From Diploma to DevOps Engineers – Journey of Two Friends: A Real Story of Hope and Growth

After finishing 12th, I dreamed of pursuing BCA. I loved computers and wanted a career in IT. But due to family issues and legal problems, I couldn't pursue it. Time passed, and I didn't want to waste it.

So I joined a Diploma in Civil Engineering, where my best friend Aaron was already studying Diploma in Mechanical Engineering. He told me not to join, but I had no choice. With his help, I got admission. To my surprise, I did really well and completed the diploma with 90% and distinction. But at the end of my course, COVID came. Everything got delayed by 6 months.

Struggles After Diploma

After COVID, the civil field was completely down. No jobs. Everything was in lockdown again for 3 months.

Then I got a call from Royal Enfield for a helper job in Chennai. I went there, but that job didn't suit me at all.

After that, I joined my cousin brother's construction company as a Site Engineer for 2–3 months. The project ended, so I had to leave. I tried 2–3 more jobs. Nothing worked out. I attended many civil interviews, all failed. Reason: no experience, only diploma.

The same thing happened to my friend Aaron also. He tried in his field, but he also didn't get a proper job. He worked part-time as a makeup artist just to survive.

A Turning Point

One day, both of us were just walking around near our place, talking about our situation,

“Bro… we have no job. We dreamed so big. Debts are increasing. It's been almost 1.5 years. We are the boys in the family, we need to earn… what are we even doing?”

Then suddenly Aaron said he was planning to go to Vizag for an oil and field company job for 2 years and then go abroad. So suddenly I told him, “Why go to Vizag? If you try IT, you can earn even more.” But honestly, we had zero guidance from school, college, or relatives. Nobody told us, which course to choose, how to plan a career, what is good for long-term growth. so,

He said,“I don't know where to start. If you join with me, we can study together.” Without thinking, I said, “Yes da, let's do it. No regrets.”

We saw some YouTube videos and decided on UI/UX Designing, but we didn't know anything beyond Excel and MS Paint.

Finding the Right Course

One of his relatives was a UI/UX Developer in an MNC. He told us that learning design alone is not enough. He suggested adding Frontend or Full Stack Development. He gave two academy contacts. We went there, but the fees were too high. So we searched around 60 km radius and visited every academy. Finally, we selected Talento Academy for Full Stack Development (20k per person). We traveled daily by bus and train.

Before joining, we saw good reviews because of a mentor named Mrs. Jeba. But our bad luck, she left the academy before we joined.

The Worst & Best Learning Experience

We joined late on August 8, 2022. HTML: 3 weeks, CSS: 2 days, JavaScript: 2 days (7 topics in half a day 😐) We were shocked. Others who studied CS understood it, but we felt totally lost. With help of W3 Schools and notes, we somehow picked up around 50%.

React basics we learned a little. Redux and API calls were taught nicely by the old mentor for 3 days, but the foundation was weak so no use to build a home . Backend with Node.js, Express, and MongoDB was completed in 15 days, but we understood backend better than frontend. We completed the given frontend project somehow (very bad, but completed 😅). Everything ended between August to November.

First Big Disappointment

The academy's IT company said they would take interns if we passed their exam. We wrote the exam… only 1 person out of 25 passed. We failed again. We went home heartbroken. But while leaving, we heard about a walk-in interview happening on nearby company the next day. We went, cleared the first and second round. In the third round, my friend got rejected, but I got selected. Next day was the final round. I answered everything, but when they asked about my education, I got stuck. He asked, Why no graduation?

Why diploma civil? Why IT now?

I said I wanted to study BCA but couldn't. COVID impacted my civil career, so I wanted to follow my computer dream. But he raised his voice and said, “You are coming to IT only for money!” Inside my mind I thought, “Everyone works for money, even you.” But I stayed calm, thanked him, and left… feeling broken again.

A Second Chance

We applied everywhere on Naukri and Indeed. We didn't know about LinkedIn at that time. Suddenly, we got a call from our academy asking us to come. They agreed and said they made a mistake in choosing the mentor, so we would conduct a 3-day Linux session and evaluate again.

This time, 6 people got selected — me and my friend Aaron also. They said we will get a 1-month unpaid internship in PostgreSQL and Linux. After that, we would get a job in their IT company with 10k–12k salary.

We agreed. They planned to outsource us after internship. After 1 month, the company that planned to hire us rejected all 6 of us. Again we were stuck.

How We Became DevOps Engineers

The academy management said: “We are building a DevOps team. If you want, you can join as Junior DevOps Engineers with Stipend of 3000.” Two people rejected the offer and went home. Me and my friend said yes... because we had no degree, no experience, no other chance. Aaron asked for 1000 more for travel, and they agreed. And that's how we officially started as DevOps Engineers in February 2023.

We worked really hard, learned a lot, and grew with the team. We never got proper increments. From Feb–September we got only 4,000 and after September we got 10,000

Then no increment again But I stayed because I needed experience. Due to my family situation 10k was not enough. So I resigned in Feb 2024 and left in May 2024. They offered a 10k increment while relieving, but I refused.

The Big Break: CKA Certification & Better Opportunities

After leaving, I prepared and cleared the CKA certification. Later, I joined a new company in Bangalore with a good salary.

My friend Aaron also left in Nov 2024, cleared CKA, and joined a company in Chennai with a good salary.

We are still earning less than many IT professionals. But coming from no degree, no guidance, no experience but only a diploma…and reaching DevOps Engineer roles is a great progress. This is only the beginning. We will learn more, grow more, and achieve more.

Final Words: If you are someone with a diploma, no degree, or feeling lost? Your starting point doesn't define your future. Your consistency, learning, and determination do. We haven't done it alone, God has guided us every step of the way. Have hope, have faith, and have the strength to keep going. Nothing is Impossible ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

Our Linkedin Profile's : Othniel , Aaron