I want to be a well-rounded developer. Should I spend my time learning AWS/Azure or focus on Docker and CI/CD pipelines when building real-world projects for portfolio work? Which one carries more weight for a junior developer role in 2025?
3 answers
Start with Docker. It’s the industry standard now. Once you understand containers, moving them to the Cloud becomes much more intuitive.
Actually, the two are very much intertwined. You don't necessarily have to choose one over the other. A great project would involve containerizing your application with Docker and then deploying it using a CI/CD pipeline like GitHub Actions to a cloud provider like AWS. When building real-world projects for portfolio validation, showing that you can automate the deployment process is incredibly impressive. It shows you understand the "Operations" side of "DevOps" and aren't just throwing code over a wall. Focus on the fundamentals of Linux and networking as well.
Do you think it's better to get a certification first, or just start building and learn as you go?
Keith, building is always better for the portfolio. A certification is great for the resume, but when building real-world projects for portfolio evidence, the actual running application is the proof of your skill. I’d suggest building first, then getting certified to "seal" that knowledge.
Great advice. Docker is definitely the logical first step before diving into the complexities of AWS or Azure.