Previously relying on external agencies for critical digital services, Thomas realized that deepening his DevOps knowledge could bring impactful changes to his company’s operations. Find out how in this DevOps Bootcamp Review 💪
Hi Thomas 👋
What is your job and responsibility at your work?
Hi there, my name is Thomas and I live and work in Switzerland 🇨🇭
I’m a Tech Lead at "Jungfrau Railways".
The Jungfraubahnen operates a network of mountain railways, cable cars and ski lifts in the stunning Bernese Alps ⛰️ connecting visitors to breathtaking destinations and offering a variety of services including shops, restaurants and adventure activities.
In my current role as a technical lead, unlike my previous position, I don’t have much management responsibilities.
This shift has given me the opportunity to dive deeper into technical work, especially in DevOps, allowing me to focus on building hands-on expertise and advancing our systems 🚀
I have a background in software development, and was new to the DevOps world.
Happy to tell you my journey.
The Importance of In-House Knowledge: Understanding the systems
Working as the lead of tech systems in my company, I’d been managing digital projects for a while, but we relied heavily on external agencies for critical services with different DevOps solutions.
I didn't know how it works and what they are doing, which I wanted to change! 💪
So I wanted more control, understand what happens in all our systems and how things work to make informed decisions in system architecture.
The goal was also to reduce dependency on external agencies and ensure the projects ran more efficiently.
I’m not inclined to leave all the decisions to external agencies.
I believe it’s essential for us to build strong internal knowledge of these technical details. 💡
Gaining DevOps knowledge: Why Udemy courses and local tech courses didn't work for me
Before discovering the bootcamp, I’d considered various learning options—from local tech courses in Switzerland to online platforms like Udemy.
I checked what was available on Udemy and other online platforms and I also started one or two of them, but I was not that happy with the quality.
With one course I wasn't really happy with the English. It was quite difficult to understand him.
It was also unclear what knowledge level I needed, so I initially started with some low level courses. I quickly realized they were too basic for my needs.
I then tried a more specific GitLab training, but it, too, lacked the structure, quality, and depth required for truly hands-on DevOps skills.
Local, live classes on the other hand, were not suitable to fit into my work schedule and family responsibilities as well as they seemed to not provide the comprehensiveness and depth I was looking for.
Somehow, while googling I discovered Nana's YouTube videos and I was quite impressed by how she goes into the details.
At first I thought I need to learn specific topics, like Kubernetes, but I needed to take a much broader, more comprehensive approach and learn the whole range of DevOps to really understand the big picture and how everything works together.
I saw that this is what the DevOps bootcamp from TechWorld with Nana provided, a comprehensive overview with lots of details, deep diving into each DevOps technology— and that’s when I signed up for Nana's DevOps Bootcamp.
In a fast-paced field like DevOps, where tools are always evolving, I also appreciated that the bootcamp content was continuously updated.
For me, it's very important that the resources are always up to date to not lose time to fix issues for too long.
How I balance work responsibilities, life and learning ⚖️ 😱
The bootcamp’s flexible, self-paced structure is the perfect setup for me.
With a busy job and family life, my schedule is packed, so being able to start and stop whenever needed has been invaluable. I can pick up right where I left off, which has made it easy to fit learning into my routine without losing momentum.
When I initially purchased the bootcamp, my workload was lighter, and I thought I’d have more time.
But as often happens, things got busier, and I quickly realized I’d need to block specific time for the bootcamp ⏰
Without that commitment, my daily work projects would naturally take priority over learning.
So that was a little bit of a difficulty.
So, I set aside Friday mornings for dedicated study time when the office is quieter, allowing me to focus fully on the DevOps bootcamp 🎯
Every session feels genuinely worthwhile.
Unlike some other courses that can feel like time sinks, each hour I invest in this bootcamp pays off with practical, applicable knowledge.
So that's quite motivating for me, that I know even if I do it in small increments, I’m constantly gaining valuable skills, which keeps me motivated—even during busier weeks.
Making customers happier 🩵, Saving Time and Money - The DevOps Bootcamp Impact
The current situation is that we are in the process of lifting up all the services and applications to the desired DevOps tech stack and gradually moving away from agencies.
One of the things I love most about this bootcamp is how practical and hands-on it is. The skills I’m learning aren’t just theoretical—I can apply them immediately in my daily work.
This allowed me to bring several tasks that we used to outsource back in-house, as well as oversee and understand all systems better.
This not only saves us money, but also allows us to make changes much more quickly 💨
In our case, we need to sometimes do quick adaptations to the systems.
We can now adapt to customer needs in real time, something that would have been almost impossible if we were still relying on external agencies.
This ultimately means, we make the people in the field much happier.
Additionally, we’ve saved significant time by avoiding lengthy budget discussions. When new ideas for digital services arise, they often come with high costs, which can lead to long budget negotiations.
Being able to handle these projects internally makes this process also much easier and more efficient ✅
Continuing My DevOps Journey
Although I’m still working my way through the bootcamp, I’m constantly applying what I’ve learned so far.
With my Friday morning study sessions locked in, I'm excited to deepen my expertise further 😊
Every Friday morning, I get excited about the new insights I’ll gain and how I can use them to streamline our processes and improve our projects 🤩
For anyone considering this bootcamp, I’d say: if you want a flexible, hands-on learning experience that yields real, practical results, this is the course for you.
TechWorld with Nana’s DevOps Bootcamp has given me the tools and confidence to excel, and I’m looking forward to seeing how far it will take me.
Good luck on your DevOps journey!
Ready to Level Up Your DevOps Skills?
Thomas’s journey shows that with the right resources, dedication, and hands-on learning, you can achieve the DevOps expertise you need to take your career to new heights.
If you’re ready to expand your skill set and explore tremendous career opportunities, we’re here to help.
Thousands of engineers have already transformed their careers through our DevOps and DevSecOps Bootcamp, gaining confidence, practical skills, and real-world experience. 🚀
We can help you go from absolutely zero DevOps knowledge to becoming a senior engineer, who is proficient in DevOps within just few months, with our meticulously structured, fully up-to-date DevOps Bootcamp 🚀
To help you get started, you can even book a FREE orientation call, where we’ll guide you in planning your DevOps and Cloud career journey.
Let’s make it happen together!