a bubble. I am the first to admit that I live in that bubble. I don’t interact with a lot of paralegals, restaurant managers and forklift drivers in my day-to-day work. Most of my interactions are with people who do what I do and live the lifestyle I live. It’s nice to live in the bubble; I’ve done countless all-nighters to be here. But I am very aware that it’s a place that few people live. Keep in mind, the average income in the United States is $51,272.
It takes a lot to get into our bubble. You need to be really smart and you need to be well-educated. Most programmers have a college degree. Yes, there are few of us that are part of the 70 percent of the population that does not have a college degree, but those people are rare. And, for as long we keep delivering and learning the new stuff that comes down the pike, we’ll be living in the bubble for the foreseeable future.
However, for those outside our bubble, it’s going to be a different story. As the evolving landscape reveals, those who do predictable, repetitive work are going to be automated away. And, most of the jobs that do remain are going to be on the lower end of the income scale.
So, what’s to become of those outside the bubble? How will they survive?
One solution that has been bantered about is Universal Basic Income (UBI). UBI is income that you get by virtue of being a citizen of state. There are no strings attached. Every month a deposit appears in your checking account and you are free to do with it as you wish. If your refrigerator is empty, you buy food. Should you earn a good salary, you can give the money to a favored charity or buy your kid a new video game. As I said, it’s no strings attached. The intention is to provide financial security to the citizenry without means testing.
UBI has been in play in Alaska since 1976 as implemented under the Alaska Permanent Fund. Every permanent resident of Alaska gets money from the state just because they live there. In 2014 every resident of Alaska got $1,884 from the fund.
Other governments are trying or have tried out UBI. Finland has a limited experimental program that pays €560 ($630) a month to participants. Cyprus pays out €480 a month ($546) to qualifying citizens. Canada had an experimental program back in 1974 that ran for four years in Dauphin, Manitoba. The program was called Mincome. It dispersed $1,200 a year to people living below the poverty line.
UBI has it supporters. Former U.S. president Richard Nixon supported it for a while. Milton Friedman supported it via the negative income tax. And tech leaders including Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, men who have a keen understanding of the impact of automation on human employment, are proponents.
I am a supporter, too, if for no other reason that I believe in the promise of technology—that we will automate our way to a life in which we are free to do the work that brings meaning and purpose rather than going through the motions of existence, laboring away to put bread on the table.
But, for as much as I think UBI is valuable, there is a part of me that finds the notion to be a farce. It’s not so much because I think people will take the money and go down to a riverboat casino to gamble away their monthly allocations while the kids go hungry, but rather because the dollar amounts being considered for allocation are a joke.
Let’s do the math.
The table that follows illustrates how much income is required to support a family of two adults and one child on state-by-state basis. This data is provided using the MIT Living Wage Calculator by way of Mental Floss.
Table 1: A listing of minimum income by select states
| State | Minimum Income per Year | Per Month |
| West Virginia | $45K | $3.75K |
| Iowa | $49K | $4.09K |
| Montana | $49K | $4.08K |
| Tennessee | $47K | $3.91K |
| Alaska | $54K | $4.50K |
The states I choose—West Virginia, Iowa, Montana, Tennessee and Alaska—don’t contain any big cities on the order of New York, Los Angeles, Houston or Chicago. Let’s just say they’re states not subject to a large amount of urban impact. These are states that I can image might find UBI a useful program, particularly as industries—manufacturing, agriculture and energy—become more automated and the employed workforce experiences more displacement due to automation.
As you can see in Table 1, according the the MIT Living Wage Calculator, it will cost a family of two adults and one child residing in any of these states about $4,000 a month to live at a comfortable minimum.
Let’s apply some UBI numbers. As mentioned above, in 2014 the Alaska Permanent Fund distributed $1,884 a year to each permanent resident in the state. That comes out to a monthly allocation of $157. Compare that $157 a month to the $2,250 each working adult in the Alaska household has to earn to achieve a modest standard of living. That $157 is 7 percent of the amount needed. It’s a joke. The reality is that the allocation from the Alaska Permanent Fund will buy about a week’s worth of groceries, if that.
On the other hand, there is Cyprus. As mentioned above, that country is paying out $546 per person in guaranteed income, which is an OK allotment given that the rent on a three-room apartment is about $500 a month and a McDonald’s Combo Meal goes for around $7. Multiply the per-person allocation of $546 by two adults and you have a situation where life is sustainable. But then again, the population of Cyprus is 1.2 million people, a little more than the size of the population of Montana. Still, the Cyrus UBI amount is a viable number. But, what about here in the United States? If we were to implement UBI, what is the dollar amount each person is to be given?
Let’s go back to Table 1. For the residents in those states listed to enjoy a standard of financial security on the order of Cyprus—one in which no matter what, you will have your basic needs met—it seems that we will need to come up with a UBI allocation of about $20,000 a year per adult. Of course, this is assuming that the person does absolutely nothing in the way of earning money beyond the UBI allocation. However, as was reported in the study of the Mincome Project in Dauphin, Canada, once UBI kicked in, only two segments of the workforce worked less—new mothers and teenagers.
Granted, this is very limited study of a very small sample of people from over 40 years ago. But, still the inference may be valid. Also, as we’ve found from people in retirement or forced unemployment, after a period of welcome inactivity, at some point we need something to do. Thus, there is a good chance that those on UBI will want to earn money beyond the allotment. Given that we can project that most people on UBI will want to engage in income-producing work, if such work is available, then maybe that $20,000 a year number is excessive. Maybe a reasonable dollar amount for UBI is between $12,000-$15,000 per year, per person. That number could work in less-expensive areas of the country.
How would we pay for it all? Honestly, at this point, I don’t know. Maybe the same way we paid to put a man on the moon? To quote the old saying, “Where there is a will, there’s a way.”
Sadly though, no matter what the allocation number is and no matter what the consequences of not doing UBI may be, the will to do UBI currently is limited to a bill before the Hawaiian Legislature. The general will is not there for a variety of reasons: politics, moral distaste manifested as a fear of Netflix-induced sloth in the general population, or just plain greed. The notion of having enough money show up in a citizen’s checking account to ensure a modicum of financial security has limited appeal.
I can accept such reluctance. UBI is far afield from where we are culturally or where we have been historically. But, what I cannot accept is formulating a UBI program that is dumb; one in which we create stories that say financial security can be had for $157 a month. UBI allocation needs to be proposed in real, livable numbers. Otherwise, the risk we run is that when we can somehow sell the idea to a willing buyer, should UBI fail due the stupidity of not allocating enough money per recipient, we will be hard-pressed to get a second chance to do it right.
The notion that the impact of automation on human employment will be severe is a tough one for many to accept. While it is true that history shows that advances in technology have led to new forms of employment for those displaced, history does not accommodate thinking machines. Thinking machines are new to the landscape.
Just as automobiles replaced horses, maybe thinking machines will replace humans. Horses did not find new forms of employment when the automobile came along. Rather, their number diminished to levels required for their remaining purpose: providing entertainment. Such an analogy might sound harsh. After all, a human life is worth more than its commercial value. If this is the case, then unless humanity can implement ideas such as UBI as a way to sustain life independent of commerce, the alternative might very well be about the bubble—a place where those on the inside live well, in secure isolation from the less fortunate ones suffering on the outside.
Following my article discussing the “7 Steps to DevOps Hiring Success,” it seemed fitting that I continue and discuss the seven steps to DevOps job-search success, with the focus on candidates rather than hiring managers.
Whether you’re a hands-on DevOps practitioner or a lead, VP, director or any other title, in this space you’re in hot demand. However, some of you are reading this and thinking, “What is this guy talking about!? I’ve been searching for a new job for two months and haven’t even got past the recruiter interview to speak with the hiring manager.” Well, this article may be for you—or it may be for someone you know.
Your resume, LinkedIn profile, URL to your personal website and any other methods you may be using, make sure you’re making those first impressions count. Your LinkedIn profile should be up to date with relevant content. Do hiring managers need to know that you worked in a part-time job in the local grocery store 10 years ago? No. They do, however, want to see what you have achieved in your current and previous roles.
Many who come from systems administration or infrastructure backgrounds aren’t selling themselves correctly. If you have been using configuration management tools such as Chef, Puppet, Ansible or Saltstack, you should include this in your resume. The same goes for container orchestration tools, such as Docker and Kubernetes, continuous integration tools and so on. Don’t create an exhaustive list, but note which you have used and how they allowed you to achieve the goals of the project.
Don’t bother uploading your resume onto every single job board; this just wastes yours and other people’s time. Definitely upload your resume to the right locations, though. Dice.com, Indeed.com, Ladders.com, Hired.com and Monster.com are some of the go-to job boards. (There are others, of course, and I’d be happy for others to comment with opinions on other job boards through which they have found success.) There aren’t many specialist DevOps recruitment companies out there, but I can drop a shameless plug and mention that my team at Salt are always worth speaking to, whether it’s for consultation on the current market trends or to actively search for your next move.
In my last blog I told hiring managers to drop their ego when it comes to hiring. Sometimes candidates need to drop theirs, too.
“I won’t consider working at any company that won’t let me wear a batman outfit every day of the year, barefoot and with an automated snack machine that unwraps protein bars before passing them directly into my mouth.” Stop being so entitled.
Don’t get me wrong: I love freedom of expression and the idea of wearing whatever you want. I’d also love an automated protein-bar snack machine that feeds me! But be open-minded and don’t put roadblocks in your own way—it’s no good for anyone. It’s all about opening as many doors as possible at the start and focusing your options once you truly know what you’re looking at. That one company you may have declined to even consider might have given you the opportunity to work with the best people you’ve ever met, on the coolest and most innovative products you’ve ever imagined. And who knows, maybe they would have been the next Netflix, Twitter or Snapchat. Stay open-minded.
Some recruiters are generalists. That’s not a bad thing all the time, but when we are talking about a niche area with a plethora of technical skills to understand, it helps to speak with people who know what they are talking about and can easily decode your likes, dislikes and overall background. Check out the recruiter’s LinkedIn profile: Do they have recommendations from other clients and candidates in the same tech space, or have they only been referred by other recruiters? If you’re going to trust them with finding your next career move or contract, it’s worth ensuring that you’re speaking to the right person to support your needs. Speak to other folks in the space—who did they use to find their dream job? That could be a good start.
Do you have amazing technical skills but no knowledge of the company? You’re starting off on the wrong foot. It doesn’t take five minutes to research the company prior to your interview. Go to the company’s website and click on the “About Us” section. To show you actually care, think about your own passions and values and demonstrate how they align with those of the company. Hiring managers love this, so try to make it genuine.
Now to really make a good impression, why don’t you check out the interviewer on LinkedIn? Look up their background: What are their hobbies? Where did they work previously? Do you have any mutual connections? You’d be surprised: Asking them about their triathlon last month or mentioning that you both worked with Rita Smith on X project five years ago often can go as far as passing the technical test with flying colors. Remember, this doesn’t need to be time-consuming; just take a quick look and find something you have in common to build some rapport.
Searching for a new job doesn’t just mean sitting behind your laptop or making calls. Be sure to attend events and conferences to continue learning and networking. You’ll often bump into hiring managers or other team members who could end up being future colleagues. Also, promote yourself at events via social networks; for example, take some pictures, tweet about the event and/or share some content from the event on sites such as LinkedIn. This reinforces that you are part of this DevOps community and someone worth connecting with. Meetups for New Yorkers, for example, include DockerNYC, AWS NYC, ServerlessNYC, Continuous Delivery NYC and many more. There are also conferences such as DevOpsDays, Container Days and CloudExpo, among others. There are plenty of options in other cities and countries, too.
Figure out what drives you, be it interesting projects, money, great working environments, awesome teams, job titles, making an impact or a mix of all the above. Now it’s rare to have two perfectly identical opportunities on the table, but if you’re lucky enough, you will have two, three or more job offers to choose from prior to signing on the dotted line. Deciding can be tough, and this is something I have to support people with on a daily basis from a non-biased perspective. I’ve seen people walk away from $250,000 to $300,000-level salaries to take a job paying $180,000. Why? Because they looked internally and realized that the other role suited their lifestyle, allowed them to continue playing an important role in their family life and the work was way more stimulating. In a different scenario, another individual might have been way more suited to taking the other position.
Once you’ve decided what really matters to you, there are a few simple things you can do to help with making these tough decisions. Start with getting a pen and paper to list out the pros and cons of each job. You’d be surprised how effective such a simple process can be for visualization and helping to clear your mind. Once you’ve had this internal discussion and opportunity to visualize, you should engage with some trusted resources. Speak to your partner, family members and former colleagues who know how it is to work with you. Finally, consult with your recruiter if you’ve been using one; a good recruiter should provide non-biased advice with the goal of helping your career.
As a final point, I know the job-searching process can be arduous for many people, but for those who have many options to choose from, enjoy it! Realize how lucky you are; don’t take these times for granted and be proud that you have such in-demand skills.
Conor Delanbanque has been recruiting and leading recruitment teams in the DevOps space for the past few years. As well as being exclusively responsible for growing some of the most innovative DevOps & SRE teams in the US and Europe as an external consultant and recruiting partner, Conor also founded the Future of DevOps Thought Leaders Debate, sponsors DockerNYC Meetup on a regular basis and co-hosts ServerlessNYC. You can tweet him at @ConorDevOps, find him on LinkedIn or at events, expos and writing articles on devopsy.kinsta.cloud.
Puppet has released its 2016 State of DevOps Salary Report,. The report is based on the over 4,600 responses to its State of DevOps survey by IT professionals all over the world. This year’s report answers the question every politician would like to be able to answer: Where are those good jobs? The answer is easy, the good jobs are in IT. And good news for those in the United States: The highest salaries are in the United States, followed by Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Western Europe is a little behind that pack, and Asia Pacific behind that.
In addition to the fat salary for IT workers, the United States pays the highest salary to IT managers also. In a nod to the income inequality issue that we have heard so much about in this U.S. election season, the gap between workers and managers was wider in the United States than it was in other areas. The difference in salary between managers and workers in the United States is illustrated from the report here:
Other good news for U.S.-based IT pros is that both workers’ and managers’ salaries increased in 2016. In case you are interested in how Puppet divided workers from managers, it was done by title:
The good news wasn’t only for U.S. workers, though. It seems IT workers the world over are being pretty well-paid. In an era where so many ask, “Where are the good jobs?” the answer more than ever is IT. The disruption caused by the digital revolution is truly resulting in those with digital skills becoming the haves and those without those skills being the have-nots.
In addition to IT workers in general being well-compensated, IT workers in certain industries actually tend to be better paid than IT workers in other industries, noted Nigel Kirsten, CIO of Puppet. It would seem if your employer is in the technology, media/entertainment, retail/consumer/e-commerce or finance vertical, you stand a better chance of making a higher salary.
Additionally, Kirsten noted that if you work for a larger organization (more than 10,000 servers), you generally have a better chance at earning near the top belt of compensation. Also, more good news for the DevOps team, the more mature the DevOps practices at an organization, the higher the compensation tends to be. Both of these metrics point to the fact that larger organizations with mature DevOps practices value the investment made in not only infrastructure but also people.
One dark spot on the report is that, once again due to the overwhelming majority of respondents being male (94+ percent), we really don’t have enough data to see if gender pay equality exists in the IT and/or DevOps world. I look forward to the day that the number of female respondents increases and we have more insight into this important metric.
In the meantime, this is just a quick take on the report. I encourage you to go download the report and read it for yourself. You can even see how your own salary compares.