How long have you been working for RareJob Philippines, Inc.?

I started working at RareJob Philippines, Inc. since April 2021 as a DevOps Engineer.

What made you choose RareJob Philippines, Inc.?

I was fairly new to the role at the time and I was looking for a company that will help me grow as a DevOps Engineer. At the same time, I was also looking for an environment where I would enjoy working in.

After experiencing the culture and working with the people here at RareJob, I felt that this is the company I would like to grow with.

As a DevOps Engineer, how has the experience been so far?

It has been both challenging and exciting. Challenging because there were incidents that we encountered for the first time and we needed to provide solutions as quick as possible. At the same time, it was also exciting because I knew we would learn new things and discover improvements that we could apply.

Since you joined the company during the WFH setup, what were your expectations regarding your team and tasks, and how is your experience so far?

At first, I was expecting it will be less productive and that there will be challenges with communication on a WFH setup, but surprisingly the opposite happened.

Rather than waking up very early, preparing and commuting to work, I was able to spend more time for myself and my family which resulted to a healthier work-life balance as well as better mental health. If you are in a good mental state, you’re always ready to take on challenges. Related to this, I’d like to quote one famous saying: Happiness inspires productivity.

As one of the engineers directly working with the technology used by RareJob PH employees, which task do you think is the most critical aspect of your job, and which part do you enjoy the most?

I think the most critical aspect is that we need to be always available to provide any assistance that the development team may need. At the same time, we have to ensure that we also implement the tools and resources they need for development.

I find fulfillment in knowing that these tools enable them to do their work easily and more efficiently.

With the continuous evolution of the technology we use, how do you manage to keep yourself up to date?

I usually catch up with my friends within the same industry. I get to learn about different approaches to common DevOps concerns and gain insights on how I can apply them to our systems.

Outside of work, what activities do you do to keep yourself refreshed and avoid burnout?

One of the downsides of working from home is that you don’t get enough face-to-face interactions. That’s why one activity I like doing outside of work is hosting boardgame sessions with friends and siblings. By having these fun and enjoyable breaks, I’m able to return to work with full energy.

For those who are looking into entering the DevOps field, what do you think are the soft and hard skills that they should possess?

For me, a DevOps engineer should be someone who can easily identify problems and also have the perseverance to find solutions. It’s important to have good coding and scripting skills as well as to have a good understanding of the process on how software is developed and delivered to its end users.

Lastly, what advice can you give those who are either new in the field, or planning to join it?

Don’t be overwhelmed with jargons or new technologies surrounding DevOps. You’ll be surprised that most of them are just derived from existing familiar concepts.

Take advantage of available online resources. We are lucky that we live in an era where we have easy access to knowledge and information.