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Zero to SRE

Zero to SRE

Being able to transform a junior engineer into an excellent mid, then senior engineer is a competitive advantage for any company. Unfortunately, there aren’t many entry-level SRE job postings, and if your company hasn’t hired juniors before, you’ll need to make changes in order to create an environment where they can thrive.

This talk is the story of a junior Web Developer turned SRE. I’ve been able to successfully transition into my role because my company has embraced junior engineers by creating a ‘Culture of Error,’ encouraging all engineers to be mentors, and ensuring that all employees take time during the day to learn new skills. We’ve made some mistakes, too, but we’ve learned a lot in the process.

By end of this talk, I’ll share the specific details of how to support junior engineers during their first day, month, 90 days and year, including:
* How to create a learning plan with your junior engineer on their first day
* Strategies for getting your new engineer to contribute to your code base or infrastructure during their first week
* A description of the company-wide attitudes and mindsets that have allowed these practices to flourish

Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wiTfNh9pnY&list=PL3xK3UeH8dyZsM56-bYQlbLwXbtKSulca

Kim Schlesinger

April 29, 2019
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Transcript

  1. Zero to SRE
    Kim Schlesinger
    Devops Days Rockies April 2019
    @kimschles

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  2. Your company can transform a
    junior engineer to a mid-level
    engineer within one year.
    @kimschles

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  3. Kim
    Schlesinger
    @kimschles

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  4. @kimschles

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  5. @kimschles

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  6. My Journey to
    Site Reliability
    Engineering
    @kimschles

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  7. @kimschles

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  8. Zero to SRE
    @kimschles

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  9. Agenda
    1. Your company's culture
    2. Prepare for the junior SRE's day one
    3. Provide them personalized resources and ongoing support
    @kimschles

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  10. @kimschles

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  11. What should be true about
    your company before you
    hire junior engineers?
    @kimschles

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  12. @kimschles

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  13. Guarantee 20% Time for
    Learning
    @kimschles

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  14. @kimschles

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  15. Create a Culture of Error
    @kimschles

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  16. Expect Error and
    Praise Risk Taking
    @kimschles

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  17. Make engineering teams,
    not individual engineers,
    critical to your bottom
    line.
    @kimschles

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  18. Guarantee 20% Time for Learning
    Create a Culture of Error
    Leverage teams, not individuals
    @kimschles

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  19. @kimschles

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  20. First Day
    @kimschles

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  21. First Week
    @kimschles

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  22. First 90 Days
    @kimschles

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  23. First Year
    @kimschles

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  24. First Day
    @kimschles

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  25. Clear and Measurable Expectations
    @kimschles

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  26. Engineering Leveling Doc
    @kimschles

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  27. @kimschles

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  28. @kimschles

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  29. @kimschles

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  30. Novice Is not yet ready to undertake
    work for a client. Should pass
    through this level quickly.
    Advanced Beginner Able to work as a junior
    engineer on a client team
    with more or less help from
    senior Trussel on team.
    truss.works
    @kimschles

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  31. @kimschles

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  32. Attempts to characterize and
    resolve roadblocks through 5-15
    min Google searching before
    reporting.
    truss.works
    @kimschles

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  33. Breaks moderately-sized tasks
    down into smaller units of work
    upon request and reviews break-
    down with senior engineers.
    truss.works
    @kimschles

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  34. @kimschles

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  35. First Day
    @kimschles

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  36. Prepare a technical learning plan
    that is aligned with the day-to-
    day work of your engineers.
    @kimschles

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  37. Example Topics for the Learning
    Plan:
    • git and linux commands
    • yaml
    • VPC with AWS and GCP
    • Docker and Kubernetes
    @kimschles

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  38. Your junior engineer should
    independently complete large and
    small projects as part of their
    technical learning plan.
    @kimschles

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  39. Develop systems of support and
    accountability for your junior
    SRE.
    @kimschles

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  40. ReactiveOps Apprentice
    Learning Plan
    https://github.com/reactiveops/apprentice-learning-plan
    @kimschles

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  41. First Day
    @kimschles

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  42. Integrate your new hire
    into their team on day
    one.
    @kimschles

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  43. Be explicit about your desired
    timeline for the junior SRE's first
    independent contribution.
    @kimschles

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  44. First Week
    @kimschles

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  45. Pairing and
    Real Work
    @kimschles

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  46. @kimschles

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  47. People learn
    concrete-to-abstract,
    not abstract-to-concrete.
    kylecoberly.com
    @kimschles

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  48. Concrete
    kubectl get services -n kube-system
    kubectl get pods -n kube-system
    kubectl get pods -n kube-system -o wide
    @kimschles

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  49. Abstract
    @kimschles

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  50. Regular one-
    on-ones with
    their manager
    @kimschles

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  51. First 90 Days
    @kimschles

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  52. 90 Day Trial Period
    @kimschles

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  53. Review the new engineer's
    progress as compared
    against your leveling doc.
    @kimschles

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  54. @kimschles

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  55. Encourage formal
    learning through exam
    prep, a book club, or
    an online course.
    @kimschles

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  56. Hire more junior engineers!
    @kimschles

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  57. @kimschles

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  58. First Year
    @kimschles

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  59. Review the new engineer's
    progress as compared
    against your leveling doc.
    @kimschles

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  60. Promote your SRE when
    they've leveled up!
    @kimschles

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  61. @kimschles

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  62. Your company can transform a
    junior engineer to a mid-level
    engineer within one year.
    @kimschles

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  63. Agenda
    1. Your company's culture
    2. Prepare for the junior SRE's day one
    3. Provide them personalized resources and ongoing support
    @kimschles

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  64. Credits
    • Photos by WOCinTech Chat
    • Culture of Error by Doug Lemov
    • Steve Kinney
    • Kyle Coberly
    • Truss Leveling
    • ReactiveOps Apprentice Learning Plan
    @kimschles

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  65. We're Hiring!
    https://reactiveops.com/careers
    @kimschles

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  66. kimschlesinger.com
    @kimschles
    @kimschles

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