Becoming a DevSecOps professional seems daunting, but if you’re willing to put in the effort, stay disciplined, and stay motivated, you can get there.
Whether starting from scratch or transitioning from a role like IT security or system engineer, the path to DevSecOps is achievable.
What matters most is understanding the foundations of security and DevOps and applying that knowledge with a DevOps mindset—collaboration, automation, and continuous improvement.
In this guide, co-written with Samuel Adeola (DevOps and Cloud Engineer), we'll walk you through the journey from zero to DevSecOps step by step.
Salary Expectations for DevSecOps in the UK and US
DevSecOps professionals are highly sought after in the UK and the US, and salaries reflect the growing demand for skills in integrating security into DevOps workflows.
As more companies shift toward secure development practices, the compensation for skilled DevSecOps engineers has increased significantly.
DevSecOps Salaries in the UK
DevSecOps roles offer competitive salaries in the UK, though they can vary depending on location, experience, and company size.
According to recent statistics:
- Entry-level UK DevSecOps professionals can expect salaries from £40,000 to £55,000 annually.
- For mid-level professionals, the salary range typically rises to £60,000 to £85,000 annually.
- Senior DevSecOps engineers or those in leadership roles can earn anywhere from £90,000 to £120,000+.
Salaries in tech hubs like London tend to be higher due to the cost of living and demand, whereas positions outside significant cities offer slightly lower compensation.
DevSecOps Salaries in the US
Salaries are higher in the US than in the UK, especially in significant tech regions like Silicon Valley, New York, and Austin.
Here’s a breakdown of DevSecOps salaries in the US:
- US entry-level roles typically start around $90,000 to $110,000 annually.
- Mid-level professionals with several years of experience can earn between $120,000 to $150,000 per year.
- Senior DevSecOps engineers or management positions can command salaries from $160,000 to over $200,000, depending on the company and region.
Glassdoor, the average salary for a DevSecOps professional in the US is approximately $130,000 annually, while in high-demand markets like California, it can exceed $170,000.
Being A DevOps or DevSecOps Engineer in Nigeria
In Nigeria, one of the most difficult roles to obtain in IT is devsecops because many organisations believe that security of a web application only occurs after production, implying that web/app security will be handled by the cybersecurity specialist within the organisation.
Many businesses or organisations have been slow to adopt devops automation, resulting in slow production because many still rely on the manual development-to-production process, which leads to inefficiency. According to research, only 27% of businesses have implemented devops principles. This is the primary reason why there are few devops roles in many organisations, as Nigeria lags behind in implementing devops practices to accelerate production.
Sometimes, the cybersecurity specialist is tasked with DevSecOps responsibilities, implying that both positions or, in most cases, all three positions have been combined into one.The average monthly salary for a devops or devsecops in Nigeria is $200 – $300, compared to $4000 – $8000 in the United States, which explains why there has been such a brain drain in the IT and health sectors.
Industry Demand and Growth for DevSecOps
As cybersecurity becomes increasingly vital in modern development environments, the demand for DevSecOps professionals is expected to grow significantly.
According to a report by Cybersecurity Ventures, global cybersecurity spending is expected to reach $300 billion by 2026, further driving demand for security-focused DevOps engineers.
This high demand is one of the reasons why salaries continue to rise in this field.
The First Step: What Is DevSecOps?
DevSecOps is an extension of DevOps that integrates security into every phase of the development and operations lifecycle. Instead of treating security as an afterthought, DevSecOps emphasises “shifting security left,” meaning security is embedded from the beginning of the software development process, not bolted on at the end.
Automation plays a key role, and it helps streamline processes, ensuring continuous integration, delivery, and security testing.
To understand DevSecOps, you first need to grasp DevOps itself. DevOps is a cultural and technical movement emphasising collaboration between developers (Dev) and operations (Ops) teams to deliver software faster and more reliably.
It encourages breaking down silos, improving communication, and automating processes to make releases smoother.
Once you’re familiar with DevOps, DevSecOps adds security to this equation.
The DevSecOps Mindset Shift: Collaboration, Automation, and Continuous Learning
Before diving into tools and techniques, there’s a fundamental shift that you need to make: DevSecOps is a mindset.
You can’t treat security as a separate responsibility anymore. In the DevSecOps world, everyone is responsible for security, just like they’re responsible for quality, performance, and uptime. This requires a different approach to problem-solving and a commitment to learning across disciplines.
If you’re new to security or DevOps, don’t worry—this guide will show you how to start small, build your knowledge, and become proficient.
The Roadmap: How to Become a DevSecOps Professional
With the proper roadmap, you can navigate this journey without getting overwhelmed. Here’s a general overview of what the path looks like:
- Learn the Basics of DevOps
- Understand IT Security Fundamentals
- Master Key DevSecOps Tools
- Adopt Cloud and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Knowledge
- Dive into Security Automation
- Earn Certifications to Validate Your Skills
- Hands-On Practice with Real-world Scenarios
Let’s break each of these steps down in detail.
Step 1: Learn the Basics of DevOps
To become a DevSecOps professional, you first need to know DevOps. At its core, DevOps is about breaking down barriers between development and operations teams to deliver software quickly and efficiently.
It would be best if you also had a study plan. Check this article.
Understanding the fundamental concepts of DevOps is crucial because DevSecOps builds on these principles.
Key DevOps Concepts:
- Continuous Integration (CI): Developers regularly merge code changes into a shared repository.
- Continuous Delivery (CD): Automating the release of code to production.
- Automation: The backbone of DevOps, where tasks like testing, building, and deploying are automated to reduce human error and speed up processes.
Start by familiarising yourself with popular DevOps tools like:
- Jenkins: An open-source CI/CD tool that automates the software build and deployment.
- Git: A version control system that allows teams to collaborate on code.
- Docker: A tool that helps you create, deploy, and run container applications.
- Kubernetes: A platform to automate the deployment and management of containerised applications.
These tools form the foundation of the DevOps pipeline. Take time to practice them, build your knowledge, and experiment with how they work.
Check: https://www.devsecops.org/
Step 2: Understand IT Security Fundamentals
If you’re already in IT security, you have an advantage. If not, now is the time to get familiar with crucial security principles that will guide your DevSecOps journey.
Key Security Concepts:
- Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability (CIA Triad): The core principles of security that protect data from unauthorised access, ensure data accuracy, and guarantee reliable access to data.
- Security Testing: Understanding how to identify software vulnerabilities through manual testing or automated scans. Tools like OWASP ZAP or Burp Suite are standard in this field.
- Risk Management: Understanding how to evaluate risks, prioritise security efforts, and implement mitigation strategies.
You can learn these principles through free online courses, reading books on cybersecurity, or even getting your hands dirty by trying out security tools and testing environments.
Step 3: Master Key DevSecOps Tools
DevSecOps is all about integrating security tools into the DevOps pipeline. To do this, you must familiarise yourself with several vital tools for automating security processes.
Tools to Know:
- SonarQube: A platform that automatically inspects your code for bugs, vulnerabilities, and code smells.
- Snyk: A tool that helps find and fix vulnerabilities in open-source dependencies and container images.
- Aqua Security: Focused on securing cloud-native applications, including container security.
- Trivy: A simple and comprehensive vulnerability scanner for containers and other DevOps artifacts.
These tools automate static code analysis, configuration governance, dependency scanning, dynamic security testing, and container vulnerability scanning to guarantee compliance and zero downtime.
Once you learn how to incorporate these tools into CI/CD pipelines, you’ll be well on your way to becoming proficient in DevSecOps.
Step 4: Adopt Cloud and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Knowledge
DevSecOps environments rely heavily on the cloud, making cloud security an essential skill. You’ll need to understand how to secure cloud infrastructure and apply Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles to manage and automate infrastructure using code.
Key Areas to Focus On:
- AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud: Start learning cloud platforms and their security tools, such as AWS IAM (Identity and Access Management), Azure Security Center, and Google Cloud Security Command Center.
- Terraform and Ansible: IaC tools like Terraform and Ansible allow you to define and manage infrastructure using code, making it easier to provide consistency, version control, and automation across environments.
Cloud security is a massive field, so start small. Choose one cloud provider, learn their services, and then explore how to apply security controls and automate infrastructure using tools like Terraform.
Step 5: Dive into Security Automation
Automation is the backbone of DevSecOps. As manual processes are time-consuming and error-prone, automating security tasks like code scanning, vulnerability assessments, and compliance checks ensures consistent and faster deployments.
Critical Areas of Automation:
- Continuous Security Testing: Integrating tools like SonarQube, OWASP ZAP, and Snyk into the CI/CD pipeline to perform security checks every time code is committed.
- Vulnerability Management: Automating scanning for code, dependencies, and container vulnerabilities.
- Incident Response Automation: Tools like PagerDuty or Splunk allow you to automate responses to security incidents, reducing the time to detect and respond to threats.
Start by automating one or two key security processes and gradually build up your automation capabilities as you become more familiar with the tools and workflows.
Step 6: Earn Certifications to Confirm Your Skills
While hands-on experience is crucial, certifications are a great way to confirm your skills and knowledge in DevSecOps. Many employers look for certifications as proof of skills, and they can also guide your learning process by highlighting the key topics you need to master.
Recommended Certifications:
- Certified DevSecOps Professional (CDP): A comprehensive certification focused on DevSecOps practices.
- AWS Certified Security Specialty: A certification focused on securing AWS cloud environments.
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP): While not specific to DevSecOps, this certification covers various security topics.
- DevSecOps Learning Path: A program designed to develop, implement, and monitor an organization’s security infrastructure to protect sensitive information.
Certifications help you build credibility and serve as structured learning paths that cover essential concepts and tools in DevSecOps.
I would suggest searching on Udemy, Coursera, and EdX for online training.
This one from Udemy is a great start. Becoming a DevSecOps demands you know a lot of foundational stuff, it is not an easy 3 months, and you are done.
Step 7: Hands-On Practice with Real-World Scenarios
Learning tools and earning certifications are great, but real-world experience is where you develop your skills. Try to practice with real business cases by contributing to open-source projects, working on personal projects, or even building your lab environment.
Ways to Get Hands-On Experience:
- Create a CI/CD Pipeline: Create a simple CI/CD pipeline with Jenkins or GitLab, then integrate security tools like SonarQube or OWASP ZAP.
- Simulate a Production Environment: Build a web application, deploy it using Docker and Kubernetes, and implement security checks throughout the pipeline.
- Contribute to Open Source: Platforms like GitHub and GitLab host many open-source DevSecOps projects where you can contribute and gain hands-on experience.
The key is to start small and scale up as you learn.
Don’t try to do everything at once—master each step before moving to the next.
Advice from the Author: Take Care of Yourself First
I suggest checking this post about using business cases for your learning journey.
We often spend too much time and energy dedicating ourselves to our employers in our careers.
We naturally want to do a good job and be rewarded for our efforts, but sometimes, we invest so much that we forget about our well-being. Shifting the focus back to yourself is crucial to overcome challenges and thrive.
Unfortunately, companies are not charities. At least for a good majority.
While some businesses are incredibly kind to their workforce, companies exist to make a profit.
Many will do whatever it takes to remain profitable—even if it means layoffs or downsizing.
That’s the reality of the corporate world.
The key takeaway here is to trust in yourself.
Whether you’re learning new skills or transitioning into a role like DevSecOps, the confidence you build in your abilities will carry you ahead. If self-belief is difficult, surround yourself with people who trust you.
That support system—whether mentors, colleagues, or friends—will give you the strength and motivation to overcome obstacles.
Investing in yourself is the best decision you can make.
Some of the certifications can be quite expensive, so use their content course to set what you need to know and from there, search those topics either via search engines or Youtube.
Conclusion: A Journey of Continuous Learning
Becoming a DevSecOps professional isn’t something that happens overnight.
It’s a journey that requires dedication, learning, and constant hands-on practice.
With the right mindset that embraces collaboration, automation, and continuous improvement, you’ll be well on your way to mastering DevSecOps.
Keep your goals in sight, stay disciplined, and remember that every small step ahead is progress.
As with any technical field, the more you practice, the better you’ll become. DevSecOps isn’t just about tools; it’s about creating a culture where security is everyone’s responsibility, and the systems you build are secure from day one.