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collaboration boosts productivity and your career","Collaboration is a powerful tool and DevOps pros that learn how to master it will expand their growth opportunities.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749668473/Blog/Hero%20Images/john-schnobrich-FlPc9_VocJ4-unsplash.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/5-ways-collaboration-boosts-productivity-and-your-career","https://about.gitlab.com","article","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"5 ways collaboration boosts productivity and your career\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sharon Gaudin\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-05-02\",\n      }",{"title":681,"description":682,"authors":689,"heroImage":683,"date":691,"body":692,"category":9,"tags":693},[690],"Sharon Gaudin","2022-05-02","\n\nA lot of DevOps professionals might feel confident they’ve got a lock on their DevOps role. They don’t need anyone else chiming in on how to update a software feature or plan a new product.\n\nOther DevOps pros want to focus on learning new programming languages or figuring out how best to use machine learning. They think they don’t have time for so-called soft skills like [communication and collaboration](/blog/six-key-practices-that-improve-communication/).\n\nAt its heart, DevOps is collaboration. It’s a team sport. Of course, staying sharp with hard skills like machine learning, new programming languages, and other cutting-edge technology is fantastic, but don’t ignore soft skills. Enabling teamwork is a [cornerstone of DevOps](/blog/4-must-know-devops-principles/).\n\nMaking this cultural shift means teammates are all pulling in the same direction. It means more, and more diverse, input leads to better, well-rounded products and software. And it also means career development.\n\nHere’s a look at just a few ways a [culture of collaboration](/blog/collaboration-communication-best-practices/) can benefit a DevOps team, software development and deployment, and DevOps professionals’ careers.\n\n## Boosting DevOps professionals’ careers\n \nIt’s clear that [companies are increasingly dependent](/blog/the-top-skills-you-need-to-get-your-devops-dream-job/) on DevOps professionals who are able to not only work with various teams, but who also are able to clearly communicate with colleagues in other departments, like finance and marketing. The [2021 Global DevSecOps Survey](https://learn.gitlab.com/c/2021-devsecops-report?x=u5RjB_) reported that IT professionals working in development, security, and operations all said they need better communication and collaboration skills for their future careers. And nearly 23% said these soft skills will give the biggest boost to their careers. Being able to work across departments, clearly communicate needs and ideas, and work together to innovate better products makes a tech person more valuable to the overall company, leading to [management roles and higher salaries](/blog/soft-skills-are-the-key-to-your-devops-career-advancement/).\n\n## Using the buddy system to iterate faster\n\nThe bedrock of a [DevOps culture is collaboration and joint responsibility](/blog/if-its-time-to-learn-devops-heres-where-to-begin/). And for good reason, because better cooperation leads to more, and more efficient, continuous, iterative development and feature deployment. Cooperation makes a DevOps team more agile so it can adapt to changes in projects and workloads. \n\nWith traditional application development, managers, developers, security professionals, and those on the operations team generally work in silos. They don’t communicate readily or well. They don’t work together on projects or share documentation and knowledge. With DevOps, though, those silos begin to be broken down. And by joining forces, teammates can pool efforts to assess problems, envision solutions, and create and deploy high-quality applications from a single end-to-end application. Breaking down those silos fosters better decision-making and creativity, and increases information and resource sharing. \n\n## Creating better products\n\nBy creating partnerships, DevOps teams are able to more quickly adjust to changing market needs and take on new competitors. Sharing data, and the workload, across disparate teams also empowers them to find out what customers need, what delights them, and the features that need to be created. More input from people with different perspectives and different backgrounds means a company will get software with features that speak to a wider range of users. All of this leads to better products, and that leads to a stronger business.\n\n## Pulling different business teams together\n\nFostering cooperation isn’t just for DevOps team members. A truly collaborative culture also should include colleagues in different parts of the company. Members of the security team, marketing, finance, customer service, and the C-suite all can participate to create better software. Collaboration between DevOps and security, for instance, leads to less duplication of effort, more secure software, and a more secure company. Similarly, someone in customer service would have direct insights into what users like, and don’t like, about current products. Integrating their feedback into ongoing processes will provide the ability to leverage their expertise before code is delivered. \n\n## Taking advantage of everyone’s expertise\n\nBy inviting discussion, input, and assistance from experienced and new team members, as well as from people in different business departments, a culture can be built around learning from and relying on others’ expertise. This enables DevOps professionals to discover other perspectives and contribute beyond what might have once been a narrow focus. Think of everyone’s knowledge and experience as pieces of a shared resource library that can be tapped into for every project.\n \n\n",[694,9,695],"DevOps","collaboration",{"slug":697,"featured":6,"template":698},"5-ways-collaboration-boosts-productivity-and-your-career","BlogPost","content:en-us:blog:5-ways-collaboration-boosts-productivity-and-your-career.yml","5 Ways Collaboration Boosts Productivity And Your Career","en-us/blog/5-ways-collaboration-boosts-productivity-and-your-career.yml","en-us/blog/5-ways-collaboration-boosts-productivity-and-your-career",{"_path":704,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":705,"content":711,"config":718,"_id":720,"_type":13,"title":721,"_source":15,"_file":722,"_stem":723,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/5-ways-to-bring-devops-to-your-campus",{"title":706,"description":707,"ogTitle":706,"ogDescription":707,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":708,"ogUrl":709,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":709,"schema":710},"5 ways to bring DevOps to your campus","Educators can give students a career advantage by collaborating with GitLab to bring DevOps lectures, tools, and community straight to the classroom.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749668161/Blog/Hero%20Images/armycyberschool.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/5-ways-to-bring-devops-to-your-campus","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"5 ways to bring DevOps to your campus\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"PJ Metz\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-01-11\",\n      }",{"title":706,"description":707,"authors":712,"heroImage":708,"date":714,"body":715,"category":716,"tags":717},[713],"PJ Metz","2022-01-11","\nOrganizations around the world and across industries are adopting the DevOps methodology where development and operations are blended to securely accelerate software delivery. As this approach becomes a mainstay of software development, companies will need skilled professionals to fill key DevOps roles. Yet, as with most technological change, educational opportunities often lag behind real-world applications.\n\nGitLab aims to change this and has developed five ways educators can bring DevOps instruction and our [DevOps Platform](/solutions/devops-platform/) to your campus, affording students, professors, researchers, and IT teams the unique opportunity to learn DevOps skills firsthand, including DevSecOps, and offering your graduates and organization a competitive advantage.\n\n**1. GitLab for Education program**\n\n[GitLab for Education](/solutions/education/) provides free licenses of Ultimate to educational and research institutions as long as it is used for teaching or nonprofit research purposes. If you’re going to use GitLab in a classroom and want your students to use it for their schoolwork, then this is the option for you. This is set up by a full-time employee of the university and is a full license with as many seats as you need. Our Ultimate license is everything that our major enterprise customers use to create their apps and now it’s available to university students across a variety of disciplines. Signing up is simple via our [join page](/solutions/education/join). This kicks off a process that takes a few weeks to complete and ends with a license that brings your classroom or research into the world of the DevOps Platform. Learn how GitLab for Education has benefited other institutions, including the [University of Washington](/customers/uw/), [Dublin City University](/customers/dublin-city-university/), and Heriot Watt University.\n\n**2. GitLab for Campuses**\n\nGitLab for Campuses lets your developers, IT professionals, and other employees working with the technical administration of your university have access to world-class DevOps tools. Rather than cobbling together multiple applications for a Do-It-Yourself DevOps solution, we can provide you access to our single DevOps platform at a discounted rate. [GitLab for Campuses](/solutions/education/) is an offering that covers a large swath of your user base. You would still be able to grant access to students on your campus to use GitLab just like you can with GitLab for Education, but you have the added benefit of The DevOps Platform being used for running your entire institution’s IT.\n\n**3. GitLab Guest Lecture**\n\nDevOps might be a brand-new consideration for your classroom; perhaps this is your first time hearing about it. GitLab’s education team is here to help you by providing a DevOps 101 guest lecture, which you can schedule for your class. We can have a lecture during one of your sections or set up a time for multiple sections of your class to come together and learn about what DevOps is and how to learn more. This type of industry information is invaluable for students looking to join a company right out of college. We’re not just talking about The DevOps Platform, but DevOps as an operational and cultural change in software development, as well as how DevOps implementations can be present in non-CS careers and companies. Let our team of former educators help guide your class into the exciting world of DevOps with a guest lecture. [Fill out this form](https://forms.gle/y2r5o83i8z6rfJPh8) to find out more about our Guest Lecture opportunities.\n\n**4. GitLab Student Contribution Workshop**\n\nContributing to open source is one of the best ways students can build skills, make connections, and add to their portfolio to showcase their abilities and work. Open source is everywhere in DevOps, especially at GitLab. Not only are several open source projects hosted on GitLab, GitLab itself is open core and [open for contributions](/community/contribute/).\n\nWe believe [everyone can Contribute](/company/mission/#mission), but we know that the first contribution can be daunting; students might not know where to start, how to create a merge request, or what the maintainers are looking for. Even basics like working locally and git commands might be a little confusing if students haven’t encountered them before. One way for students to  participate is through our hackathon. GitLab hosts a [hackathon](/community/hackathon/) once every three months with helpful issue tags and other ways to easily find places where we are looking for contributors to help build the future. Past hackathons have included swag prizes for every merge request that gets merged as well as a top-tier prize for the most contributions. Top contributors to GitLab are also eligible for our [Heroes program](/community/heroes/).\n\nBecause we believe so strongly in the power and importance of open source, we are offering a Contribution Workshop where a GitLab team member will walk students through some of the ways they can contribute to open source on GitLab. If your class, student organization, or large group of students wants to learn more about open source contributions, [contact us](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe8yQkCMjylb-9w3WZoz3tmN7hmhnrb2LRoXWJd6D5ncP_o6Q/viewform?usp=sf_link). We’ll take it from there and bring open source to your campus.\n\n**5. GitLab Student Organization Workshop**\n\nStudent organizations still remain one of the best ways to build community among future professionals and make connections that can be vital to a student’s career. Meeting others working or studying in the same field also promotes sharing of information and resources to create an environment that maximizes potential success for everyone. These organizations, like on-campus clubs, professional fraternities and sororities, and even professional organizations with student chapters, are a great way to start building your future with your peers. GitLab is looking to bring a small workshop to student organizations at your university where you’ll not only learn how to use GitLab and start using DevOps best practices, but you’ll also boost some coding skills by actually building with GitLab. We’ll be offering a workshop in Python or Node.js where we will learn to build either a Twitter bot or a Discord bot.\n\nBecause of the ever-evolving presence of Covid and travel complications, we can’t promise this workshop will be in person. As of right now, the safest way is to get together virtually. If you are a member of a student organization looking to give your members an opportunity to learn more about DevOps, GitLab, or a fun project to make a bot and level up some skills, then this is the workshop for you. [Sign up here](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSecpQ1tmFpAPeeT9rasWcAtaEF8nv62LEDsKyJEdJJbe5Z8RQ/viewform?usp=sf_link)\n\n\n","devsecops",[694,9,268],{"slug":719,"featured":6,"template":698},"5-ways-to-bring-devops-to-your-campus","content:en-us:blog:5-ways-to-bring-devops-to-your-campus.yml","5 Ways To Bring Devops To Your Campus","en-us/blog/5-ways-to-bring-devops-to-your-campus.yml","en-us/blog/5-ways-to-bring-devops-to-your-campus",{"_path":725,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":726,"content":732,"config":739,"_id":741,"_type":13,"title":742,"_source":15,"_file":743,"_stem":744,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/6-tips-to-make-software-developer-hiring-easier",{"title":727,"description":728,"ogTitle":727,"ogDescription":728,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":729,"ogUrl":730,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":730,"schema":731},"6 tips to make software developer hiring easier","If your developers are leaving and it's tough to hire, here's our best advice to stem the tide. One hint: A DevOps Platform can help!","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749668486/Blog/Hero%20Images/why-you-should-join-the-gitlab-security-team.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/6-tips-to-make-software-developer-hiring-easier","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"6 tips to make software developer hiring easier\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Valerie Silverthorne\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-11-09\",\n      }",{"title":727,"description":728,"authors":733,"heroImage":729,"date":735,"body":736,"category":716,"tags":737},[734],"Valerie Silverthorne","2021-11-09","\nMastering software developer hiring has never been more critical – or more difficult.\n\nIn fact, it’s almost the perfect storm: There’s a global and growing shortage of developers; voluntary job turnover rates in the US are 25% (almost double what they were three years ago); and demand for skilled engineers is expected to outstrip supply by 1.2 million in three years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. \n\nAt the same time, what developers want, or will settle for, has changed, perhaps at least partially driven by the pandemic. Developers want meaningful challenges, a flexible work-life balance, tools and processes that don’t slow them down, and, increasingly, the option to work completely remotely.\n\nSo what can you do to keep your developers from leaving and make software developer hiring easier? Here’s our best advice:\n\n* Understand the developer mentality. “Of all the tech roles, developers are the most fickle,” says GitLab’s staff developer evangelist [Brendan O’Leary](/company/team/#brendan), who, with nearly 20 years experience as a developer, is in a very good position to know. “They don’t want to put up with a lot and tend to have strong opinions.” \n\n* Stop measuring. It is possible to tie developer productivity to results, and not a mandatory 40-hour work week. How do we know this? Because that’s how GitLab operates, by [measuring results and not hours spent](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#results). “Companies need to stop measuring knowledge workers, like developers, by the hours they spend,” O'Leary says. “That’s the worst thing you could do.” Instead, build a culture that values paid time-off, family leave, and other work-life balance efforts because those will resonate with developers, he stresses. \n\n* Up your tool game. The [science has spoken](/blog/why-software-developer-job-satisfaction-matters-and-how-to-make-it-happen/) and developers drowning in information overload aren’t as productive, which ties directly into job satisfaction and happiness. In our [2021 Global DevSecOps Survey](/developer-survey/), we heard a lot about tool chains with between five and 15 tools on them, and often there wasn’t just one tool chain in play, but several. That’s a lot of noise. A [DevOps platform](/solutions/devops-platform/) streamlines code development, testing, deployment, and monitoring and definitely improves a company’s ability to successfully do DevOps. When we asked respondents to tell us in their own words about the benefits of a DevOps platform, this comment summed it up:  “Reduced mean time to recovery (MTTR), quicker time to market, reduced lead time for fixes, and fewer change failures.” \n\n* Embrace flexible work. Nearly two years into a global pandemic, the time is right for companies to be deliberate about their choices. Developers are going to choose employers who have thought through all the options, whether it’s fully remote, remote with flexibility, or other combinations. But they’re not going to settle for companies trying to patchwork it without a solid plan. “Not every company is losing developers,” O'Leary says. “Developers are going to the places that understand the flexibility in life that can come from remote, while also not sacrificing any productivity.”\n\n* Don’t forget “concrete” perks. Free soda and “bring your dog to work” days probably aren’t enough to make developers consider your team, or decide to stay long term. Focus on what matters: time for volunteer or side projects, a collaborative culture, and demonstrable recognition of success. We offer [discretionary bonuses](/handbook/incentives/#discretionary-bonuses). Some companies send handwritten notes from senior leadership, while others meet monthly for group celebrations. Whatever you do, just make it sure it’s authentic.\n\n* Assess the skills gap. You’ve got unfilled roles and DevOps team members itching for a change. Why not marry the two?  West Monroe, a Chicago-based technology consulting firm, found 56% of managers surveyed rated their organization’s skills gap [as moderate to severe](https://www.westmonroe.com/perspectives/signature-research/the-upskilling-crisis-effectively-enabling-and-retraining-employees-for-the-future?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=upskilling&utm_content=!acq!v3!118035700243_kwd-333379491008__501805835687_g_c__&utm_campaign=Search%3A+Prospecting%3A+BA%3A+Priority+Content%3A+Gated%3A+Tier+3_BBM&atrkid=V3ADWED098667_118035700243_kwd-333379491008__501805835687_g_c___&gclid=CjwKCAjw7--KBhAMEiwAxfpkWF1Xg74_9zydAzfcJLt0t90OMh7MYsyV3yOfwK4bJWt-OBX1BzW2mRoClv4QAvD_BwE). And a survey from the McKinsey Quarterly discovered 53% of executive respondents felt [reskilling](https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-accelerate/our-insights/five-fifty-the-skillful-corporation?cid=fivefifty-eml-alt-mkq-mck&hlkid=a7a8ae1b68574d02b81db1f1eeb8fd8d&hctky=12428831&hdpid=8233aa33-5ff4-4450-a4c7-2f47dfeaf9d0) was the best solution to the skills gap. So stand out from the crowd and offer solid learning paths to employees, as well as tuition reimbursement. At the very least, offer your DevOps team time for [DIY learning](/blog/best-advice-for-your-devops-career-keep-on-learning/), as needed. Also consider [job swapping](https://www.managersorbit.com/job-swapping-benefits/), which can be a great way to expose employees to new career opportunities.\n \n_Sharon Gaudin contributed to this blog post._\n\n\n## Read more on DevOps careers: \t\t\n\n- [Best advice for your DevOps career? Keep on learning](/blog/best-advice-for-your-devops-career-keep-on-learning/)\n\n- [Four tips to increase your DevOps salary](/blog/four-tips-to-increase-your-devops-salary/)\n\n- [DevOps salaries in 2021: Where do you rank?](/blog/a-look-at-devops-salaries/)\n\n- [Have DevOps jobs to fill? Try these 3 strategies to hire and retain](/blog/have-devops-jobs-to-fill-try-these-3-strategies-to-hire-and-retain/)\n\n\n\n",[9,694,738],"agile",{"slug":740,"featured":6,"template":698},"6-tips-to-make-software-developer-hiring-easier","content:en-us:blog:6-tips-to-make-software-developer-hiring-easier.yml","6 Tips To Make Software Developer Hiring Easier","en-us/blog/6-tips-to-make-software-developer-hiring-easier.yml","en-us/blog/6-tips-to-make-software-developer-hiring-easier",{"_path":746,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":747,"content":753,"config":759,"_id":761,"_type":13,"title":762,"_source":15,"_file":763,"_stem":764,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/7-tips-on-how-to-successfully-talk-to-execs-about-devsecops",{"title":748,"description":749,"ogTitle":748,"ogDescription":749,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":750,"ogUrl":751,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":751,"schema":752},"7 tips on how to successfully talk to execs about DevSecOps","If you want to begin using DevSecOps to improve software development, you need to get business executives behind your plan. Here are tips to do just that.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749670694/Blog/Hero%20Images/how-to-keep-remote-teams-engaged-cover.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/7-tips-on-how-to-successfully-talk-to-execs-about-devsecops","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"7 tips on how to successfully talk to execs about DevSecOps\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sharon Gaudin\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-07-12\",\n      }",{"title":748,"description":749,"authors":754,"heroImage":750,"date":755,"body":756,"category":716,"tags":757},[690],"2023-07-12","\nIf you want to begin using DevSecOps to speed, secure, and improve software development, you need to get business executives behind your plan. But talking with leadership – especially C-suite executives – isn’t always easy.\n\nSoftware development teams want to use DevSecOps because it will reduce hands-on work, make the development process more efficient, [foster collaboration](/blog/5-ways-collaboration-boosts-productivity-and-your-career/), [improve security](/the-source/security/how-to-strengthen-security-by-applying-devsecops-principles/), and speed development and deployment. Getting executives to understand how that all translates into [business benefits](/blog/five-essential-business-benefits-a-devops-platform-gives-smbs/) is the key here. That’s what will spur them to OK a DevSecOps adoption.\n\n> **Be sure to download our latest guide *[How to drive business success with DevSecOps](https://page.gitlab.com/resources-ebook-devsecops-success.html?utm_campaign=devsecopsplat&utm_content=ebookdevsecopssuccess)* for more advice.**\n\nTo help executives understand the technical and business benefits of [DevSecOps](/blog/its-time-to-put-the-sec-in-devsecops/) there are pitfalls you’ll need to avoid, as well as things you should make sure you do and discuss. Let’s dive into 7 things to consider right from the start.\n\n## 1. Know your audience\nEveryone is different. Some executives want every little detail. Others want a quick overview. And if, for instance, you’re talking with a CEO, focus on reducing costs and how more efficient and faster production can boost revenue and improve time to market. For CIOs, focus on productivity and efficiency. Tell them how automation and artificial intelligence (AI) features will save teams time and hands-on work.\n\n## 2. Find a champion\nIf you’re going to be walking into a boardroom packed with C-suite executives or having a small meeting with a CEO, it helps to have backup. Find an executive who knows the language of business and key business drivers and pitch the idea of using DevSecOps to get her backing. Then she can help you make the pitch to other executives.\n\n## 3. Make sure you have a plan\nBefore talking to an executive, you first need to draft a plan. Create a basic outline that gives you guidance about the key points to touch on, but also leaves room to take questions and feedback. Make sure you listen as much as you talk. Meetings are learning opportunities.\n\n## 4. Don’t geek out on the tech\nRemember that you are talking to business people. It’s easy for a technical person to fall back on using technical lingo and talking about the excitement of using the shiniest tools. But that’s not going to get someone far with most executives. Even a CTO, who is a technical person, is focused on the business – and how any technology is going to support that business or weigh it down. Don't use technical jargon or acronyms. Convey engineering objectives into a language of profit and loss. Tell execs why migrating to a DevSecOps platform will make the software development team, and the company as a whole, more successful.\n\n## 5. Do your homework\nIf you work for a public company, listen to the quarterly reports to learn about immediate business objectives and long-term strategic goals. Have a coffee chat with or shadow someone who works in financial planning, analysis, and/or accounting. Learn from your colleagues how the company makes money and what its business needs are. Understand challenges, like security issues, [compliance issues](/blog/top-5-compliance-features-to-leverage-in-gitlab/), or competitors coming out with new features faster. Then address those challenges. Make sure your presentation focuses on the company’s specific needs and any potential future challenges.\n\n“I would recommend always starting by figuring out the business needs first,” says [Fatima Sarah Khalid](https://gitlab.com/sugaroverflow), developer evangelist at GitLab. “How does this bring value to the organization’s customers and how does this impact the company? Will it save money, unlock a new customer segment, open up new channels, or boost production and efficiency? These are the kind of strategic levers that are most helpful for leadership to hear.”\n\n## 6. Focus on benefits to the executives\nOf course, executives will want to know how DevSecOps will benefit the business that they’re running, but they’ll also want to know how it can benefit them and the specific job they’re doing. Let executives know that a DevSecOps platform will give them visibility into the entire software development lifecycle so they can see where projects slow down or progress, giving them more insight and control. And make it clear that an end-to-end platform fosters a culture where everyone, from customer service to marketing and the C-suite, can collaborate.\n\n## 7. Don’t forget the money\nAs you plan out what to talk about with executives and what business challenges to focus on, remember that money always has to be part of the conversation. Since you likely will be reducing a complex and costly toolchain with the adoption of a DevSecOps platform, estimate the savings in both cost and time that will come from cutting that toolchain. Point out the savings, in terms of money and brand image, by reducing security vulnerabilities. Management also is going to want you to estimate how much it will cost to migrate to a platform, along with the human hours needed, and an adoption timeline.\n\n“Tech people can never forget that executives are very focused on ROI,” says [Ayoub Fandi](https://gitlab.com/ayofan), senior field security engineer at GitLab. “It’s always a central issue. They need to understand if any decision will bring them closer to their business goals. Adopting a DevSecOps platform can be a massive cost reduction. Each year companies spend more money on IT so if they can learn a way to spend less, it’ll be very welcome information.”\n\nRemember that leadership likely is looking for reasons to say yes. You just need to provide them with those reasons – and make sure they’re solid business reasons. Make it clear what an adoption will look like in practice. Show them [case studies](/customers/) of other companies that have made the move.\n\nAnd the impact of enabling executives to understand the benefits of DevSecOps go beyond a single adoption. Learning how to understand an organization’s business needs and strategy, and learning the language of business are [great skills for anyone in tech](/blog/best-advice-for-your-devops-career-keep-on-learning/) to have. Continuing to educate yourself and pursuing knowledge on the business side are top ways to increase your standing in your company, your hireability, and [your paycheck](/blog/four-tips-to-increase-your-devops-salary/).\n\nGet even more advice in our our latest guide *[How to drive business success with DevSecOps](https://page.gitlab.com/resources-ebook-devsecops-success.html?utm_campaign=devsecopsplat&utm_content=ebookdevsecopssuccess)*, available for download now.\n",[758,695,9],"DevSecOps",{"slug":760,"featured":6,"template":698},"7-tips-on-how-to-successfully-talk-to-execs-about-devsecops","content:en-us:blog:7-tips-on-how-to-successfully-talk-to-execs-about-devsecops.yml","7 Tips On How To Successfully Talk To Execs About Devsecops","en-us/blog/7-tips-on-how-to-successfully-talk-to-execs-about-devsecops.yml","en-us/blog/7-tips-on-how-to-successfully-talk-to-execs-about-devsecops",{"_path":766,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":767,"content":773,"config":779,"_id":781,"_type":13,"title":782,"_source":15,"_file":783,"_stem":784,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/a-look-at-devops-salaries",{"title":768,"description":769,"ogTitle":768,"ogDescription":769,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":770,"ogUrl":771,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":771,"schema":772},"DevOps salaries in 2021: where do you rank?","Another surprise benefit of working on a DevOps platform? A higher salary! Here's why DevOps salaries are going up, and where to find the biggest paychecks.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749663397/Blog/Hero%20Images/logoforblogpost.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/a-look-at-devops-salaries","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"DevOps salaries in 2021: where do you rank?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sharon Gaudin\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-10-07\",\n      }",{"title":768,"description":769,"authors":774,"heroImage":770,"date":775,"body":776,"category":716,"tags":777},[690],"2021-10-07","\n_This is the first in an occasional series of blog posts looking at DevOps salaries and careers._\n\nDespite the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent economic crisis that has disrupted lives and business across industries and around the world, demand for DevOps professionals remains strong and salaries continue to increase.\n\nThe IT industry, in general, fared better than many during the economic uncertainty of 2020 and 2021. With a strong IT infrastructure already in place and IT professionals accustomed to working remotely, increased demand and short supply for IT workers meant [IT salaries held steady or rose](https://rlc.randstadusa.com/for-business/learning-center/salary-insights/salary-guide/IT-technologies) in turbulent times, reported Randstad, a multinational human resources consulting firm. \n\nAnd DevOps professionals did even better than most in IT.\n\n## DevOps salaries are on the rise\n\n[DevOps, simply put,](/topics/devops/) is one of the hottest areas in the technology industry. Robert Half International Inc., a major human resources consulting firm, lists DevOps in the top 10 most in-demand jobs in 2021. Actually, in early September the firm [listed DevOps as the second hottest IT job](https://www.roberthalf.com/blog/salaries-and-skills/the-13-highest-paying-it-jobs-in-2019), just behind big data engineers, and surpassing cloud architects, security managers and database managers. And Randstad also ranked DevOps high in its [list of in-demand technology roles.](\u003Chttps://rlc.randstadusa.com/for-business/learning-center/salary-insights/salary-guide/IT-technologies>)\n\nAccording to salary watchers like Randstad, Glassdoor and ZipRecruiter, DevOps engineers, for instance, generally make approximately $100,000 to $150,000. Based on average U.S. salaries on Glassdoor, DevOps engineers are number 8 for 10 top-paying IT jobs in 2021. And DevOps developers, who Randstad calls one of the most in-demand technology roles, are doing well, too. They are in line to make $112,785 (for those with one year of experience) to $165,980 (for 10 years or more of experience). Those figures, of course, greatly depend on location and skill level.\n\nJust to drive the point home, Amanda Stansell, a data scientist at Glassdoor, said in a report earlier this year that [DevOps engineers](https://about.gitlab.com/topics/devops/what-is-a-devops-engineer/) made her list of [Top 10 Best Jobs in America for 2021.](\u003Chttps://www.glassdoor.com/research/best-jobs-in-america-for-2021/>) She bases her calculations on earning potential, overall job satisfaction, and number of job openings listed on Glassdoor. The role of DevOps engineer came in squarely in the middle at #5 - between Java developer at #1 and dentist at #10.\n\n## Demand for DevOps professionals is skyrocketing\n\nAccording to the Randstad 2021 Salary Guide, demand for DevOps developers is currently skyrocketing. “For employers… the average time-to-fill for these roles is north of 50 days,” the report noted. “That likely means many would-be employers today are instead suffering from key vacancies in their IT departments. Worse, with average annual salaries for DevOps developers at $137,830 — higher even than the average for cloud engineers — organizations should expect to spend considerable budget just to be in the running for skilled and experienced developers. It’s a pay-to-play hiring environment.”\n\n## Breaking down the DevOps salaries\n\nLet’s take a closer look at how pay for some DevOps positions breaks down:\n\n* ZipRecruiter reports that a DevOps engineer in San Francisco can take home $132,934, while the same position in Boston, Mass. would garner $113,552. In Austin, Texas, that engineer could earn $110,240 but in Boise, Idaho that drops to $102,093.\n\n* According to ZipRecruiter, the top five [highest paying cities for DevOps engineers](https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Devops-Engineer-Salary) are Sunnyvale, Calif. (at $144,494); Santa Rosa, Calif. ($139,673); Cambridge, Mass. ($135,440); Vacaville, Calif. ($132,838), and New York City ($131,356).\n\n* The [top five best states](https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/What-Is-the-Average-Devops-Engineer-Salary-by-State) for DevOps engineers to earn the most are Massachusetts, Hawaii, Connecticut, Tennessee and Minnesota. \n\n## Read more on DevOps careers: \t\t\n\n- [Best advice for your DevOps career? Keep on learning](/blog/best-advice-for-your-devops-career-keep-on-learning/)\n\n- [6 tips to make software developer hiring easier](/blog/6-tips-to-make-software-developer-hiring-easier/)\n\n- [Four tips to increase your DevOps salary](/blog/four-tips-to-increase-your-devops-salary/)\n\n- [Have DevOps jobs to fill? Try these 3 strategies to hire and retain](/blog/have-devops-jobs-to-fill-try-these-3-strategies-to-hire-and-retain/)\n",[694,9,778],"startups",{"slug":780,"featured":6,"template":698},"a-look-at-devops-salaries","content:en-us:blog:a-look-at-devops-salaries.yml","A Look At Devops Salaries","en-us/blog/a-look-at-devops-salaries.yml","en-us/blog/a-look-at-devops-salaries",{"_path":786,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":787,"content":793,"config":802,"_id":804,"_type":13,"title":805,"_source":15,"_file":806,"_stem":807,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/advice-for-women-seeking-careers-in-tech",{"title":788,"description":789,"ogTitle":788,"ogDescription":789,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":790,"ogUrl":791,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":791,"schema":792},"Women in Tech: Use Your Uniqueness as a Career Superpower","GitLab's Women's Team Member Resource Group shares tips on how to make a mark in this industry.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749677856/Blog/Hero%20Images/collaboration.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/advice-for-women-seeking-careers-in-tech","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Use your uniqueness as a superpower and other advice for women seeking careers in tech\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Kyla Gradin Dahl\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-04-04\",\n      }",{"title":794,"description":789,"authors":795,"heroImage":790,"date":797,"body":798,"category":799,"tags":800},"Use your uniqueness as a superpower and other advice for women seeking careers in tech",[796],"Kyla Gradin Dahl","2022-04-04","\n\nGitLab's [Women's Team Member Resource Group (TMRG)](/company/culture/inclusion/tmrg-gitlab-women/), a forum for women to find their voice and be heard, celebrated Women's History Month by reflecting on what it means to be a woman in technology, how they arrived here, and who inspires them. We also gathered advice for other women who want to enter or advance in this industry.\n\n## Tips for women in tech\n\nAt GitLab, we work within our [CREDIT values](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#credit) every day. The organization’s [team member resource groups](/company/culture/inclusion/erg-guide/) amplify our value of [Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#diversity-inclusion). And, aligned with our value of [transparency](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#transparency), we’re able to share the voices of our TMRG here with our wider GitLab community.\n\nBelow are perspectives from:\n- [Jane Gianoutsos](https://gitlab.com/jgianoutsos), Manager, Support Engineering\n- [Michelle Hodges](https://gitlab.com/mwhodges), VP of Global Channels\n- [Taharah Nix](https://gitlab.com/tnix), Associate Paralegal, Employment\n- [Sherrod Patching](https://gitlab.com/spatching), Senior Director, Technical Account Manager\n- [Juliet Wanjohi](https://gitlab.com/jwanjohi), Senior Security Engineer, Security Automation\n\n**What advice would you give to women who are considering a career in technology?**\n\n**Michelle:** Unapologetically go for it. The industry requires diverse collaborators and contributors to make sure that the technology that runs the world, our schools, our homes, etc. is made by people with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. Just by showing up in technology, you make a meaningful impact on the world today and for the future. \n\n**Sherrod:** Honestly, I believe that anyone from any background can be successful and fulfilled in tech. Before pivoting into tech, I started my career as a musician. In tech, we are constantly creating, which is incredibly fulfilling as a creative person.\n\n**Taharah:** I would say that there's a place for everyone in tech. A lot of times people can be intimidated when they think of working for a tech company because they may not have the experience that they think they need. However, just as with any other company, there are a lot of different business needs within the company and all perspectives are necessary. So, I would say think about what you're most comfortable doing and expand from there. There are endless opportunities for learning.\n\n**Juliet:** The first step when considering moving into a career in the technology industry would be to come up with a strategy - explore the different pathways available and identify your area of interest. The next step would be to look at ways of leveling up your skills and knowledge by doing certifications, reading books, and listening to podcasts/audiobooks related to your area of interest. \n\nLeverage your network and community connections by reaching out and having [coffee chats](/company/culture/all-remote/informal-communication/#coffee-chats) with individuals who are in the tech field to get more insight and advice on how they got into the industry and tips that helped them along the way.\n\n**What tips do you have for women working towards being senior leaders?**\n\n**Michelle:** Leadership requires authenticity in self while being focused on the success of those you lead. Know where you want to go and build those experiences into your CV intentionally. Grit and resilience will serve you well - so build them into your wheelhouse.\n\n**Sherrod:** Lead by example, even if you are in an individual contributor role. Some of the best leaders I know led long before they had a team. Know where you are going, determine the milestones to getting there, and follow through on execution.\n\n**Juliet:** Taking the lead in shaping conversations about your career path with your manager is definitely important. You can do this by drawing up a roadmap or a plan of what you aspire to achieve, and where you'd like to be in the future, and being accountable by making a habit of evaluating your progress towards your goal of becoming a senior leader. Another essential tip would be to work towards increasing your sphere of influence and forming a network of professional relationships outside of your immediate team, as this opens a doorway for more collaboration opportunities with other teams and a chance to continually hone and fine-tune your leadership skills.\n\n**Did you have any women mentors (formal or informal) when you were building your career? What was some key advice they gave you and how important do you think mentorship is for future leaders?** \n\n**Michelle:** Your “otherness” is your superpower. You have a unique way of approaching problems, leading people, and showing up in a team setting - lean into that. Don’t let your otherness impact your authenticity. Not always but often, boys are raised to be brave while girls are raised to be perfect. Do not let your desire to be perfect stand in the way of taking risks, being brave, and being authentic. \n\n**Sherrod:** I have had mentors, but not women mentors. I can't advocate enough for having someone further along than you that can help you see things from angles you can't yet see from.\n\n**Juliet:** Yes, and I still do! One key [piece of] advice that I received at the start of my career from one of my mentors was to leap out of my comfort zone and go where the opportunities are. Waiting for your career to build itself rarely works, it is up to you to be committed and work towards getting those opportunities that you feel will uplift you and get you one step closer to your goal. \n\nMentorship is an integral piece for future leaders because it gives them an opportunity to shadow and seek advice from women who have had more experience with climbing the tech career ladder, and can help them map out their career path in accordance with their interests and goals. Having a mentor also gives them the chance to receive honest and constructive feedback on any challenges that they may face, and how they can potentially turn these challenges into growth opportunities!\n\n**What has been the proudest moment in your career so far and why?** \n\n**Michelle:** Seeing previous employees and mentees thrive in their careers.\n\n**Sherrod:** One moment that comes to mind is having led the acquisition of another company in my previous role before GitLab. I led the process and was considerably out of my comfort zone, which is when I learn the most. \n\n**Jane:** I’m proud of:\n- Earning not only the trust but the respect of a team member who was adamant I was the wrong person for the role when I was being appointed to it.\n- The card I received at a farewell saying I was the most effective manager the highly regarded engineer had worked for.\n- The unexpected recommendation and thanks written for me on LinkedIn by someone I had encouraged to notice his leadership skills and who went on to do just that.\n- The call I got from a third party after another person’s farewell from an ex-employer to tell me how much that departing person referred to my influence during their farewell speech.\n- The customer who insisted on coming to my farewell with flowers and champagne.\n- The peer I first worked with in 2005 who I still discuss career growth and life decisions with.\n\n**How important are GitLab’s values in building an inclusive culture for women at GitLab?** \n\n**Michelle:** Vitally important. In the workplace, whether it's GitLab or not, women have a responsibility to drive the change that creates not only an equal workplace but an equitable workplace. Equitable meaning working motherhood, caretaking, many women’s belief they need to be perfect, the imbalance of gender or URG representation, etc. - all these and more need to be accounted for to create a truly equitable work environment \n\nGitLab’s culture provides a space for women to lean into this responsibility, speak up, and make iterative and incremental changes that will impact future generations of women in the workplace and women leadership.\n\n**Sherrod:** Incredibly. I am a wife and a mom of two little girls first and foremost, and GitLab makes it possible to have a career and a career trajectory while also not sacrificing my family. \n\n**Jane:** GitLab has genuinely been life-changing for me. Through necessity, I’ve always been ok with being often the only woman in the tech team or even the company - or at least I thought I was ok with it!\n\nThen I started working here and discovered what it was to have space held for every voice, where I wasn’t reliant on allies to hold space or amplify my voice or sanity-check my suspicions about bad behaviors. Where [microaggressions](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#understanding-the-impact-of-microaggressions) are understood and challenged if they occur, where I don’t have to fight to advocate for the [uniqueness of people](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#quirkiness) but am empowered to support the fulness of all my team and colleagues, where we [normalize talking to each other](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#see-something-say-something) when we see old bad habits in play and where we do that with kindness.\n\nI’ve been moved to tears by people’s kindness, by the depth of inclusion I have come to experience here. I am often left pondering how very different things would have been for me had I experienced this in the early years of my career. I have no doubt mine would have been a very different journey, where I could have expended less energy on battling self-doubt and on healing, and more on growth and contribution.\n\n_The Women’s TMRG also invited [Christie Lenneville](/handbook/product/ux/one-pagers/christie-readme/), GitLab VP of UX, to share her experiences during a live speaker series, open to everyone at the company. You can watch the replay of the conversation below._\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/a10N6xYB7Ps\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\n\n","culture",[801,9,695],"inside GitLab",{"slug":803,"featured":6,"template":698},"advice-for-women-seeking-careers-in-tech","content:en-us:blog:advice-for-women-seeking-careers-in-tech.yml","Advice For Women Seeking Careers In Tech","en-us/blog/advice-for-women-seeking-careers-in-tech.yml","en-us/blog/advice-for-women-seeking-careers-in-tech",{"_path":809,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":810,"content":816,"config":823,"_id":825,"_type":13,"title":826,"_source":15,"_file":827,"_stem":828,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/ai-in-software-development",{"title":811,"description":812,"ogTitle":811,"ogDescription":812,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":813,"ogUrl":814,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":814,"schema":815},"How AI will change software development","AI has made self-driving cars possible, so what about self-writing code? We asked 14 DevOps practitioners, industry analysts and execs to share their take on how AI will impact software development.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749681709/Blog/Hero%20Images/future-of-software-ai.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/ai-in-software-development","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How AI will change software development\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Valerie Silverthorne\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-10-28\",\n      }",{"title":811,"description":812,"authors":817,"heroImage":813,"date":818,"body":819,"category":820,"tags":821},[734],"2020-10-28","\n\n_This is the third in our four-part series on the future of software development. Part one examines [the changing developer role](/blog/software-developer-changing-role/), part two takes a deep dive into [emerging technologies with the potential to impact development](/blog/how-tomorrows-tech-affects-sw-dev/), and part four shares [how to future-proof your developer career](/blog/future-proof-your-developer-career/)._\n\nArtificial intelligence has often been dismissed as a promising technology breakthrough that somehow remains out of reach, particularly when it comes to software development. The [role of AI in software development](/topics/devops/the-role-of-ai-in-devops/) has been written about for years and not much substantive has come of it.\n\nBut the stars may be aligning now. Developers are intrigued, and we can see that by looking at the growing popularity of the Python programming language. Stack Overflow’s [annual survey](https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2020) shows Python’s rise in \"popularity\" and \"interest\" based on the number of questions members asked about it. It’s certainly the go-to language for [ML-powered chat bots](https://medium.com/better-programming/software-developer-trends-of-2020-and-beyond-d1b955bc46b8).\n\nAnd in our [2020 Global DevSecOps Survey](/developer-survey/), close to one-quarter of developers surveyed said that an understanding of AI/ML will be the most important skill for their future careers. And roughly 16% of testers said their teams are using bots right now or have an AI/ML tool in place for testing.\n\nSo if Tesla can create a self-driving car, can self-writing code be that far off? The short answer is no, at least according to the more than a dozen [DevOps](/topics/devops/) practitioners, industry analysts, and GitLab executives we spoke with about the future of software development. Here’s what they're thinking.\n\n## A gradual process\n\nAt GitLab AI feels like it will happen but gradually. \"Every set of software in the future is going to be the combination of some procedural code and some (AI) models,\" says GitLab CEO [Sid Sijbrandij](/company/team/#sytses). \"The models will eat more and more of the code over time.\" But Sid sees AI’s role as \"less of a distinct activity and more of an integrated call out to a library or a call out to a model.\"\n\nTo put it another way, senior developer evangelist [Brendan O’Leary](/company/team/#brendan) thinks it would be strange if AI weren’t playing a much more significant (and helpful) role in code development ten years from now. \"But this isn’t going to replace humans – it’s going to make the human role more critical to understand what’s important,\" Brendan says. He likens it to a detail-oriented second set of eyes that can sort through all the data quickly to focus coders on areas that need it. \"Computer-aided detection is really valuable in mammography because it’s hard to look for 1 millimeter specs of white,\" Brendan explains. \"Computer-aided detection is valuable because it surfaces the 'second look' areas to focus on. That’s the model I think we can expect when it comes to AI and software development.\"\n\n[Carlos Eduardo Arango Gutierrez](https://www.linkedin.com/in/eduardo-arango/?originalSubdomain=co), a software engineer at Red Hat (and a [GitLab Hero](/community/heroes/)) sees a big benefit to a bot \"colleague\" that will not only ID problems but will suggest solutions. \"I'm waiting for a bot that says 'oh your code is wrong and this is how you fix it,'\" Carlos says. \"You're no longer stuck because the bot is going to run the test for you and fix it.\"\n\n## Meet the Turing Bots\n\nSo there’s clearly a backstop/code testing/QA role for AI in software development, but there is more to it than that, according to Forrester Research. In its September 2020 webinar, \"The Future of Software Development: How AI Will Automate More Than 70% of Software Development,\" [Diego Lo Giudce](https://www.linkedin.com/in/diego-lo-giudice-52232/detail/recent-activity/posts/) and [Mike Gualtieri](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mgualtieri/), both vice presidents and principal analysts, make the case that so called \"Turing Bots\" will be generating code from software artifacts in ten years, or less. The technologies driving the bots include autonomous testing, auto ML (for predicting), reinforcement learning, and machine coding, the webinar says.\n\nThat’s a bold prediction and a lot to unpack for today's DevOps teams. It will be a process and culture shift, certainly, but it will also require sweeping changes in the developer thought process. Forrester recommends developers start now to \"define more precise artifacts and patterns, including app requirements, UX design and solution architecture.\"\n\n## Now take a deep breath\n\nIt’s important to remember, though, that AI is only as good as the data fed to it by humans – it’s not a substitute *for* humans. [Jose Manrique Lopez de la Fuente](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jose-manrique-lopez-de-la-fuente-b869884/), CEO at Bitergia, and also a GitLab hero, puts it this way: \"I don’t believe that we won’t need developers any more,\" he says. \"Artificial intelligence is not intelligent.\"\n\n_Wondering if your skills will keep you relevant in a time of AI overlords? Don’t miss our look at skills critical to a DevOps team's future in the fourth part of our series on the future of software development._\n","insights",[694,9,822],"testing",{"slug":824,"featured":6,"template":698},"ai-in-software-development","content:en-us:blog:ai-in-software-development.yml","Ai In Software Development","en-us/blog/ai-in-software-development.yml","en-us/blog/ai-in-software-development",{"_path":830,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":831,"content":837,"config":845,"_id":847,"_type":13,"title":848,"_source":15,"_file":849,"_stem":850,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/all-remote-is-for-everyone",{"title":832,"description":833,"ogTitle":832,"ogDescription":833,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":834,"ogUrl":835,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":835,"schema":836},"Why we believe all-remote is for everyone","Darren Murph, leading GitLab's all-remote initiatives, shares why the future of work can be embraced today.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749680729/Blog/Hero%20Images/dm-globe.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/all-remote-is-for-everyone","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Why we believe all-remote is for everyone\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Darren Murph\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-08-15\",\n      }",{"title":832,"description":833,"authors":838,"heroImage":834,"date":840,"body":841,"category":799,"tags":842},[839],"Darren Murph","2019-08-15","\n\nWe're committed to [all-remote](/company/culture/all-remote/) work at GitLab – our whole work philosophy\nis designed around it. I joined GitLab to lead our all-remote\ninitiatives – here's a bit about my background and why I'm excited to join the team.\n\n### A pivotal moment in how society looks at remote work\n\nGitLab is known by many as an [open core company](/blog/monetizing-and-being-open-source/) which develops software for the software\ndevelopment lifecycle. What I want the world to know is that it’s *also* a pioneer in remote work,\nbuilding a transparent, empowered workforce of [over 800 team members across 57+ countries](/company/team/).\nYou read that correctly. Over 800 of us, none of whom are required to work from a central\noffice, are making GitLab one of the world’s largest all remote companies.\n\nI was recently given the honor of joining GitLab to lead its all remote initiatives. The\ncompany’s remarkable growth and impact on the world is well documented, but as I’ve\nengaged with team members – as well as pets and families in the background! – I’m beginning to\nunderstand that we’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s possible.\n\n![Embracing the remote lifestyle in Alabama Hills, California](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/dm-alabama-hills-california.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\nEmbracing the remote lifestyle in Alabama Hills, California\n{: .note.text-center}\n\nI believe we’re nearing a sea change in how we work. It’s easy to point to stratospheric rent prices in major urban centers, soul-crushing gridlock, and shifting mindsets in what society values in a career as reasons for turning to remote work.\n\nBut I think it’s deeper than that. We yearn to explore, and work doesn't have to stand in the way.\n\n### Positive change is possible as all-remote becomes the default for many companies\n\nThe internet has never been faster nor more ubiquitous. Computing power has never been more\naccessible. It’s time for organizations large and small to embrace these realities, to open their\nrecruiting pipelines to the world, to divert real estate budget to R&D and to recognize that\nwe’re all better workers when we’re given the space to feel truly alive.\n\nMore importantly, the communities that matter to each of us have never needed our presence more.\nWorking remotely gives each person the autonomy to serve in a place that matters to them –\na place that has shaped them – contributing significantly to the wellbeing of a population\nthat may be at risk of losing its foundation, should talent continue to flee to the usual job centers.\n\n[Research from the University of New Hampshire](https://carsey.unh.edu/publication/rural-depopulation) has found that \"35% of rural counties in the United States are experiencing protracted and significant population loss.\" Speaking to shrinking towns across Europe, [a 2016 report from the European Parliamentary Research Service](http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2016)586632) notes that \"younger members of society prefer to migrate to more economically vibrant regions and cities in search of better job prospects as, in most of these territories, professional opportunities remain limited and confined to specific fields (e.g. agriculture and tourism).\" I believe all-remote has the power to pause, and perhaps even reverse, these trends of depopulation.\n\n![Remote work can have outsized positive impact in cities like Accra](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/dm-accra-ghana.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\nRemote work can have outsized positive impact in cities like Accra\n{: .note.text-center}\n\nWhat would traffic in London, Moscow, Mexico City, and Rome look like if every person who *could* work remotely, did?\nWhat talent might we surface by tapping into burgeoning tech hubs in cities like Accra or Lagos? How\nmany San Franciscans – locals who have been priced out of their own city – could move back if some\nof the world’s greatest technical minds were empowered to work from anywhere? What would\nunderserved communities in rural regions across the globe be capable of if well-paying jobs\ncame their way via the internet?\n\nI don’t ask these questions hypothetically. I ask them because I want to leverage GitLab’s\nplatform to change the narrative on work, and I fully expect that we’ll see those answers in\nmy lifetime. It doesn’t hurt that GitLab (the product) is [tailor-made to enable remote work](/free-trial/),\neven across large teams.\n\n### Creating more remote opportunities for others\n\nI’ve had the great privilege of working remotely my entire career. I’ve shared memories with my\nfamily in over 50 countries and have celebrated milestones with colleagues whilst flying over a\nmillion miles on a single airline (thank you, Delta!).\n\nMy wife and I experienced the beautiful and transformative journey of adoption because I\nworked for an employer that trusted me to excel from a place I needed to be to see it through.\nI’ve met countless GitLabbers who have never been happier, more fulfilled, or more engaged with\ntheir family and community, all because they’re empowered to work remotely.\n\n![Remote work encourages exploration of both locales and cultures](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/dm-delta-munich-germany.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\nRemote work encourages exploration of both locales and cultures\n{: .note.text-center}\n\nI share this because I realize I’m one of the fortunate few, and I long for countless others to have\nthese same opportunities. GitLab is positioned to be of service to everyone – from startups, to\nentrepreneurs, to the world’s largest enterprises – in creating a remote infrastructure that works.\nI couldn’t be more excited to help enable precisely that.\n\nIf you're new to the concept of all-remote, I'd encourage you to dive into\nour [Handbook](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/)\nand [learn how it works at GitLab](/company/culture/all-remote/tips/).\n\nIf you're ready to embrace the freedoms enabled by all-remote, browse\nour [vacancies](/jobs/) and join me on this journey!\n",[843,801,844,9],"features","remote work",{"slug":846,"featured":6,"template":698},"all-remote-is-for-everyone","content:en-us:blog:all-remote-is-for-everyone.yml","All Remote Is For Everyone","en-us/blog/all-remote-is-for-everyone.yml","en-us/blog/all-remote-is-for-everyone",{"_path":852,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":853,"content":859,"config":866,"_id":868,"_type":13,"title":869,"_source":15,"_file":870,"_stem":871,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/ask-gitlab-security-alexander-dietrich",{"title":854,"description":855,"ogTitle":854,"ogDescription":855,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":856,"ogUrl":857,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":857,"schema":858},"Ask GitLab Security: Alexander Dietrich","What are the challenges and rewards of working security for a growing, cloud native company? We grill one of our senior security engineers.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679726/Blog/Hero%20Images/ask-security-cover.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/ask-gitlab-security-alexander-dietrich","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Ask GitLab Security: Alexander Dietrich\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Heather Simpson\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-06-26\",\n      }",{"title":854,"description":855,"authors":860,"heroImage":856,"date":862,"body":863,"category":864,"tags":865},[861],"Heather Simpson","2019-06-26","\nWhat’s it like working to secure one of the most transparent organizations in the world? To be a security practitioner in a highly iterative and agile environment? What does that look like and what kind of people thrive in that environment? It takes a certain individual... curious, analytical, collaborative and dedicated. Of course, there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to our GitLab Security team; they also tackle the hard topics like the age-old 'Is a hotdog a sandwich?' debate, Vim vs Emacs, and Linux distros.\n{: .note}\n\nWe take securing the GitLab product and service and protecting our company very seriously. But, we try not to take ourselves too seriously. We hope you learn something new in [this series](/blog/tags.html#ask-GitLab-security), but that you enjoy yourself too.\n{: .note}\n\n\n![Alexander Dietrich Headshot](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/dietrich.png){: .small.right.wrap-text} **Name:** Alexander Dietrich\n\n**Title:** Senior security engineer, [Automation](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/security/#security-automation)\n\n**How long have you been at GitLab?** I started in September 2018\n\n**GitLab handle:** [@adietrich](https://gitlab.com/adietrich)\n{: #tanuki-orange}\n\n**Connect with Alexander:** [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderdietrich/)\n\n\n#### Tell us what you do here at GitLab:\nI create tools for the security department to automate tasks that were previously done mostly manually (or not at all), so we can perform our work more quickly, consistently, and (I hope) delightfully. Security teams are rarely large teams, and security automation focuses on scaling the team.\n\n#### What’s the most challenging or rewarding aspect of your role?\nNothing I have worked on so far has been cookie-cutter; there’s a continuous flow of new technologies to learn and use cases to cover, which I find challenging and rewarding at the same time. GitLab is a cloud native company, so having the full range of services at our disposal to solve a problem can be tempting (and potentially overwhelming), at which point it’s good to remember our [value of efficiency](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#efficiency) and go for the “[boring solution](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#boring-solutions).” Your team members will be much happier too, when your PagerDuty, Slack, and GitLab integration is only a few lines of Python running [serverless](/topics/serverless/) and just works.\n\n#### And, what are the top 2-3 initiatives you’re currently focused on?\n- Making sure we meet our remediation goals for security issues, i.e. through automated escalation (if necessary). Some examples:\n     * [Build escalation engine for issues escalation](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-security/security-department-meta/issues/383)\n     * [Workflow for escalation engine](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-security/security-department-meta/issues/446)\n- Reducing friction for our application security engineers: An example would be the automated import of HackerOne reports directly into GitLab issues or improving our engagement with HackerOne reporters through automated updates and responses.\n- Laying the groundwork for GitLab’s [Zero Trust initiative](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/security/#zero-trust); currently, I’m focusing on building onto our [SSO solution](/handbook/business-technology/okta/).\n\n#### How did you get into security?\nI have been following IT security topics for many years from a defender perspective, due to running things on the internet and an interest in privacy-enhancing technologies. Professionally, I switched to security from a regular software development position, when my previous employer needed a dedicated security team for their development organisation. Suddenly I was responsible not only for secure software development practices, but also awareness of potential threats to our services stack and operational security of our cloud environments. It was very exciting, and I learned a lot, especially about the value of automation.\n\n#### In the past decade, how has your area of expertise changed?\nSignificantly, I started out writing software that was sold in boxes in stores (remember those?) and saw the entire business shift to “cloud native,” with me changing focus from writing software to making sure that software is written and operated securely. Being able to apply my general security-mindedness at work was a great opportunity, and it’s kind of funny to see the trend for security to “shift left,” towards where I’m originally coming from. Nice meeting y’all!\n\n#### From the perspective of your role, what’s GitLab doing better than anyone else in terms of security?\nWhen you consider where GitLab is in its evolution, the size and diversity of the security department demonstrates very clearly that security is not an afterthought here. I love being able to focus on my area of expertise and collaborating with teams that are equally well-staffed and dedicated. Initiatives like Zero Trust and the in-house Red Team also show a proactive attitude towards security, rather than just patching the latest vulnerabilities.\n\n#### What is the most significant piece of security advice you could provide to a colleague or friend?\nUse a password manager and generate unique passwords for everything. That way one website losing your data will not put all your other accounts at risk. Keep your systems updated, so you don’t get bitten by security holes that are years old. Ok, that was two pieces of advice.\n\n#### What do you look forward to the most in security in the next five years?\nI’m anxious to see the industry overcome the dichotomy of security and usability, and secure-by-default becoming the new normal. This might take longer than five years, though.\n\n#### Is there an area of security research you think deserves more attention?\nThe design of decentralized systems that are secure and usable should receive more attention. When we read about the latest mind-boggling data breach, we often overlook the fact that bad operational security may be one cause, but another is the practice of piling up mountains of data in the first place.\n\n#### What is something you advocate as a security professional, but find the most difficult to put into practice personally?\nApplying the “principle of least privilege” is more difficult than I’d like. Giving a user or service only the required amount of permissions for certain tasks is intuitively a sensible strategy, yet doing this in practice is often hampered by obscure systems or documentation. I have yet to encounter a cloud provider with a permission system that is flexible, easy to use and well documented at the same time. It’s no surprise that software engineers tend to take the shortcut of overly broad permissions in this situation, I’m afraid.\n\n#### What's your favorite security research paper or thought leadership piece?\nI’m going to pick “[Tor: The Second-Generation Onion Router](https://svn.torproject.org/svn/projects/design-paper/tor-design.pdf),” because it lays the foundation for a system that provides accessible, secure communication for everyone to this day.\n\n## Now, for the questions you *really* want to have answered:\n\n#### Vim or Emacs?\nVim, because I have at least basic proficiency here. I might dive into Emacs though, if I ever get tired of Linux.\n\n#### Favorite Linux distro?\nI’ve been very happy with Ubuntu, both on the server and desktop, even if they are occasionally a bit “ambitious” with their changes.\n\n#### Is a hotdog a sandwich?\nNo, the geometry is all wrong.\n\n#### Gif or Gif? (Gif or Jif?)\nI’m more concerned about people who pronounce “router” incorrectly, to be honest.\n\n#### What's been your most interesting experience while traveling?\nOther than simply encountering a new place, probably tasting dishes and/or drinks I didn’t know before. When we went to New Orleans for [GitLab Contribute](/blog/contribute-wrap-up/), I was introduced to a whole range of Cajun cuisine that I had never had, which was amazing.\n\n#### What is one food or beverage you can't live without?\nDarjeeling tea\n\n#### Who is your favorite superhero and why?\nAnyone who comes to the aid of their fellow human beings, even at great personal risk.\n\n#### Have a question to ask the GitLab Security team? Leave a comment below!\n","security",[9,801,864,864],{"slug":867,"featured":6,"template":698},"ask-gitlab-security-alexander-dietrich","content:en-us:blog:ask-gitlab-security-alexander-dietrich.yml","Ask Gitlab Security Alexander Dietrich","en-us/blog/ask-gitlab-security-alexander-dietrich.yml","en-us/blog/ask-gitlab-security-alexander-dietrich",{"_path":873,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":874,"content":879,"config":884,"_id":886,"_type":13,"title":887,"_source":15,"_file":888,"_stem":889,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/ask-gitlab-security-paul-harrison",{"title":875,"description":876,"ogTitle":875,"ogDescription":876,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":856,"ogUrl":877,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":877,"schema":878},"Ask GitLab Security: Paul Harrison","What’s it like working to secure one of the most transparent organizations in the world? Meet our security team.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/ask-gitlab-security-paul-harrison","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Ask GitLab Security: Paul Harrison\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Heather Simpson\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-05-31\",\n      }",{"title":875,"description":876,"authors":880,"heroImage":856,"date":881,"body":882,"category":864,"tags":883},[861],"2019-05-31","\nWhat’s it like working to secure one of the most transparent organizations in the world?  To be a security practitioner in a highly iterative and agile environment? What does that look like and what kind of people thrive in that environment? It takes a certain individual ... curious, analytical, collaborative and dedicated. Of course, there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to our GitLab Security team; they also tackle the hard topics like the age-old 'Is a hotdog a sandwich?' debate, Vim vs Emacs, and Linux distros.\n{: .note}\n\nWe take securing the GitLab product and service and protecting our company very seriously. But, we try not to take ourselves too seriously. We hope you learn something new in this series, but that you enjoy yourself too.\n{: .note}\n\n\n![Paul Harrison Headshot](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/paul-harrison-headshot.png){: .small.right.wrap-text} **Name:** Paul Harrison\n\n**Title:** Senior Security Engineer / Interim Security Manager, Security Operations\n\n**How long have you been at GitLab?** I started in January 2019\n\n**GitLab handle:** [@pharrison](https://gitlab.com/pharrison)\n{: #tanuki-orange}\n\n**Connect with Paul:** [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/pharrison33) / [Twitter](https://twitter.com/iyampaul)\n\n\n#### Tell us what you do here at GitLab:\nI’m responsible for defining and implementing the operational security response processes and procedures to handle new and emerging risks to GitLab the company, the product, and GitLab.com. I’m also involved in day-to-day security event handling and engaging with partner teams around GitLab on any related questions or issues.\n\n#### What’s the most challenging or rewarding aspect of your role?\nThe most challenging AND rewarding aspect is helping to design our security posture and working to meet those goals one step at a time. This is incredibly unique and challenging as we’re 100 percent remote, the topography of the company and its environments is constantly iterating, and we want to ensure we hold true to our [values](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/) by being as transparent and open as possible.\n\n#### And, what are the top 2-3 initiatives you’re currently focused on?\n- Operational Security Architecture: Designing the end-to-end flow of how security risks, events, and incidents are handled across GitLab. (Handbook MR coming soon!)\n- [Log Aggregation Working Group](/company/team/structure/working-groups/log-aggregation/): Analyzing, documenting, and working with Infrastructure and Development teams to improve the quality and efficiency of logs being produced by GitLab-CE/EE and GitLab.com.\n\n#### How did you get into security?\nDialing into local [BBS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulletin_board_system)s in the early '90s, IRC in the mid-90s, and being introduced to reading material like Phrack, 2600, and other amusing bits at an early and malleable age. Combined with a general interest in discovering how things work, breaking them in the process, and the kind of interesting things you can find!\n\n#### In the past decade, how has your area of expertise changed?\n10 years ago I was almost entirely focused on the security and compliance tools necessary to keep a solid grasp on enterprise email (well ... as best as you can!). From there, I broadened my horizons by taking on security management and architecture of local and remotely hosted environments, then compliance for interesting and terrifying acronyms like GDPR. This has resulted in a decent breadth of knowledge in many areas … and enough to be dangerous in others.\n\n#### What is the most significant piece of security advice you could provide to a colleague or friend?\nPlease, please, please, please use a password manager like 1Password, or LastPass, or Bitwarden (examples, not endorsements, YMMV and pick what fits your workflow best!) and start using it to generate and save unique and difficult passwords for each of your sites or services. You won’t need to remember them and so you don’t need to use a memorable one. Then, while you’re at it, turn on two-factor authentication (2FA), and not that SMS/text message-based one. Use an app like Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator, which will give you the six-digit number (aka Time-Based, One-Time Password) on your mobile device, or better. Having strong, unique passwords and 2FA enabled will significantly decrease the chance of your accounts being compromised.\n\n#### GitLab is very unique in that we strive to be incredibly transparent...about everything. What sort of challenges does that present to you as a security professional? What opportunities?\n**_First, the opportunities:_**\n\nStriving, and for the vast majority of situations, succeeding, at being transparent is a hugely rewarding and helpful experience for both GitLab and the community. At first I was sceptical and from working with very tight-lipped organizations with their well-massaged disclosure communications, my mindset has been to not “air our dirty laundry.” **But, being able to be transparent about vulnerabilities and issues means:**\n- The community can see how we became aware of, handled, and resolved the situation, then subsequently learned from it so we won’t repeat the issue.  This information might help them in their own environment, or their own processes, and, we hope, might also increase their trust in our product!\n- We can give credit to all the awesome, hard-working, and talented people at GitLab who come up with clever and creative solutions to protect our customers and their data. When the issues are public, anyone can see who worked it, came up with the obscure and amazing solution, and deployed it. In most companies this information is part of their secret sauce, but this is something we can, should, and do celebrate.\n\n**_Now, the challenges:_**\n- The need to keep vulnerability details close so our customers have the opportunity to update before it’s being exploited in the wild.\n- Old habits die hard, particularly in the Security community. When the default state in most companies is to lock away and carefully communicate a well-crafted and rehearsed statement, transparency is something to get used to and can be uncomfortable for many people who’ve been in the industry for a while.\n- Determining, and sticking with, the few rare scenarios where, due to the sensitive nature, it is necessary to keep certain data confidential.  Scope creep can be hard.\n\n#### What are your thoughts on cybersecurity bachelor’s degrees as a way to scale training of security professionals?\nWith the premise of a bachelor’s degree being more focused on providing the deep, foundational knowledge and enabling people to continue to learn after completing the degree, a Security-focused bachelor’s program could be valuable. However, the continued learning aspect is absolutely a necessity in this space as, despite [OWASP Top 10](https://www.owasp.org/index.php/Category:OWASP_Top_Ten_Project) (for example) having largely remained unchanged, the rest of the security landscape has shifted tremendously in the last decade. Without having the willingness to grow and the tools at your disposal to understand how to grow, you would have a difficult time.\n\n## Now, for the questions you *really* want to have answered:\n\n#### Favorite Linux distro?\nDebian, specifically Debian Stable. It just works. Fast and reliable for server use and great for a desktop/workstation. I’ve been using Debian since version 5 or 6 and it is always my first choice when setting up a new system.\n\n#### You get one superpower, what is it?\nI’d like to be able to look at any one plant and make it to grow at any speed and to any size I wish. I could make one beanstalk be 100 feet tall and 3 feet wide, or a fully formed spruce tree but scaled down to a foot, all in a matter of seconds!\n\n#### Now, it’s time for the age-old debate: Is a hotdog a sandwich? And, on that note, is a taco a sandwich?\nNeither a hotdog nor a taco are sandwiches! A sandwich is formed by bringing together two distinct pieces of something to hold an object or several objects between them, sandwiched between them one could say! A hotdog or taco are different from a sandwich because in both circumstances the hotdog itself (aka meat-tube) or the taco fillings are inserted into a crevice formed from a single continuous piece of something, which is no longer sandwiching anything but instead is actually formed to enable the holding of the hotdog or taco-fillings.\n\n#### Have a question to ask the GitLab Security team? Leave a comment below!\n",[9,801,864,864],{"slug":885,"featured":6,"template":698},"ask-gitlab-security-paul-harrison","content:en-us:blog:ask-gitlab-security-paul-harrison.yml","Ask Gitlab Security Paul Harrison","en-us/blog/ask-gitlab-security-paul-harrison.yml","en-us/blog/ask-gitlab-security-paul-harrison",{"_path":891,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":892,"content":897,"config":902,"_id":904,"_type":13,"title":905,"_source":15,"_file":906,"_stem":907,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/ask-gitlab-security-roger-ostrander",{"title":893,"description":894,"ogTitle":893,"ogDescription":894,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":856,"ogUrl":895,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":895,"schema":896},"Ask GitLab Security: Roger Ostrander","What’s it like working day and night to kill spam, Bitcoin mining, malware and more? Meet our security team.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/ask-gitlab-security-roger-ostrander","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Ask GitLab Security: Roger Ostrander\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Heather Simpson\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-06-14\",\n      }",{"title":893,"description":894,"authors":898,"heroImage":856,"date":899,"body":900,"category":864,"tags":901},[861],"2019-06-14","\nWhat’s it like working to secure one of the most transparent organizations in the world?  To be a security practitioner in a highly iterative and agile environment? What does that look like and what kind of people thrive in that environment? It takes a certain individual... curious, analytical, collaborative and dedicated. Of course, there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to our GitLab Security team; they also tackle the hard topics like the age-old 'Is a hotdog a sandwich?' debate, Vim vs Emacs, and Linux distros.\n{: .note}\n\nWe take securing the GitLab product and service and protecting our company very seriously. But, we try not to take ourselves too seriously. We hope you learn something new in this series, but that you enjoy yourself too.\n{: .note}\n\n\n![Roger Ostrander Headshot](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/rostrander.png){: .small.right.wrap-text} **Name:** Roger Ostrander\n\n**Title:** Senior security engineer, [Abuse Operations](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/security/#abuse-operations)\n\n**How long have you been at GitLab?** I started on Mar. 26, 2018\n\n**GitLab handle:** [@rostrander](https://gitlab.com/rostrander)\n{: #tanuki-orange}\n\n**Connect with Roger:** [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/roger-ostrander-835848ba/) / [Twitter](https://twitter.com/atiaxi)\n\n\n#### Tell us what you do here at GitLab:\nI kill spam, I kill Bitcoin mining, I kill phishing and malware. If it’s bad, I kill it. And this isn’t just removal; I create automated tools that let us detect all these things and stop them ahead of time.\n\n#### What’s the most challenging or rewarding aspect of your role?\nI’m up against everyone in the world out to make a quick buck by spamming, which means it’s an arms race. I improve my detection, they find another way in, I detect that, they respond, etc. It’s definitely a challenge, and the reward is, of course, when I get to just completely wipe out a ton of spam or prevent it from being created in the first place. Who hasn’t seen spam and thought to themselves, “I wish I could do something about that right now”? I can!\n\n#### And, what are the top 2-3 initiatives you’re currently focused on?\n- Snippet spam is currently a big problem, where people will put spammy search terms in our snippets hoping that search engines will pick up on them.  Recently, there was an [API change](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/41888) that’ll make that a lot easier to deal with.\n\n- Similarly, people create groups with names like “Watch this free movie online,” which are not only spam but also tend to be vectors for malware. So anyone who searches for “watch \u003Cpopular movie here> free” hoping to pirate a film instead gets a link to a big, heaping pile of keylogging. Keeping on top of that is an ongoing priority, because of course there’s plenty of money to be made by taking over someone’s computer.\n\n#### How did you get into security?\nIt started when I interviewed at Reddit nearly a decade ago – at first, I thought it was for an ordinary backend web development position. Then, halfway through the interview when I was talking to the CEO, he said “We’re actually more interested in your machine learning background, to fight spam.” Ever been in a job interview when you realize you’ve been interviewing for the wrong thing the entire time? I had to change gears pretty quickly, but it worked and I’ve been busting up bad actors ever since.\n\n#### In the past decade, how has your area of expertise changed?\nQuite a bit – I started out as a general backend web programmer, got into machine learning and spamfighting, where I learned quite a bit of frontend technology – even if I am terrible at the actual design work that generally accompanies that.\n\nBut the biggest influence on the breadth of my expertise came from a job that wasn’t actually a programming job at all: It was a role as a solutions architect for a NoSQL database company. If that sounds strangely vague to you, then you have some idea of what I did. It was a technical sales position where I’d fly on-site to various customers (some of them household names) and help them set up our product. The sheer amount of “big picture” experience I got from that was invaluable. When you’re programming, it’s very easy to fall into the specific area that you’re working on. Even if you do have backend experience, it’s hard to get a full idea of how something’s rolled out across a whole company, possibly worldwide. So, the sheer scope of that role allowed me to get a more complete view of how an entire system ought to work at the largest possible scale.\n\n#### Tell us about a time when you failed professionally. How did you recover and what did you learn?\nI once banned the entire front page of Reddit. We were dealing with issues similar to what I’m dealing with today, the “watch free movies” kind of spam/malware scenario I described above, and I’d noticed a pattern: Spammers would create a subreddit of their own and populate it with spam, for SEO purposes. So I created a processing script to find that behavior and made a list of all the subreddits they’d posted in and naively assumed they’d only posted to their own. I made a list, but it had several hundred items on it, so I spot checked them and it seemed everything was okay.\n\nSurprise, it wasn’t! They’d posted in pretty much every popular subreddit, meaning my script banned high-profile, high-traffic subreddits. Also this was during the company’s all-hands so every single person in the company was asking “What happened to movies?” My response, of course, was a very calm, “I’M WORKING ON IT!” What I learned from that one was to fully check my results instead of simply spot checking, and that keeping logs of what your destructive scripts have done is mandatory.\n\n#### GitLab is very unique in that we strive to be incredibly transparent... about everything. What sort of challenges does that present to you as a security professional? What opportunities?\nThis is an enormous issue for me, because while I am in the security department my area of expertise is anti-abuse. So, for example, if a vulnerability is reported to security, it won’t initially be public. Generally it’s only made public while it’s fixed. But when I come up with a new tactic for fighting spam… I don’t ever want that to be public! Even, perhaps especially, if it’s a simple tactic. If spammers knew specifically how they were being detected, they’d change their behavior accordingly. So it’s a very difficult balancing act.\n\nEven so, there are opportunities – the snippets API feature, for example, came about because someone outside of GitLab requested it. They wanted to use it for anti-spam purposes just like I did, but the API doesn’t do any spam checking on its own. So that got to be developed in full view with all the benefits transparent development brings, but without giving away any secrets.\n\n## Now, for the questions you *really* want to have answered:\n\n#### Vim or Emacs?\nI learned VI(M) long ago as a practical necessity, and I highly recommend it. Every Unix system everywhere is going to have at least VI on it as a minimum, so if you know how to work with that then you can get something done no matter where you are. Emacs used to be my go-to “IDE”-type editor, but nowadays I generally use more specialized IDEs.\n\n#### Is a hotdog a sandwich?\nMy wife works for the USDA, so she has opinions on this. Legally backed opinions, as it happens. Frankfurters are specifically quoted in policy as a “sandwich type product.” [Citation: United States Department of Agriculture, \"Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book.\"](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/7c48be3e-e516-4ccf-a2d5-b95a128f04ae/Labeling-Policy-Book.pdf?MOD=AJPERES) And I’m wise enough to agree with my wife. And also the law, I guess.\n\n#### Is a taco a sandwich?\nA taco is just a tacoid in the category of endofoodtors. What’s the problem?\n\n#### Gif or Gif? (Gif or Jif?)\nLook at that pronunciation guide right there in the question. One of those is spelled exactly like the word whose pronunciation is being debated. Just saying.\n\n#### Have a question to ask the GitLab Security team? Leave a comment below!\n",[9,801,864,864],{"slug":903,"featured":6,"template":698},"ask-gitlab-security-roger-ostrander","content:en-us:blog:ask-gitlab-security-roger-ostrander.yml","Ask Gitlab Security Roger Ostrander","en-us/blog/ask-gitlab-security-roger-ostrander.yml","en-us/blog/ask-gitlab-security-roger-ostrander",{"_path":909,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":910,"content":916,"config":923,"_id":925,"_type":13,"title":926,"_source":15,"_file":927,"_stem":928,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/balancing-career-and-baby",{"title":911,"description":912,"ogTitle":911,"ogDescription":912,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":913,"ogUrl":914,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":914,"schema":915},"Balancing motherhood, career and cultural expectations","One team member shares her experience as a new working mother at GitLab.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749673071/Blog/Hero%20Images/parental-leave-global.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/balancing-career-and-baby","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How I balance a baby, a career at GitLab, and cultural expectations of motherhood\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Jarka Košanová et al\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-07-25\",\n      }",{"title":917,"description":912,"authors":918,"heroImage":913,"date":920,"body":921,"category":799,"tags":922},"How I balance a baby, a career at GitLab, and cultural expectations of motherhood",[919],"Jarka Košanová et al","2019-07-25","\n_This is the second in a four-part series looking at a myriad of issues surrounding working at home with children. In [part one we took an in-depth look at parental leave policies worldwide](/blog/how-is-it-being-a-new-mom-working-for-gitlab/) and in parts three and four we’ll discover tried-and-true strategies for working remotely with older children._\n\nIn my last post I talked about the big differences among countries when it comes to paid parental leave. But this is only a start. I think maybe even more important is how society sees the issues around parental leave. In my country, women who want to work during the first three years of their child's life are often called \"career chasers\" and considered selfish. The majority opinion is that as a woman, you should prioritize caring for your children and household until your children are at least three years old. A lot of people in the Czech Republic (and elsewhere) think you should give up your old hobbies, stop traveling, and wait to resume your life until your children are older.\n\nYoung people, especially those with higher education or international experience, are usually more tolerant and don't see parenting as so black and white anymore. But I still wondered: Can I work when I have a small baby and still be accepted in my country?\n\nI was sure I wanted to return to work quite soon after having a baby, meaning before the 2-3 years which is \"normal\" in the Czech Republic. I had lived in Switzerland where childminding groups took care of infants and toddlers and women often went back to work four months after birth (or even sooner). I couldn't imagine how I could stay at home with a child, or multiple children, for three or more years without working. I really like my job, so why should I have to get rid of it for three or more years? Why should I forget everything I have learned? But I had no idea how to balance social expectations and my desire to work at that time.\n\n## Flexibility is key\n\nAnd then at GitLab, balancing parenting and work came so naturally. This is perhaps because I was working remotely and that made it much easier. Twelve weeks of parental leave passed quickly. The first 8-10 weeks were crazy, but then it got easier. Whenever our little one was sleeping or playing I had time to work. I started working part time after 12 weeks and I am really happy I was granted this opportunity.\n\nWorking part time has been great for me so far. I am really grateful that working for GitLab offers such a flexible schedule. When our baby was about six months she started moving, but it was not really a problem. I just changed my schedule and I started working two full days and one half day when I have our parents arranged for babysitting (instead of the five half days I had worked before). I actually have rest from the baby while working and rest from work while taking care of the baby.\n\nIn all honesty, if I had the option for more than 12 weeks of parental leave, I would have taken it. I could have applied more leave maybe a bit later in my child's life, because any parent knows that it is a new challenge when a child starts moving. I also can't imagine starting to work full time after those first 12 weeks.\n\n## Still able to contribute\n\nI came to Cape Town with six-month-old Eliška in August 2018, where we had the [GitLab Summit](/blog/gitlab-summit-cape-town-recap/). I was a bit worried about how my husband and I would handle everything but it was amazing. We were able to join in on all excursions and my husband took over for Eliška most of the time so I could enjoy all the activities, including a session about working with kids productively.\n\nI realized that having a child doesn't have to change your life, even in a country where you're \"supposed\" to raise your child full time and not work. Clearly, giving life to a new human being has been a big change in my life. As her parents, my husband and I must support her development, keep her occupied, happy, and safe. But I realized that becoming a mother doesn't mean I have to give up my old life. I can continue working and progress with my career. I can keep my hobbies, such as sport (I just accomplished a half-marathon in Scotland), and my husband and I learned how easy it is to travel with a baby.\n\nAnd the opinion of the Czech society? I have friends and family around who support my decisions, and many say they admire me for continuing to work while raising my daughter. I am pretty sure there are still a lot of people who don't comprehend my decision, but the fact that I work from home for a [family first](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#family-and-friends-first-work-second) company makes my decisions more socially acceptable. My family is also fortunate to have grandparents that help us a lot. In my experience, the GitLab way is simply better for me and my family than the \"traditional Czech way.\" I am happy with how my work and family life is balanced.\n\nWhat do you think about parental/maternity leave around the world and in the US? How has it been working for you and are you happy with your way?\n\n_Next up in our series we look at the practical challenges of managing your physical space while working at home with children._\n\nPhoto by [insung yoon](https://unsplash.com/@insungyoon?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/search/photos/baby-mobile?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)\n{: .note}\n",[844,9,801],{"slug":924,"featured":6,"template":698},"balancing-career-and-baby","content:en-us:blog:balancing-career-and-baby.yml","Balancing Career And Baby","en-us/blog/balancing-career-and-baby.yml","en-us/blog/balancing-career-and-baby",{"_path":930,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":931,"content":937,"config":945,"_id":947,"_type":13,"title":948,"_source":15,"_file":949,"_stem":950,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/beginner-git-guide",{"title":932,"description":933,"ogTitle":932,"ogDescription":933,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":934,"ogUrl":935,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":935,"schema":936},"A guide to Git for beginners","Our senior developer evangelist answers newbie questions about Git.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749681222/Blog/Hero%20Images/git-15th-anniversary-cover.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/beginner-git-guide","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"A guide to Git for beginners\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Brendan O'Leary\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-04-13\",\n      }",{"title":932,"description":933,"authors":938,"heroImage":934,"date":940,"body":941,"category":820,"tags":942},[939],"Brendan O'Leary","2020-04-13","\n\n_If you're just learning about software development, or are brand new to open source, it won't be long before you encounter Git, a source code management tool and arguably one of the most successful open source projects ever. We asked senior developer evangelist [Brendan O'Leary](/company/team/#brendan) to fill in the background on Git's history and successes in honor of its 15th anniversary._\n\n## What is source code management?\n\nBefore you start in software engineering it's important to understand the concept of [source code management](/solutions/source-code-management/). In its simplest form software is a bunch of text files and if I'm using those by myself it's not a big deal. But when multiple people use multiple files it gets out of hand and you need some way to manage it all. Humans can't necessarily manage all of that easily: If you're working with files A and C and I'm working with C and D, you need a way to bring all the changes we've made together without overriding anything or causing any conflict. A computer can more easily figure that out, and in a nutshell, that's what source code management is.\n\n## Why the term Git?\n\nThere are several different urban legends about this. Linus Torvalds who wrote it is a pretty gruff person [with some acknowledged sharp edges](https://www.newyorker.com/science/elements/after-years-of-abusive-e-mails-the-creator-of-linux-steps-aside). And so the story suggests he actually named it after himself, as in the British slang word, [“git”](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/git). That may be apocryphal. Also, it's a three-letter combo, meaning it's short and didn't conflict with any existing Unix commands. Now people say it stands for “Global Information Tracker” or “GD Idiot Truckload of...” if you're mad at it.\n\n## But wait. Who is Linus Torvalds?\n\nLinus Torvalds is a Finnish-American software engineer who developed the [Linux kernel](https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/31632/what-is-the-linux-kernel-and-what-does-it-do/) and then invented Git 15 years ago. Torvalds has been quoted as saying he's more \"famous\" for Linux but that over time, Git will [end up being more important](https://www.techrepublic.com/article/linus-torvalds-git-proved-i-could-be-more-than-a-one-hit-wonder/). Torvalds is also widely seen as the godfather of the open source movement.\n\n## Can you explain the rationale behind the cult following of open source?\n\nTorvalds himself has a cult following and open source has been around for a very long time, long before Git was invented. But open source wasn't widely accepted and in some cases, companies were actively hostile to the concept. Torvalds wanted to create a project everyone could contribute to and Git was born (literally developed by Torvalds over a weekend 15 years ago). Git solved a problem that was common across all types of software development and it not only welcomed contributions from users, it _needed_ contributions to grow. The idea of a practical solution everyone could contribute to created a kind of zeitgeist, and today open source is widely embraced as a result.\n\n## How could I explain Git to my neighbor?\n\nWe tend to talk about Git as a tree but I really don't know if that is the best analogy for it. It's a tree in the sense that it makes branches, but then those branches come back together and that doesn't happen in a tree.\n\nInstead, I'd say Git is like a time machine. The whole history of everything that happened on any branch in alternate timelines is brought back together magically. Nothing is lost or changed and you can look backward and move forward. It's magic.\n\n## What's the most important thing I should know about Git?\n\nThat's easy: You can't break it!\n\nBecause it's a magical time machine you really can't do anything to it that can't be fixed. So I always tell beginners to relax and play around with your copy. No matter how many mistakes you make you can't break it in a way that's not fixable.\n\nHave no fear.\n",[943,944,9],"git","open source",{"slug":946,"featured":6,"template":698},"beginner-git-guide","content:en-us:blog:beginner-git-guide.yml","Beginner Git Guide","en-us/blog/beginner-git-guide.yml","en-us/blog/beginner-git-guide",{"_path":952,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":953,"content":959,"config":966,"_id":968,"_type":13,"title":969,"_source":15,"_file":970,"_stem":971,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/beginner-guide-python-programming",{"title":954,"description":955,"ogTitle":954,"ogDescription":955,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":956,"ogUrl":957,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":957,"schema":958},"How to get started with Python programming","Python is increasingly popular, and for good reason. Here's our beginner's guide.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749664962/Blog/Hero%20Images/python.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/beginner-guide-python-programming","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How to get started with Python programming\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"GitLab\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-10-21\",\n      }",{"title":954,"description":955,"authors":960,"heroImage":956,"date":962,"body":963,"category":716,"tags":964},[961],"GitLab","2021-10-21","Are you a programming enthusiast who wants to learn Python? Are you new to coding? Do you need help deciding where to begin with Python? If you are looking for answers to these questions, then you are in the right place.\n\n## How to start writing code with Python\n\nPython is an easy-to-learn, easy-to-use and easy-to-deploy programming language, with rampant usage in building web and desktop applications, analyzing data and performing [DevOps](https://about.gitlab.com/topics/devops/) tasks. It is a free, open-source, object-oriented coding language used to write simple scripts and complex programs. Of the almost 700 programming languages, Python is considered one of the best to learn first.\n\n## Installing Python\n\nBefore discussing the basics of Python, it is essential to download and install Python on your desktop/laptop. Python works on multiple platforms, including Linux, Windows and Mac. It comes preinstalled on most Mac and Linux systems; however, you should download the latest version from the official Python website.\n\nTo check the current Python version on your system, open the command line and type “python -V”. \n\n![command prompt](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/python1.png){: .shadow}\n\nIf you have an outdated version, download either the 32- or 64-bit setup from the website based on your system requirements.\n\nThere are other alternatives for downloading the setup: for Windows, you can install it directly from Microsoft. For Linux, install it using the package manager. For macOS, you can download it from Homebrew.\n\nOnce the setup is downloaded, run the file installer, and click on “Install Now”. Once the installation is complete, you are ready to go. Below is an example of a Python installation for Windows.\n\n![install Python](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/python2.png){: .shadow}\n\n## Running Python in command prompt\n\nTo verify Python is installed and working correctly in Windows, open the command prompt and enter “python”, which will invoke the interpreter. You can directly execute Python codes in it.  For example, type “2*5+1” and press “enter”. You will see “11” as the output. Entering “quit ()” will exit the interpreter.\n\n![Python interpreter](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/python3.png){: .shadow}\n\n## Running Python in IDE\n\nWith the latest Python installed, you are now ready to start programming in Python. When writing long scripts or programs in Python, use Python’s built-in Integrated Development and Learning Environment (IDLE).\n\nStart the IDLE and then, from the File dropdown, select “New File”, which opens a new editing window. So now, on your screen, you have two windows: a Python shell and an untitled file.\n\n![Python shell and untitled file](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/python4.png){: .shadow}\n\nThe Python shell is a REPL environment, which is shorthand for \"read-eval-print loop\". It runs snippets of the code, usually one statement at a time. For example, by repeating the same calculation “2*5+1” that we did in the command prompt, you can see how a Python shell can function as a calculator.\n\n![Python as a calculator](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/python5.png){: .shadow}\n\nThe untitled window is a text editing window for writing complete programs. The shell displays its output. For example, the conventional first program of Python for beginners is printing “Hello World!”. Make sure you save the text editor before running it by pressing “F5”.\n\n![Hello World](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/python61.png){: .shadow}\n\n## The basics of Python\n\nWe know you can’t wait to start writing long scripts for games and websites, but you still have a long way to get there. Just like with learning any other language, you must first understand the basics of Python. \n\nThe **print()** function, as seen in the Hello World! example, prints a value on the output window. A value is the most basic thing a program uses. It can be a string, a numeric value or any other Python object. Any object within single/double quotations is called a string. For instance, the “Hello World!” that is printed in the above program is also of the type string. Numeric values like 4 and 4.5 are the types of integers and floats, respectively. You can change an integer or float into a string and vice versa using the built-in functions **int()**, **float()** and **str()**.\n\n![value in an output window](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/python7.png){: .shadow}\n\n## Python’s vocabulary\n\nPython is the simplest coding language. It is easy to read and understand. Unlike human languages, Python has a small vocabulary or reserved words holding special meaning. Terms other than this reserved vocabulary hold meaning only to you and are called variables. These 35 reserved words are:\n\n![Python terms](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/python8.png){: .shadow}\n\nMake sure you use these words for their specified purpose to avoid confusing the Python interpreter and causing a syntax error.\n\n### Naming variables\n\nSometimes you want to store values in your code for retrieving them later, which you can do by giving them symbolic names called variables. As seen below, we ask Python to store 5 and 6 with labels x and y, respectively, and then retrieve them later to find their sum.\n\n![storing variables](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/python9.png){: .shadow}\n\nThere are rules for choosing a name for a variable; failing to follow these gives a syntax error. A few mandatory rules are narrated below:\n\n1. The name can contain both letters and numbers, but it can’t start with a number.\n1. An underscore can appear in the name to separate multiple words.\n1. Special symbols like @#$ are illegal and should not appear in the name.\n1. Python keywords should not be used as names for variables.\n\n### Understanding operators and operands\n\nPython uses special symbols called “operators” for representing basic mathematical computation. The values to which these operators are applied are called operands. The symbols used as operators for subtraction, addition, division, multiplication and exponentiation are  -,+, /, * and **, respectively. \n\n![symbols for operators](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/python10.png){: .shadow}\n\nThe modulus operator (%) outputs the remainder of the first operand divided by the second operand. It is useful in checking whether a number is divisible by another and extracting the rightmost digit/digits of a number.\n\n![modulus operator](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/python11.png){: .shadow}\n\n### Using expressions\n\nA combination of values, variables and operators is called an expression. An expression typed in the shell gets evaluated, and the answer is displayed. However, in a script, an expression doesn't do anything on its own.\n\nPython uses the mathematical convention PEMDAS for the operators, which means that P for Parentheses has the highest precedence, then Exponentiation, Multiplication and Division, which have the same priority. Addition and Subtraction come next and also have the same precedence. Operators that have the same preference are also evaluated from left to right.\n\n![PEMDAS](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/python12.png){: .shadow}\n\nThe Addition and Multiplication operators also work with strings for concatenation and repeating a string, respectively.\n\n![addition and multiplication operators](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/python13.png){: .shadow}\n\nPython also allows you to take the value for a variable from the user via their keyboard. This can be done using a built-in function called **input**.\n\n![input](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/python14.png){: .shadow}\n\n## Write your first program\n\nNow it's time to write a short program using everything you've learned here. Write a script that takes two numbers as input and adds them. Do this on your own and see the code below to tally your work.\n\n![write a short program](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/python15.png){: .shadow}\n\n**Congratulations!** You just wrote your first program.\n\nLearning Python is easy and fun. We just helped you make it through the basics. To become a professional Python Programmer, you still have a lot to learn and practice. Good luck on your journey to becoming an expert coder.\n\nPhoto by \u003Ca href=\"https://unsplash.com/@davidclode?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText\">David Clode\u003C/a> on \u003Ca href=\"https://unsplash.com/s/photos/python?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText\">Unsplash\u003C/a>",[694,9,965],"tutorial",{"slug":967,"featured":6,"template":698},"beginner-guide-python-programming","content:en-us:blog:beginner-guide-python-programming.yml","Beginner Guide Python Programming","en-us/blog/beginner-guide-python-programming.yml","en-us/blog/beginner-guide-python-programming",{"_path":973,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":974,"content":980,"config":987,"_id":989,"_type":13,"title":990,"_source":15,"_file":991,"_stem":992,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/benefits-of-corporate-shadow-programs",{"title":975,"description":976,"ogTitle":975,"ogDescription":976,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":977,"ogUrl":978,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":978,"schema":979},"Shadow programs give employees a peek into leadership roles","Shadow programs are a great resource if you’re looking to explore new roles, expand your skill set, or learn how decisions are made.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749683055/Blog/Hero%20Images/ideaabstract.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/benefits-of-corporate-shadow-programs","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Shadow programs give employees a peek into leadership roles\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Fatima Sarah Khalid\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-07-17\",\n      }",{"title":975,"description":976,"authors":981,"heroImage":977,"date":983,"body":984,"category":9,"tags":985},[982],"Fatima Sarah Khalid","2023-07-17","\nHave you ever wished you could see into your manager's mind or understand the nitty-gritty details that make your organization run smoothly? Well, that's exactly what corporate shadow programs can do for you. They enable you to tag along with senior colleagues during regular workdays. You can witness how they tackle tasks, make decisions, and interact with various stakeholders. It's like getting a peek behind the scenes of your organization.\n\nAt GitLab, we host several shadow programs, including one that lets you [learn from GitLab CEO and co-founder Sid Sijbrandij](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/). Each program aims to give team members a deeper understanding of different parts of our company's operations and processes. The experience empowers individuals to connect their work to the company's broader goals and gain valuable skills for their professional growth. Shadow programs benefit mentees, mentors, and organizations.\n\nThe following are some benefits of a shadow program:\n* [Insight into decision-making processes](#insight-into-decision-making-processes)\n* [Collaboration with leadership teams](#collaboration-with-leadership-teams) \n* [Personalized learning opportunities](#personalized-learning-opportunities) \n* [Cross-functional interactions](#cross-functional-interactions) \n\n## Insight into decision-making processes\nShadow programs can act as your backstage pass to the operational aspects of your organization. As you gain more insight into how your organization works and how decisions are made, you may start to appreciate the complexity that goes into keeping things running. Knowing how all the pieces work together will improve how you collaborate. At GitLab, shadows are able to observe [GitLab values](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/) in action: Collaboration, Results, Efficiency, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging, and Transparency.\n\n> From the perspective of operating the company on a daily basis, I was witness to how decisions were made at the leadership level of the organization. There were e-group meetings in which different topics were discussed, from mergers and acquisitions and sales compensation plans to hiring and team member morale. I was impressed by the camaraderie, collaboration, and great rapport among members of the e-group. Decisions were taken only after a thorough discussion had taken place and everyone was encouraged to participate.\n- *[Cesar Saavedra](https://gitlab.com/csaavedra1), [Being a GitLab CEO Shadow](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/being-gitlab-ceo-shadow-cesar-saavedra/)*\n\n## Collaboration with leadership teams\nMembers of your executive team can sometimes feel like distant figures in your organization. Shadow programs put employees together with executives and other leaders, making them feel more approachable. This connection not only strengthens bonds across various departments and cultivates a positive work environment, but it can also inspire the shadowing employees to feel confident enough to pursue leadership positions themselves.\n\n> The CEO shadow program is such a great way to give team members insight into how the company works, while also making the company feel more inclusive, and its top-level team members feel more approachable. While I’ve always found Sid to be friendly and down to earth, I know that some people are afraid of approaching their manager with something, let alone someone at or near the top. I somewhat jokingly said to someone that it’s a good reminder that our executives are 'real' people.\n- *[Cynthia Ng](https://gitlab.com/cynthia), [Reflection on my CEO shadow rotation at GitLab](https://cynthiang.ca/2022/01/07/reflection-on-my-ceo-shadow-rotation-at-gitlab/)*\n\n## Personalized learning opportunities \nShadow programs at GitLab offer personalized learning opportunities. You can learn on the job from experienced team members, oftentimes from those with roles above yours. The experience is incredibly valuable, as seen from many of the reflections that GitLab team members have written about their shadow program experiences. The program fosters open communication, creating a pathway for better knowledge sharing across teams.\n\nShadowing also provides an opportunity for employees to be exposed to new situations and learn new skills.\n\n> In this meeting, a variety of different vice presidents and engineering managers discussed error budgets, reliability, and security. The [service-level agreement] requirements, security issues, and corrective actions were discussed. We went over what issues are currently affecting our error budgets and must be remediated. Root causes were analyzed and then a plan was made for remediation. This has shown me the efficiency of having all the information on a single document and then discussing proposals to correct. This makes the meeting flow much easier than not having any data beforehand. \n- *[Fernando Diaz](https://gitlab.com/fjdiaz), [What I learned as a Development Director Shadow at GitLab](https://awkwardferny.medium.com/what-i-learned-as-an-engineering-director-shadow-at-gitlab-1a783cb564d0)*\n\n## Cross-functional interactions \nWith a shadow program in another department or role, you will get the opportunity to experience work outside of your immediate team circle. The exposure can help broaden your understanding of the overall organization and how other teams work. You can develop new skills that prepare you for future opportunities. The relationships you build as a shadow across different groups will also stay with you after the program.\n\n> As an open-source contributor, I had some understanding of how GitLab worked. But during the shadowing week, I got to see the inner workings of the company, how teams collaborate, and how the company operates at scale.\n- *[Siddharth Asthana](https://gitlab.com/edith007), [My experience as a GitLab Hero in Developer Director Shadow Program](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/my-experience-gitlab-hero-developer-director-shadow-program-asthana/)*\n\n## How to start a shadow program\nHere are some tips to help you start a shadow program at your organization:\n* Set clear expectations and guidelines for the program\n* Arrange flexible schedules that suit both the mentee and the mentor\n* Encourage open discussion and feedback\n* Ensure the program is tailored to meet the needs of participants\n* Implement confidentiality guidelines to protect sensitive information\n* Define the tasks for the participants, such as note-taking or updating the handbook\n* Determine the time commitment of rotations\n* Create opportunities for shadows to contribute such as helping to complete tasks\n\nCheck out our shadow programs for examples of how to structure them:\n* [CEO Shadow Program](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/)\n* [Support Shadow Program](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/support/#support-shadow-program) \n* [Director of Development Shadow Program](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/development/shadow/director-shadow-program.html)\n* [CFO Shadow Program](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/finance/growth-and-development/cfo-shadow-program/)\n\nMore resources:\n* [15 tips to succeed at GitLab's CEO Shadow program](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/get-the-most-out-of-a-ceo-shadow-program/)\n* [CEO Shadow program impressions and takeaways](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/ceo-shadow-impressions-takeaways/)\n* [The engineering director shadow experience at GitLab](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/engineering-director-shadow/)\n\n\n\n\n",[9,986,801],"growth",{"slug":988,"featured":6,"template":698},"benefits-of-corporate-shadow-programs","content:en-us:blog:benefits-of-corporate-shadow-programs.yml","Benefits Of Corporate Shadow Programs","en-us/blog/benefits-of-corporate-shadow-programs.yml","en-us/blog/benefits-of-corporate-shadow-programs",{"_path":994,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":995,"content":1001,"config":1006,"_id":1008,"_type":13,"title":1009,"_source":15,"_file":1010,"_stem":1011,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/best-advice-for-your-devops-career-keep-on-learning",{"title":996,"description":997,"ogTitle":996,"ogDescription":997,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":998,"ogUrl":999,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":999,"schema":1000},"Best advice for your DevOps career? Keep on learning","If you want a new job, or a higher salary, or preferably both, add some skills to your DevOps resume. Here's a look at our strategy for DIY-ing your continuing ed.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679473/Blog/Hero%20Images/designing-in-an-all-remote-company.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/best-advice-for-your-devops-career-keep-on-learning","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Best advice for your DevOps career? Keep on learning\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sharon Gaudin\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-11-09\",\n      }",{"title":996,"description":997,"authors":1002,"heroImage":998,"date":735,"body":1003,"category":820,"tags":1004},[690],"\nDevOps skills might be in demand, but it’s not the time to remain complacent if you want a new (and better) job or a higher salary. Luckily the best career move you can make is also the easiest: continue to add new skills, even if you have to DIY it.\n\n“I think continually educating myself has been really important in my career, and it’s been mostly DIY,” said said [Brendan O’Leary](https://gitlab.com/brendan), a staff developer evangelist, and product and engineering leader at GitLab. “It’s allowed me to make different career moves and advance my career by changing companies or by changing roles at my current company… Continuing to educate yourself is one of the most important things you can do.”\n\n## DevOps education: how to keep learning\n\nIt’s well known that continuing to educate yourself and pursuing certifications are two of the [top ways to increase your paycheck](/blog/four-tips-to-increase-your-devops-salary/), but here’s our best advice on how to bootstrap your learning journey without waiting for your employer.\n\n### Take responsibility for your own journey\n\nDon’t panic if your company is one of the many that doesn’t offer continuous education opportunities: According to the DevOps Institute’s 2021 Enterprise DevOps Skills Report, [52 percent of companies don’t](https://learn.gitlab.com/devops-institute/2021-doi-devops-upskilling-report?utm_medium=email&utm_source=marketo&utm_campaign=devopsgtm&utm_content=doi-devops-upskilling-report). (To be transparent, GitLab was one of the partners in the Institute’s survey.)\n\n### Figure out what you, and your company, need\n\nMake sure you’re not learning about a new technology or tool because it’s the cool new thing. Focus your time and energy on learning something that actually will solve a problem or give your business a competitive edge. Keep your skills aligned with shifting business demands, learning enough about a new technology so you understand if it will solve a business problem.\n\nIn a sea of possibilities, there are some concrete learning options we can suggest. In our [2021 Global DevSecOps Survey](/developer-survey/), we asked respondents what skill or skills would be most important for their future career. A majority of developers said knowledge around artificial intelligence and machine learning would be critical, while ops team members wanted more advanced programming languages. Security pros, on the other hand, wanted to become subject matter experts in their industries.\n\n### Assessing your skills and deficits\n\nGauge your baseline of skills, experience and certifications. What comes naturally to you, and what is more of a struggle? Now compare your baseline to what your company needs, and then broaden it out to what the industry is looking for.\n\nOne easy way to broadly compare your skills to others is to look at a job search site like [Glassdoor.com](https://www.glassdoor.com). The job listings detail the skills, languages, experiences, technologies and other attributes an employer is looking for.\n\nWe randomly grabbed and anonymized a job posting for a DevOps engineer from Glassdoor, below. You’ll see how many boxes you’ll need to check (we bolded the key phrases just to make the point):\n\n_You will demonstrate a **leadership** mindset, solid **operational experience**, and the **ability to problem-solve**. Additionally, you should have exceptional **communication skills**, be knowledgeable about the latest industry trends, and be **highly innovative**. The DevOps Engineer will help enhance and maintain a **programmable infrastructure, configure, implement, debug and document new and existing applications running on Linux and Windows operating systems in private and public cloud infrastructures**. Engage in **design, development, installation, and system administration of build/continuous integration systems, anti-virus systems, and configuration management systems**. Participate in the full development life cycle of DevOps projects including **assessment of requirements, system analysis, and design.**_\n\n### Go to the source for certifications\n\nOf course, there are university classes but they can be pricey. You don’t always have to spend thousands of dollars on a college course. Go to the original source of what you want to learn, and let certifications be your friend. [A survey from the McKinsey Quarterly,](https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-accelerate/our-insights/five-fifty-the-skillful-corporation?cid=fivefifty-eml-alt-mkq-mck&hlkid=a7a8ae1b68574d02b81db1f1eeb8fd8d&hctky=12428831&hdpid=8233aa33-5ff4-4450-a4c7-2f47dfeaf9d0) noted that 66 percent of survey respondents called certifications “extremely valuable.”\n\nFor instance, if you’re using The GitLab Platform, you can get a [security certification](/services/education/gitlab-security-specialist/) from GitLab. There are also [certifications for](/learn/certifications/public/) everything from CI/CD training, to project management and Git basics. Similarly, if you need to bone up on Google Cloud, check out their site for [certifications](https://acloudguru.com/training-library/gcp-cloud-training?utm_campaign=11244863417&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=469352928666&utm_term=b_&adgroupid=115625160932&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5oiMBhDtARIsAJi0qk20jsoQ55oCnlbde3tozrDRExDxxiJ0AooFulqXXguwOX072-OwJNAaAjd3EALw_wcB).\n\n### Other opportunities to educate yourself\n\nYou also can find learning opportunities at a lot of conferences, coding events, bootcamps, hackathons and workshops. Especially in the time of COVID-19, think about taking advantage of online courses. [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com) is full of hands-on technical tutorials, including a lot from GitLab and other tech companies as well as consultants and individual contributors. Don’t forget GitLab Learn, where you can do a self-paced deep dive via video tutorials into a number of key DevOps areas, including [continuous integration (CI)](/solutions/continuous-integration/).\n\nAnd for female developers, organizations like [Women Who Code](https://www.womenwhocode.com/) offer scholarships, tutorials and educational materials.\n\nDon’t forget about mentorships. Find someone who has the knowledge and experience you need and ask them to work with you and bring you up to speed. Then don’t forget to later turn around and lend a hand to the person coming up after you.\n\nStay tuned for more information on what hard and soft skills you should consider adding to your resume.\n\n## Read more on DevOps careers:\n\n- [6 tips to make software developer hiring easier](/blog/6-tips-to-make-software-developer-hiring-easier/)\n\n- [Four tips to increase your DevOps salary](/blog/four-tips-to-increase-your-devops-salary/)\n\n- [DevOps salaries in 2021: Where do you rank?](/blog/a-look-at-devops-salaries/)\n\n- [Have DevOps jobs to fill? Try these 3 strategies to hire and retain](/blog/have-devops-jobs-to-fill-try-these-3-strategies-to-hire-and-retain/)\n",[9,694,1005],"contributors",{"slug":1007,"featured":6,"template":698},"best-advice-for-your-devops-career-keep-on-learning","content:en-us:blog:best-advice-for-your-devops-career-keep-on-learning.yml","Best Advice For Your Devops Career Keep On Learning","en-us/blog/best-advice-for-your-devops-career-keep-on-learning.yml","en-us/blog/best-advice-for-your-devops-career-keep-on-learning",{"_path":1013,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1014,"content":1020,"config":1027,"_id":1029,"_type":13,"title":1030,"_source":15,"_file":1031,"_stem":1032,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/bring-gitlab-to-classroom-nearyou",{"title":1015,"description":1016,"ogTitle":1015,"ogDescription":1016,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1017,"ogUrl":1018,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1018,"schema":1019},"How to bring GitLab to a classroom near you","Learn more about the education program at GitLab!","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749669503/Blog/Hero%20Images/susan-yin-library.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/bring-gitlab-to-classroom-nearyou","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How to bring GitLab to a classroom near you\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Christina Hupy, Ph.D.\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-03-06\",\n      }",{"title":1015,"description":1016,"authors":1021,"heroImage":1017,"date":1023,"body":1024,"category":300,"tags":1025},[1022],"Christina Hupy, Ph.D.","2020-03-06","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\nJust over 2 years ago, we launched the education program at GitLab. Through this program, we provide students and faculty around the world, free, top-tier access to GitLab. Our continued goal is to enable the next generation of developers and DevOps professionals to learn GitLab while in school so they can become future contributors and evangelists.\n\nIn the spirit of iteration, the education program was started with little more than an online form and a backend process for issuing licenses. By its own merits, the program has grown to over *737 enrolled educational institutions*, from *67 countries*, and *nearly 1.5 million users*! I’m thrilled to announce that in 2020 we’ll be building on this organic momentum and taking the education program to the next level. This investment includes a new program manager ([me!](/company/team/#c_hupy)) and restructuring the program to better align our offerings with the way educational institutions teach, learn, and conduct research with GitLab.\n\nA little bit about me... Prior to joining GitLab in late 2019, I spent over a decade as a professor in the field of geospatial technology. I’m eager to bring the knowledge and experience I gained while serving in higher education to this new challenge. I also spent some time in the industry at an open-source tech startup where I developed a deep passion for bringing open-source technology into the classroom.  GitLab is a natural landing place for me to build on and expand on these passions.\n\nWe’ve got some exciting things on the horizon so please stay tuned for more details. We’d love to hear your input on how we restructure the education program so please **contribute** by commenting on our [Epic](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/-/epics/3). We’ll also be sending out a survey soon to measure how students and faculty are using GitLab in their teaching and research and to gather ideas on how we can better engage with our participants.\n\nIn the meantime, *are you using GitLab for teaching, learning, or research and have an interesting story you’d like to share?* Please reach out to us at education@gitlab.com. We'd love to share your story and inspire others.\n\nDon’t have GitLab? Don’t worry, you can sign up for the [education program on our website](/solutions/education/). Have questions about our program, check out our [FAQs](/solutions/education/#FAQ).\n",[1026,864,9],"production",{"slug":1028,"featured":6,"template":698},"bring-gitlab-to-classroom-nearyou","content:en-us:blog:bring-gitlab-to-classroom-nearyou.yml","Bring Gitlab To Classroom Nearyou","en-us/blog/bring-gitlab-to-classroom-nearyou.yml","en-us/blog/bring-gitlab-to-classroom-nearyou",{"_path":1034,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1035,"content":1041,"config":1048,"_id":1050,"_type":13,"title":1051,"_source":15,"_file":1052,"_stem":1053,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/cadence-is-everything-10x-engineering-organizations-for-10x-engineers",{"title":1036,"description":1037,"ogTitle":1036,"ogDescription":1037,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1038,"ogUrl":1039,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1039,"schema":1040},"Cadence is everything: 10x engineering organizations for 10x engineers","GitLab CEO and co-founder Sid Sijbrandij on the importance of cadence in engineering organizations.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749671909/Blog/Hero%20Images/Athlinks_running.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/cadence-is-everything-10x-engineering-organizations-for-10x-engineers","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Cadence is everything: 10x engineering organizations for 10x engineers\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sid Sijbrandij\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-11-03\",\n      }",{"title":1036,"description":1037,"authors":1042,"heroImage":1038,"date":1044,"body":1045,"category":1046,"tags":1047},[1043],"Sid Sijbrandij","2022-11-03","\nI confess: Although I don’t believe in Bigfoot or Nessie and do believe the moon landings happened, I am convinced that despite the current orthodoxies, [10x engineers](https://svdictionary.com/words/10x-engineer) very much exist and are a major positive force for the industry, and potentially your organization.  If you can find one, convince her to work for you and keep her happy and productive (but I repeat myself).\n\nAlas, finding one is not easy, and no, job adverts stating “We only hire the best” don’t help. However, what you can do is structure your development organization in a way to make such a person productive.  \n\nFortunately, making a 10x developer productive is pretty much the same, as you need to make your development organization productive for everyone, just dialed up to 11, particularly because an inefficient organization will affect a more efficient developer much more dramatically.\n\nUnfortunately, this state appears to be neither natural nor stable.\n\n[Effective organizations are unnatural](https://twitter.com/paulg/status/1556341452740775936?s=21&t=67hekF4Sus5tPryLdZmCHA). The natural state of organizations is bureaucracy and turf wars, and once deprived of effective leadership they revert to their natural state with shocking speed. Similar to organizations in general, development organizations naturally tend toward inefficiency.\n\nMore specifically, development organizations tend toward ever-lengthening cycle times just as much as organizations in general tend toward bureaucracy.  In both cases, this is always for good reasons.  This is really important:  If this tendency toward lengthening cycle times were just stupidity or laziness, it would be significantly easier to counter.  Anthropologist and historian [Joseph Tainter makes a similar point](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsT9V3WQiNA) about civilizations, whose ever-increasing complexity leads to their collapse.  Here as well, the complexity is not introduced willy-nilly, but as a necessary response to problems the civilization faces.  \n\n## The sky’s the limit\n\nSoftware tends to be fairly abstract, but the principles of short cycle times are just applicable in more down-to-earth disciplines, or should I say down-to-air?  First, one of my favorites, the story of how Paul MacCready created the Gossamer Condor to win the first Kremer Prize for human-powered flight.  More recently, Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been out-iterating NASA and the legacy spaceflight companies with results that would have seemed miraculous a couple of decades ago.  Both examples show that while other factors are obviously more important, cadence actually dominates them in short order.\n\nMacGready had come into a bit of debt due to securing a friend’s business loan, and set his eyes on the first Kremer prize for human-powered flight. This had gone unclaimed for 17 years, but not for lack of trying: There had been over 50 official attempts and all failed.  It was a Very Hard Problem we couldn’t solve so it obviously required the most aerodynamically efficient and sophisticated designs possible.  So that’s what people did, and when their sophisticated plane inevitably crashed — after all they were working on the edge of the possible — it took them a year or more to rebuild it.\n\nMacGready approached this from the opposite angle:  He would concentrate on a plane that didn’t have to be so efficient and sophisticated, but instead would fly low and slow, be light and very repairable, aiming for 12 crashes a day. The Gossamer Condor was built out of some lightweight aluminum struts and mylar foil and could usually be repaired with Scotch tape. It was a weird contraption that didn’t look like it could fly.\n\n![The Condor](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/10x.png)\n\nWithin a few months, the team had accumulated more flights, and more crashes, than the rest of the competition combined. With all that experience, they then also understood the actual problems better than anyone else, for example, how to steer, and soon won the prize, which involved flying a mile in a circle eight.  \n\nThis wasn’t a [one-off fluke](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvmTSpJU-Xc&t=3348s) either: The team went on to win the next Kremer prize as well, crossing the English Channel, then pioneered solar flight and broke the SR-71’s altitude record. The company that came out of the effort nowadays makes drones, including the successful Switchblade drones for the U.S. military that have recently been sent to help in the Ukraine conflict.\n\n## The sky’s not the limit\n\nMore recently, SpaceX has been demonstrating the efficacy of iterative development, first with the Falcon 9 rocket and now with the Starship program. While the latter hasn’t flown to space yet, and so may still fail completely, both the aim and the achievements so far have been breathtaking, particularly compared to NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), which was started around the same time and is designed to have similar capabilities, lifting around 100 tons to low earth orbit.\n\nThe NASA SLS is a cost-reduced version of the Constellation program, which was canceled early after quickly outgrowing its projected $150 billion dollar budget.  The reduced development cost of the SLS (so far $23 billion in 10 years) has been achieved by reusing not just designs, but also actual parts from the Space Shuttle program.  Not just the solid rocket boosters, but some of the main engines are the actual parts that flew on shuttles and had been mothballed by NASA.  Despite this part reuse, launches of the fully expendable rocket are predicted to cost somewhat upward of $1 billion per pop.  As of Oct. 20, there have been no flights of any of the hardware (except on space shuttles), and the first test launch scheduled for Nov. 26th will fly the full stack as designed.\n\nIn comparison, the Starship program is estimated to have cost $3 billion so far, with estimates of total development costs varying between $5 billion and $10 billion. This is for a completely new rocket, pretty much unlike any that have come before, designed for full reusability and same-day turnaround after refueling, completely new methane-burning engines, assembly-line production using relatively inexpensive materials and a projected cost target of $10 million per launch. If they work as advertised, just a few Starships could turn the entire launch capacity of planet Earth thus far into a footnote, a rounding error, and they plan to build a thousand of them. That’s why they’re building a factory for making them.\n\nIt’s anyone’s guess whether all this launch capacity, at costs two or more magnitudes lower than currently possible, is really for making humanity multiplanetary by establishing a Mars colony or “just” for making space-based production and asteroid mining feasible.\n\nWhen asked, [Elon Musk put it quite simply](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7MQb9Y4FAE&t=333s):\n\n_“Any given technology development is how many iterations do you have and what’s your time and progress between iterations.”_\n\nThe more quickly you can iterate, the more iterations you have available.  But doesn’t iterating more quickly make the progress between iterations correspondingly less, canceling the effect?  Surprisingly, that turns out not to be the case.  Elon Musk again:\n\n_“So if you have a high production rate, you can have a lot of iterations. You can try  lots of different things, and it’s OK if you blow up an engine because you’ve got a number of engines coming after that.  If you have a small number of engines then you have to be much more conservative, because you can’t risk blowing them up.”_\n\nThe higher iteration rate allows you to take more risks, which in turn allows you to push the boundaries more and thus gather more relevant feedback in each iteration, at the same time that the reduced time frame reduces what you can do. So there will be more failures. For example, engines blowing up or planes crashing.  But as long as the failures provide the information they were supposed to provide, and the individual failure modes aren’t fatal, they aren’t actually failures. You obviously don’t want to be cavalier about this, but accepting that risk allows you to push much farther per iteration.  Musk also mentioned that as one of the main problems of the Space Shuttle program:  They couldn’t afford to have one blow up because even the first flight was manned.\n\n“A high production rate solves many ills,” he says.\n\nIn software, the production rate is the iteration rate.  If you have lots of iterations, it’s OK if one of them was a potentially high-value experiment that didn’t pan out.  If you have one iteration per year, you are less likely to want to take that risk, and your reluctance will be justified. The willingness and ability to take risks is captured in the Extreme Programming (XP) [value of ‘courage.”](http://xp.c2.com/ExtremeValues.html)\n\n## Compound interest and experience\n\nThe reason this works out is mathematical.  If you iterate and actually use the feedback the iteration gives you to improve, you will improve a little bit each time because you will have learned something.  For simplicity’s sake, let’s assume an improvement of 5% per iteration.  This is like compound interest, and while it starts slow, once it ramps up, it gives outsize returns, like any exponential.\n\nImprove 2% per iteration, and after three iterations, you will have improved by 6%, which is essentially the same as a linear improvement.  After 200 iterations, however, and whereas the linear approach will have improved by a respectable factor of 4, the iterative approach will have improved by more than 50x.\n\nApart from the purely mathematical, there is also the human factor:  When we do things over and over again, we really start to figure out how it works. We develop an intuition.\n\n## What the science says\n\nThe simplistic mathematical function is obviously not an accurate model of the real world, but the science actually has concluded that higher iteration rates are the one most important factor for the output of software development teams, at least according to the researchers.  These findings have been published in the book “[Accelerate](https://itrevolution.com/product/accelerate/)\" by Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble and Gene Kim.  The authors have since moved to Google as the DevOps Research and Assessment (DORA) team and make their [findings available here](https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/devops-sre/announcing-dora-2021-accelerate-state-of-devops-report).  \n\nIn short, they find that performance of software teams correlates strongly with cycle times, with the lowest- performing teams having cycle times measured in months, medium performers in weeks, good performers in days and excellent performers in hours. There is also good evidence for the causality going for cycle times to performance and not the other way around.\n\nBut there’s a deeper connection, because the method of iterating on real-world feedback is really just the scientific method, no more, no less.  It is somewhat surprising that in the field of software, we still often consider the scientific method as unruly and dangerous “cowboy coding,” and instead advocate for what is really little different from pre-science scholasticism as the proper approach to creating software.\n\nTo help us also be more scientific and data driven, the DORA team created metrics, called the [DORA metrics](https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/devops-sre/using-the-four-keys-to-measure-your-devops-performance). These are the following:\n\n- Deployment frequency — How often an organization successfully releases to production\n- Lead time for changes — The amount of time it takes a commit to get into production\n- Change failure rate — The percentage of deployments causing a failure in production\n- Time to restore service — How long it takes an organization to recover from a failure in production\n\n## The dangers of dead reckoning\n\nIn reality, it is much more dangerous to stay away from actual code and real feedback from users for any length of time.  For example, ships before GPS used essentially two methods for navigation: dead reckoning and external fixes.  With dead reckoning, you took a known position, added the course speed and known currents over time to come up with a new position.  However, despite the best equipment and methods, this method always introduces some error because the external factors cannot be known with certainty. And what’s worse, just like improvements accumulate and build on each other over time, so do these errors, making the position ever more uncertain over time.\n\nWhen you are in the middle of the ocean, that might not be a huge problem, but close to shore it can be deadly, which is why the amphibious ships of the Royal Navy were required to use position fixing in intervals of a few minutes. With position fixing, you use the actual external environment, landmarks that you can triangulate to determine your position (and of course GPS is just a version of this, except using satellites for the fix instead of landmarks).  This means you aren’t guessing where you are, you know where you are, and every new measurement clears the slate of any errors; there is no accumulation.\n\nSlides don’t crash, and Jira is patient. You can have 100 tasks that are marked as 99% completed in your tracker of choice and still never ship anything to customers.\n\nReality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away, said science fiction writer Phillip K. Dick, in [How to Build a Universe that Doesn’t Fall Apart Two Days Later](https://deoxy.org/pkd_how2build.htm).\n\nIn Part 2, The Process Equation, we will look at overcoming the forces that tend to push software engineering organizations toward higher cycle times and lower cadence.\n","engineering",[9,694],{"slug":1049,"featured":6,"template":698},"cadence-is-everything-10x-engineering-organizations-for-10x-engineers","content:en-us:blog:cadence-is-everything-10x-engineering-organizations-for-10x-engineers.yml","Cadence Is Everything 10x Engineering Organizations For 10x Engineers","en-us/blog/cadence-is-everything-10x-engineering-organizations-for-10x-engineers.yml","en-us/blog/cadence-is-everything-10x-engineering-organizations-for-10x-engineers",{"_path":1055,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1056,"content":1062,"config":1068,"_id":1070,"_type":13,"title":1071,"_source":15,"_file":1072,"_stem":1073,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/career-spotlight-sre-vs-devops-engineer-vs-devops-platform-engineer",{"title":1057,"description":1058,"ogTitle":1057,"ogDescription":1058,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1059,"ogUrl":1060,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1060,"schema":1061},"DevOps careers: SRE, engineer, and platform engineer","Where does an SRE leave off and a DevOps engineer (or platform engineer) begin? Here's what you need to know.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749666685/Blog/Hero%20Images/comparing-confusing-terms-in-github-bitbucket-and-gitlab-cover.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/career-spotlight-sre-vs-devops-engineer-vs-devops-platform-engineer","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"DevOps careers: SRE, engineer, and platform engineer\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Lauren Gibbons Paul\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-04-25\",\n      }",{"title":1057,"description":1058,"authors":1063,"heroImage":1059,"date":1065,"body":1066,"category":716,"tags":1067},[1064],"Lauren Gibbons Paul","2022-04-25","Even if you’re totally happy in your current position, it pays to keep an eye on your DevOps career path and learn about emerging roles, especially given [the way the DevOps space evolves so rapidly](https://www.simplilearn.com/is-a-devops-career-right-for-you-article). \n\nFor example, you might be wondering about the role of site reliability engineer (SRE) as opposed to DevOps engineer (and the totally new position called DevOps platform engineer, more on that later). These are all engineering positions requiring tech expertise and coding chops, but they play distinct roles on the DevOps team. Here’s what you need to know:\n\n## SRE: A seasoned role\n\nAs the title suggests, at a high level, SREs focus primarily on reliability, solving operational, scale, and uptime problems. In 2003, Google originated the SRE role to safeguard the uptime of its site, but it has evolved considerably since the advent of cloud native applications and platforms. Today, SREs concentrate on [minimizing the frequency and impact of failures](https://thenewstack.io/the-evolution-of-the-site-reliability-engineer-sre/) that can impact the overall reliability of a cloud\napplication. \n\nAccording to Glassdoor, SREs typically require a Bachelor’s or graduate engineering or computer science degree. Salaries range widely, according to Glassdoor, hitting about $120,000 after 2 to 4 years of experience but can reach up to [$300,000 and higher](https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/us-site-reliability-engineer-salary-SRCH_IL.0,2_IN1_KO3,28.html) at the senior level.\n\nAt least one blogger feels [the SRE title](https://rootly.com/blog/should-you-be-an-sre-or-a-devops-engineer) carries more prestige and earning potential than DevOps engineers.\n\nTypical SRE responsibilities include everything from designing, developing, installing, and maintaining software solutions to working with engineering teams to refine deployment and release processes. Collaboration and communication are important job skills for the SRE role, as they need to work closely with multiple roles across the organization. At the time of this blog's publication, there were 4,000 SRE jobs on Glassdoor. Indeed had more than 5,000 SRE postings and ZipRecruiter showed [nearly 12,000 posts](https://www.ziprecruiter.com/candidate/search?radius=5000&search=site+reliability+engineer&location=Remote) for remote SRE jobs.\n\nPython, Go, and Java were the [most sought-after SRE skills](https://www.indeed.com/jobs=site%20Reliability%20Engineer&l&vjk=829f6081218e60bd) listed on Indeed.\n\nAccording to Indeed, SREs transition to \"DevOps engineer\" at a high rate.\n\n## DevOps engineers bridge the gap\n\nDevOps engineers, on the other hand, concentrate on removing obstacles to production and automation and [making development and IT work well together](https://harness.io/blog/sre-vs-devops/).\n\nLike SREs, DevOps engineers need to be good at working and communicating with others, eliminating barriers to increase speed and quality of code delivery. With typically less need to be on call, the DevOps engineer\nmay have a more favorable work-life balance than an SRE, who can have around-the-clock call.\n\nDevOps engineer work responsibilities include such things as analysis of technology utilized within the company and then developing steps and processes to improve and expand upon them. Project management is another key function, establishing milestones for departmental contributions and establishing processes to facilitate collaboration.\n\nThe educational requirements for the two roles are comparable, with a Bachelor’s degree in computer science or engineering or higher as the usual price of admission.\n\nAccording to Glassdoor, the salary range for DevOps engineers is slightly lower than that of SREs, from a low of about $63,000 up to a high of $234,000 for someone with [2 to 4 years of experience](https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/us-devops-engineer-salary-SRCH_IL.0,2_IN1_KO3,18.htm). \n\nDevOps engineer positions are easier to find than SREs. Glassdoor has more than 6,000 DevOps engineer job posts. Indeed has more than 17,000. And ZipRecruiter has [more than 81,000](https://www.ziprecruiter.com/candidate/search?radius=5000&search=devops+engineer&location=Remote) remote DevOps engineer listings.\n\n## New to the game\n\n[Cloud native](/topics/cloud-native) development and the desire to have a unified DevOps platform have brought a new role, the DevOps platform engineer, a position that [works in parallel with the site reliability engineering function](/topics/devops/what-is-a-devops-platform-engineer/).\n\nPlatform engineering teams apply development principles to accelerate software delivery, ensuring app dev teams are productive in all aspects of the lifecycle. Platform engineers focus on the entire software development lifecycle from source to production. From this introspective process, they build a workflow that enables application\ndevelopers to [rapidly code and ship software](https://www.getambassador.io/resources/rise-of-cloud-native-engineering-organizations/).\n\nYou can find a helpful description of the roles of SRE vs. DevOps engineer vs. platform engineer [here](https://iximiuz.com/en/posts/devops-sre-and-platform-engineering/).\n\nBut it’s hard to find much career data for this emerging role. Glassdoor, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter do not yet separate out this role from the category of “DevOps engineer,” and consolidated salary and career path data is not available at this time. It is reasonable to conclude this new role will have higher pay based on rarer skill sets and job experience. Suffice to say, this is a hot area and bears watching.\n\n## Benefits of a DevOps career\n\nThe DevOps industry (and technology as a whole) is constantly evolving. And that creates a lot of opportunities. There are lots of job opportunities cropping up based on how technology changes, and this also means that you can have many chances to learn a new skill and score a role where there is an employee shortage. \n\nThere is a high demand for fresh new talent who are also eager to keep learning and adapting to an ever-changing environment. And in this evolving world of DevOps, the more change that happens means there are endless learning opportunities that will help build you up professionally. This makes you a competitive hire in the future, as well as becoming part of a technological landscape that will always be needed. \n\n## Skills required for a DevOps career\n\nWhether you have goals to become an SRE, a full-fledged DevOps engineer, or start slow and figure out where you want to work in the DevOps space, there are both soft and technical skills that definitely are or may require for you to be successful in whichever role you pursue.\n\nSome soft skills include:\n\n1. **The ability to be flexible.** Projects can stop and start and change at any time for lots of reasons. Things break and get buggy on the regular.  Being able to go with that flow and maintain good levels of productivity and professionalism will take you far. \n2. **Good communication skills.** DevOps projects are rarely simple and not only require the ability to communicate your thoughts but the patience to listen to others. \n3. **Ability to work collaboratively.** There are multiple people involved with any given DevOps project. Be prepared to have discussions about various projects and be part of the development process as a team, not as an individual.\n\nSome of the more technical skills that can help your job pursuits include (but are by no means limited to):\n\n1. **CI/CD.** Aspiring engineers should look for ways to add CI/CD concepts to existing personal projects and code. Creating your own personal projects involving CI/CD is a good way to test your deployment skills while also creating a good proof of skills reference for job interviews. \n2. **Coding skills.** Familiarity with multiple languages, such as Rust, Java, JavaScript, Ruby, Python, PHP, Bash, and many more is important for a DevOps engineer. You need to be able to write and fix issues in multiple programming languages. \n3. **Cloud computing.** Lots of application infrastructures revolved around cloud technologies, so having a basic knowledge of cloud computing will give you a competitive edge. \n4. **Automation knowledge.** A lot of working in DevOps is being able to automate time-consuming processes that need to happen all at once. Diving into some automation knowledge will help you more easily integrate with a new DevOps role. \n\n## The future of DevOps\n\nAccording to a newer Forrester report, future success in DevOps will need people and their organizations to be open to a mindset and technology shift. New tools will come around, common practices may shift, and DevOps teams need to be able to adapt to changes while continuing to work together to deliver top-quality work. \n\nA few trends to keep an eye on as time progresses are serverless computerless architecture, [the rise of DevSecOps](/topics/devsecops/), and low-code/no-code development to deploy applications swiftly with higher agility.\n",[694,9,822],{"slug":1069,"featured":6,"template":698},"career-spotlight-sre-vs-devops-engineer-vs-devops-platform-engineer","content:en-us:blog:career-spotlight-sre-vs-devops-engineer-vs-devops-platform-engineer.yml","Career Spotlight Sre Vs Devops Engineer Vs Devops Platform Engineer","en-us/blog/career-spotlight-sre-vs-devops-engineer-vs-devops-platform-engineer.yml","en-us/blog/career-spotlight-sre-vs-devops-engineer-vs-devops-platform-engineer",{"_path":1075,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1076,"content":1082,"config":1088,"_id":1090,"_type":13,"title":1091,"_source":15,"_file":1092,"_stem":1093,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/considerations-for-going-hybrid-remote",{"title":1077,"description":1078,"ogTitle":1077,"ogDescription":1078,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1079,"ogUrl":1080,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1080,"schema":1081},"What to consider when going hybrid","Hybrid-remote is an alluring alternative to all-remote, but requires careful consideration. Here's what you need to know when making the shift.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749681897/Blog/Hero%20Images/san_francisco_skyline_dm.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/considerations-for-going-hybrid-remote","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What to consider when going hybrid\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Darren Murph\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-02-17\",\n      }",{"title":1077,"description":1078,"authors":1083,"heroImage":1079,"date":1084,"body":1085,"category":799,"tags":1086},[839],"2021-02-17","\n\nAs the working world embraces the reality that we aren't going back to old ways of working, a growing chorus of leaders are forecasting a [hybrid-remote](/company/culture/all-remote/hybrid-remote/) future. While the allure of this concept is understandable — it seems to present the best of two worlds on paper — a great deal of nuance lurks.\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet tw-align-center\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Sorry to break it to all of the remote-only people, but I think offices will make a comeback.\u003C/p>— Allison Barr Allen (@abarrallen) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/abarrallen/status/1349539596242075648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 14, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\nIn fact, without great deliberation, care, and intentionality, hybrid can deliver the *worst* of both worlds. If you're charging down this road, you'll want to consider and plan for the points below to minimize dysfunction and the toxic friction of a [two-tier work environment](/company/culture/all-remote/what-not-to-do/).\n\n## Only some days in the office\n\nCompanies that mandate or encourage one or more days per week in-office should be mindful of three important factors:\n\n1. This inhibits team members from considering drastically different living locales, because they still need to be within a commutable distance to an office.\n1. This prevents a company's sourcing and recruiting teams from operating differently compared to all-colocated. New hires will still need to relocate to the general office area, limiting your talent pool.\n1. This will make the process of shifting to remote-first workflows more difficult, as the office will serve as a crutch to collaboration.\n\n## Informal meetings\n\nInformal (or unscheduled and unplanned) meetings in an office can be highly disruptive to hybrid-remote teams. While it may feel efficienct to ask someone you see in a hallway for a few minutes of their time, this typically creates disruption in the day of the person you're hailing and leads to undocumented progress. Any progress made in an informal conversation is invisible to those outside of the office *as well as* others in the office who are not invited to the meeting. Unplanned meetings with undocumented results works against the remote-first practice of documenting all work so that others in the organization can contribute.\n\nLeaders should reinforce a particular rigor on documenting takeaways after informal meetings so that context is agreed-upon, visible to others regardless of their location, and to minimize miscommunication and gossip.\n\n## Redesigned spaces for individual meeting rooms\n\nHybrid calls are also [suboptimal for remote attendees](/company/culture/all-remote/meetings/#avoid-hybrid-calls). We recommend leaders transitioning to hybrid-remote consider redesigning existing office space to optimize for individual workspaces and individual meeting rooms. This reinforces that the office is simply [another venue to work remotely from](/company/culture/all-remote/how-to-work-remote-first/#offices-are-simply-venues-to-work-remotely-from).\n\nBy eliminating conference rooms, a company ensures collaboration is accessible to all and removes the temptation to have in-office team members gather around a single camera for a video call with remote attendees.\n\nLeaders may consider keeping one or two large spaces that can be reserved for team onsites, where entire teams or sub-teams will intentionally travel on specific dates to meet in person (e.g., fiscal year planning, team bonding, etc.). It's important to still document outcomes from these gatherings and ensure that 100% of the team is included.\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet tw-align-center\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I have worked from home for most of my 20+ year career and never ever had so many calls and meetings. I've kept it to myself for a full year but I cannot anymore: y'all are doing this wrong\u003C/p>— Amy Westervelt (@amywestervelt) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/amywestervelt/status/1353902805048647686?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 26, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n## Agendas upfront\n\nThe most functional hybrid organizations operate [remote-first](/company/culture/all-remote/how-to-work-remote-first/). This ensures that business continues even if 100% of the workforce opts to work remotely, outside of the office, on any given day. A key part of reinforcing this mindset is the mandate that all work meetings have an upfront agenda.\n\nPractically speaking, this means that all in-office meeting invites have a shared agenda document attached, so that others can read, learn, and contribute regardless of their location (or even if they're awake and available during the meeting time). This process ensures that a [live doc meeting](/company/culture/all-remote/live-doc-meetings/) procedure happens even for onsite meetings.\n\nThis is critical for process continuity regardless of where a team member is located. In a hybrid organization, you will have team members who conduct onsite meetings some days, and remote meetings on other days. It's vital that the *process* of those meetings are the same – it's merely the physical position of a team member that changes.\n\n## Coffee chats should be indiscriminate of location\n\n[Coffee chats](/company/culture/all-remote/informal-communication/#coffee-chats) are an excellent way to broaden one's perspective and meet new people from across the organization. Hybrid organizations should take care to not enable selective coffee chat pairing based on who is onsite and who is remote, as it signals a two-tier work environment.\n\n## Record important conversations\n\nThe proximity of people in an office makes hallway, watercooler, and ad hoc conversations appealing. Leaders in hybrid-remote settings should reinforce the importance of using a smartphone as a recording device to capture important, non-confidential work-related conversations, with the consent of both parties. Recording conversations ensure that takeaways can be shared transparently with those outside of the office and minimizes potential misinterpretations.\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet tw-align-center\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Want to make hybrid work? Start at the top.\u003Cbr> \u003Cbr>People want flexibility, a remote-office blend. But allowing flexibility without addressing how execs work risks “faux flex.”\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Changing where & how senior execs show up will make or break hybrid.\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/futureofwork?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#futureofwork\u003C/a>\u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/H7obOrKlHl\">https://t.co/H7obOrKlHl\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Brian Elliott (@brianpelliott) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/brianpelliott/status/1353744550724943872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 25, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n## Leadership's place in the office\n\nThe best place for leaders and executives to be in a hybrid-remote environment is *[outside](/company/culture/all-remote/transition/#make-the-executive-team-remote)* of the office.\n\n1. This prevents remote team members from a perceived lack of \"face time\" with executives.\n1. This prevents senior leadership from conducting their work in ways that are counter to remote-first principles.\n1. This prevents cognitive dissonance from leadership on what tools, technologies, and training need to be prioritized to support remote-first workflows.\n1. This prevents team members from coming to the office to rub shoulders with executives.\n1. This reinforces that the office is no longer the [epicenter](/company/culture/all-remote/stages/#7-remote-first) of power or decision making.\n\n## Spontaneous social events\n\nIt's understandable for team members to want to gather socially in and around office settings. Structuring [informal communication](/company/culture/all-remote/informal-communication/) is vital in a remote setting, and some companies may choose to repurpose some of their office space to accommodate groups and gatherings. Libraries, fitness centers, game rooms, and music studios (among others) could be created to facilitate social gatherings for those who are onsite on any given day.\n\nLeaders who enable this should be mindful of the following:\n\n1. It's important to budget for travel to include remote team members in onsite social events.\n1. Work should not happen in social rooms, because it hinders [transparency](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#transparency) and creates [dysfunction](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#five-dysfunctions) by forming communication silos.\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet tw-align-center\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">"Relative to expectations, how has work from home turned out?"\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Expansive research on work-from-home from \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Stanford?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Stanford\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/ChicagoBooth?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ChicagoBooth\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/ITAM_mx?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ITAM_mx\u003C/a>, and \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Jose_MariaRD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@jose_mariard\u003C/a> 🌎\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>(Some well-considered comments in the \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/newsycombinator?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@newsycombinator\u003C/a> thread as well)\u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/gvanMImy5Y\">https://t.co/gvanMImy5Y\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/Ig1X2PDBQH\">pic.twitter.com/Ig1X2PDBQH\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Darren Murph (@darrenmurph) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/darrenmurph/status/1353879546358095873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 26, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n## Equitable benefits and perks\n\nLeaders should carefully evaluate spoken and unspoken perks of the office, and seek to extend equal benefits to those outside of the office. For example, access to an onsite daycare and fitness center would demand a childcare and fitness credit for those who are remote by default. This situation becomes particularly tricky for team members who are onsite some days of the week, and offsite others, unless the credits are extended to all.\n\n## Expect rapid iteration\n\nHybrid-remote organizations may see high office use in the early days of a workplace transition, as people flock to the familiar. However, as remote-first workflows are implemented and people relocate or change their workplace setting for personal reasons, it's possible that more space will go unused.\n\nWhile this may seem jarring, it's a positive indicator that work and culture are progressing without the need of an office. This will create opportunities to capture greater real estate savings and/or repurpose office space for philanthropic efforts, such as opening up an internship center for the local community.\n\nTo assist with the transition, enroll in our \"[How to Manage a Remote Team](https://www.coursera.org/learn/remote-team-management)\" course on Coursera, and download [GitLab's Remote Playbook](https://learn.gitlab.com/suddenlyremote).\n",[844,9,1087],"demo",{"slug":1089,"featured":6,"template":698},"considerations-for-going-hybrid-remote","content:en-us:blog:considerations-for-going-hybrid-remote.yml","Considerations For Going Hybrid Remote","en-us/blog/considerations-for-going-hybrid-remote.yml","en-us/blog/considerations-for-going-hybrid-remote",{"_path":1095,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1096,"content":1102,"config":1109,"_id":1111,"_type":13,"title":1112,"_source":15,"_file":1113,"_stem":1114,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/container-network-security-is-important",{"title":1097,"description":1098,"ogTitle":1097,"ogDescription":1098,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1099,"ogUrl":1100,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1100,"schema":1101},"How to secure your Kubernetes pods using GitLab Container Network Security","We help you get started with securing your Kubernetes cluster using Cilium, a GitLab-managed application.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749681687/Blog/Hero%20Images/diane-helentjaris-TYk0YQbog9g-unsplash.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/container-network-security-is-important","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How to secure your Kubernetes pods using GitLab Container Network Security\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Fernando Diaz\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-10-23\",\n      }",{"title":1097,"description":1098,"authors":1103,"heroImage":1099,"date":1105,"body":1106,"category":864,"tags":1107},[1104],"Fernando Diaz","2020-10-23","{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\nKubernetes does not come secure out of the box. There is a lot of\nconfiguration needed\n\nto achieve a secure cluster. One important security configuration to\nconsider is how pods\n\ncommunicate with each other. This is where Network Policies come into play,\nmaking sure that\n\nyour pods are not exchanging data with unknown or malicious sources, which\ncan compromise\n\nyour cluster.\n\n\n[Network\nPolicies](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/services-networking/network-policies/)\nare rules on how pods can communicate\n\nwith other pods as well as endpoints. They are pretty much a firewall for\nyour internal cluster network.\n\n\nGitLab provides Container Network Security using\n[Cilium](https://cilium.io/) as a [GitLab-managed\napplication](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/clusters/applications.html#install-cilium-using-gitlab-cicd).\n\nCilium is a CNI [network\nplugin](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/extend-kubernetes/compute-storage-net/network-plugins/)\nfor Kubernetes that can be used to implement support for Network Policies.\n\n\nThe video below provides an introduction on how to easily implement Network\nPolicies from GitLab,\n\nas well as a demo on testing Network Policies:\n\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/45Q__T42ZMA\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\n## Network Policies in action\n\n\nThere are many different ways of configuring Network Policies within your\nKubernetes cluster. You can configure\n\nthe `ingress from` as well as the `egress to` traffic. There are four kinds\nof selectors\n\nwhich can be used to configure traffic between pods:\n\n\n- podSelector: Selects provided pods in the same namespace\n\n- namespaceSelector: Selects all pods on given namespace\n\n- podSelector & namespaceSelector: Selects provided pods in given namespace\n\n- ipBlock: Blocks external [IP\nCIDR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classless_Inter-Domain_Routing) ranges\nprovided\n\n\nMore information on the behavior of \"to\" and \"from\" selectors can be found\nin the [Kubernetes\ndocumentation](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/services-networking/network-policies/#behavior-of-to-and-from-selectors).\n\n\nBelow is an example of a Network Policy that only allows ingress traffic\n\nto pod with label `app: \"notes\"` from pods with label `access: \"true\"`.\n\n\n```yaml\n\napiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1\n\nkind: NetworkPolicy\n\nmetadata:\n  name: access-notes\nspec:\n  podSelector:\n    matchLabels:\n      app: \"notes\"\n  ingress:\n  - from:\n    - podSelector:\n        matchLabels:\n          access: \"true\"\n```\n\n\n## Installing Cilium as a GitLab-managed application\n\n\nCilium is provided by GitLab as a managed application, meaning\n\nthat GitLab installs and upgrades Cilium for you. There is no need\n\nto worry about how to get Cilium up and running. Cilium as well as your\nNetwork\n\nPolicies can be configured as needed.\n\n\nIn order to install and configure Cilium as a GitLab managed application,\nyou can follow the steps provided in\n\nthe [GitLab cluster applications\ndocumentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/clusters/applications.html#install-cilium-using-gitlab-cicd).\n\nThis sample project [Simply Simple\nNotes](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-examples/security/simply-simple-notes), is\nconfigured to use Cilium. It will install Cilium on the Kubernetes cluster\nassociated with the project.\n\n\n[This\nguide](https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/administer-cluster/declare-network-policy/)\ncan be used to test your Network Policies once Cilium has been installed.\n\n\n## Threat monitoring dashboard\n\n\nBy default Cilium installs with Hubble, a monitoring daemon which collects\npacket flow metrics per namespace. These\n\nmetrics are sent to the GitLab [Threat Monitoring\ndashboard](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/threat_monitoring/).\n\n\n![threat monitoring packet\nmetrics](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/container-network-security/packet-metrics.png)\n\nPacket Metrics displayed in the Threat Management dashboard\n\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n\nThe packet flow metrics collected are:\n\n- The total number of inbound and outbound packets for the given time period\n\n- The proportion of packets dropped according to the configured policies\n\n- The average rate per-second of forwarded and dropped packets for the\nrequested time interval\n\n\nWithin the Threat Monitoring dashboard, you can also view and configure the\nNetwork Policies in your project. This makes it easy to navigate\n\nyour container network configuration in one interface.\n\n\n![threat monitoring Network\nPolicies](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/container-network-security/network-policy.png)\n\nNetwork Policies displayed in the Threat Management dashboard\n\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n\nNetwork Policies can also be created and edited through an intuitive UI. You\ncan just select the network rules you wish to use and the YAML will be\nautomatically created and applied to your cluster. This eliminates the need\nto edit the complicated YAML structure for Network Policies directly, and\nallows you to make sure the correct rules are being applied without\nconfusion.\n\n\nNetwork Rules can be created using the following rule types:\n\n- Labels\n\n- Entities\n\n- IP/CIDR\n\n- DNS\n\n- Level 4\n\n\n![threat monitoring policy\ncreation](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/container-network-security/policy-creation.png)\n\nPolicy being created in the Threat Management dashboard\n\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n\n## Learn more about GitLab Security\n\n\nI hope this blog can help get you started with Network Policies in\nKubernetes. Check out some other\n\nways GitLab can help with security.\n\n\n- [How application security engineers can use GitLab to secure their\nprojects](/blog/secure-stage-for-appsec/)\n\n- [How to capitalize on GitLab Security tools with external\nCI](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/integration/jenkins.html)\n\n- [What you need to know about Kubernetes\nRBAC](/blog/understanding-kubernestes-rbac/)\n\n\nCover image by [Diane Helentjaris](https://unsplash.com/@dhelentjaris) on\n[Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/TYk0YQbog9g)\n\n{: .note}\n",[864,9,1108,738,822],"kubernetes",{"slug":1110,"featured":6,"template":698},"container-network-security-is-important","content:en-us:blog:container-network-security-is-important.yml","Container Network Security Is Important","en-us/blog/container-network-security-is-important.yml","en-us/blog/container-network-security-is-important",{"_path":1116,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1117,"content":1123,"config":1130,"_id":1132,"_type":13,"title":1133,"_source":15,"_file":1134,"_stem":1135,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/contribute-to-open-source-land-jobs",{"title":1118,"description":1119,"ogTitle":1118,"ogDescription":1119,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1120,"ogUrl":1121,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1121,"schema":1122},"How contributing to open source can help you land your first job","Six compelling reasons why, warm fuzzy feelings aside, contributing to open source is good for your career.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679362/Blog/Hero%20Images/contribute-open-source-jobs.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/contribute-to-open-source-land-jobs","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How contributing to open source can help you land your first job\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ariel Camus\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-04-06\",\n      }",{"title":1118,"description":1119,"authors":1124,"heroImage":1120,"date":1126,"body":1127,"category":1128,"tags":1129},[1125],"Ariel Camus","2018-04-06","\n\nContributing to open source can significantly boost your chances of getting a job. And even\nthough this is true for all developers, regardless of their level of experience, it's especially\nimportant for entry-level ones.\n\nLet me make this perfectly clear: **contributing to open source is the most effective job-seeking\n hack you can take advantage of right now**.\n\nEven better, by contributing to open source you won't only improve your chances\nof getting a job, but you will also give back to the community, meet amazing and talented\npeople, and feel incredibly accomplished when your first contribution gets accepted.\n\nAt [Microverse](https://www.microverse.org/), the company I founded, we train remote software developers from all around\n the world, and we ask them to contribute to open source, starting from their first day in the program.\n\n**Here are six reasons why contributing to open source will help you too.**\n\n## Reason 1: Work as part of a (distributed) team\n\nWhen looking for a job, experience counts. However, experience limited to coding and the\nlanguage syntax is not enough. You need to know how to work as part of a team,\ncollaborating with others to build large and complex applications.\n\n**How do you get that kind of collaborative and at-scale experience if you can't get a job first?**\nThe answer is open source.\n\nLarge, open source projects are almost always built by a large team. Sometimes the people in\nthose teams even work for large organizations (e.g. GitLab, React/Facebook, etc.). By\nbecoming a contributor you get the chance to **work with those exceptional teams without\nhaving to be hired by those companies**.\n\nYou will sharpen your written communication skills, understand how to pick and negotiate\nthings to work on, perfect your Git Flow/[GitLab Flow](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/topics/gitlab_flow.html), and many other things that are as\nvaluable as understanding the language syntax.\n\n## Reason 2: Work in a complex and large application\n\nIf you join a company, you will most likely work on an existing application. And, probably, it\nwill be a large and complex one. As a coding student you rarely have the chance to do that,\nbut when you join an open source project, that's exactly the scenario that you will face.\n\nYou will first need to **set up your local development environment** following the contributing\nguidelines provided by the project. You will then start by **refactoring existing code** to correct\ntypos and fix small bugs, the same way you would at a regular job! Finally, you will start\nunderstanding how all the **pieces** of a large application fit together, how it was **architected**,\nand where the code for each **functionality** lives.\n\nThese are not things you could experience working on small learning projects, but you need\nthis kind of experience if you want to land a job.\n\n## Reason 3: Get a lot of good feedback\n\nEvery time you pick an open source issue to work on, you will start by forking the project\nand creating a feature branch. You will write tests and code until you are happy with your\nsolution, and then submit a merge request to the original code.\n\nHowever, this is just the first step in the process. One of the main developers at the project\nwill review your merge request and will tell you if it's ready to be merged. Most likely it won't.\n But that's fine, because **she will also provide feedback about what you need to fix before\n your code can be merged**.\n\nCan you imagine getting this kind of direct feedback from a seasoned developer at GitLab or\nFacebook? Think about it… they really want your help, but they also need to keep the quality\nof the code at a high level. They will help you, and you will end up learning a lot in the process.\n\n## Reason 4: Build an online reputation\n\nGetting experience working as part of a team and contributing to large and complex applications\nis really important, but it won't help you land a job unless companies can find you and want to interview you.\n\nContributing to open source will help you with that too. After quickly reading your resume,\nemployers will want to find you online, and they will want to see your code. **GitLab and\nGitHub profiles are the new resumes**.\n\nIf employers can see that you are an active member of large open source projects, that will\ntell them something else that is very important: software is not just what you do for a living,\nbut it's also your passion and hence what you do in your free time.\n\nWhat do employers currently find when they search your name on Google? Open source will\nmake you look great!\n\n## Reason 5: Network with the community\n\nOpen source projects often have large organizations behind them who are constantly hiring\nnew developers. Wouldn't it be great for those organizations if they could hire people who\nlove their product? What if their new hires knew the product so well already that they could\nbe productive contributors from the moment they join the company?\n\nWell, that's exactly the value you offer as an active member of an open source community.\n**You know the product, you know the code, and the people behind the project know you.\nChances are that you will eventually be offered to work for them**. In fact, almost\na third of the first 40 engineers that GitLab hired were contributors to its codebase first.\n\n## Reason 6: Stay motivated\n\nLast, but not least, we all know the single and most important advice to be successful at anything\nis perseverance. However, staying motivated and focused while learning to code and applying\nfor jobs is not easy. There are a lot of things to learn, a lot of different paths to take, and many\nrejections on the path to landing your first job.\n\nJoining an open source project will give you the real-world encouragement and a community\n to support you throughout the journey.\n\nAre you convinced that contributing to open source is the best thing you can do right now to\nhelp you on your way to landing your first job? I'm pretty sure you are. Go ahead and [start now](/community/contribute/)!\n\n### About the guest author\n\n[Ariel Camus](https://twitter.com/arielcamus) is the founder of [Microverse](https://www.microverse.org/),\na company finding the world's untapped talent and training it to become remote software developers. Ariel was previously the co-founder and CEO\nof TouristEye, a travel startup that he grew to a million users and sold to Lonely Planet in 2013.\n\nCover photo by [Maik Jonietz](https://unsplash.com/@der_maik_?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral)\n{: .note}\n","open-source",[268,9,944],{"slug":1131,"featured":6,"template":698},"contribute-to-open-source-land-jobs","content:en-us:blog:contribute-to-open-source-land-jobs.yml","Contribute To Open Source Land Jobs","en-us/blog/contribute-to-open-source-land-jobs.yml","en-us/blog/contribute-to-open-source-land-jobs",{"_path":1137,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1138,"content":1144,"config":1149,"_id":1151,"_type":13,"title":1152,"_source":15,"_file":1153,"_stem":1154,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/devsecops-faq-get-up-to-speed-on-this-hot-devops-area",{"title":1139,"description":1140,"ogTitle":1139,"ogDescription":1140,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1141,"ogUrl":1142,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1142,"schema":1143},"DevSecOps FAQ: Get up to speed","There's more to dev, sec and ops than meets the eye, particularly when they're combined. Here's what you need to know about DevSecOps.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749669784/Blog/Hero%20Images/security-testing-principles-devs.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/devsecops-faq-get-up-to-speed-on-this-hot-devops-area","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"DevSecOps FAQ: Get up to speed\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Valerie Silverthorne\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-12-08\",\n      }",{"title":1139,"description":1140,"authors":1145,"heroImage":1141,"date":1146,"body":1147,"category":820,"tags":1148},[734],"2021-12-08","\n\nIf it feels like [DevSecOps](/topics/devsecops/) is just one more flavor of DevOps, we get it. After all, DevOps could be known as _DevSecBizTestMonitorOps_, but that’s not easy to say or remember. DevSecOps actually plays a unique role in the world of software development. Here’s what you need to know.\n\n## Why is DevSecOps important?\n\nAll of the [well-publicized security breaches](/blog/are-you-ready-for-the-newest-era-of-devsecops/) have shown us one thing: Security can no longer be an afterthought in software development. It used to be that security was a separate department and function with a top-down approach and little actual understanding of how software was developed. Code was handed to security late in the process, and then the sec team had to chase busy devs down for fixes. TL;DR: Let’s just say that didn’t ever work well.\n\nToday, DevSecOps aims squarely at the idea that security has to be baked into the process from the beginning. The need for security to [“shift left,”](/blog/efficient-devsecops-nine-tips-shift-left/) i.e., move from production to development, is at the heart of what DevSecOps is. \n\nThe data is clear: The earlier a developer finds a flaw, the faster the fix, so DevSecOps puts security scans (and their results) in a dev’s workflow, minimizing the barriers to resolution and greatly decreasing context-switching. \n\nAnd this isn’t just something that’s a nice-to-have – it’s actually happening. In our [2021 Global DevSecOps Survey](/developer-survey), we found DevSecOps teams are running more [SAST](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/sast/), [DAST](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/dast/), [container](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/container_scanning/) and [dependency scans](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/dependency_scanning/) than ever before. And, thanks to DevSecOps, a full 72% of security pros told us their organizations’ security efforts as either “strong” or “good.” \n\n## The difference between DevSecOps and DevOps\n\nDevSecOps *is* DevOps and honestly the terms are, can, and should be used interchangeably. That said, GitLab defines DevOps as [“...people working together to conceive, build and deliver secure software at top speed”](/topics/devops/) and, as you can see, that definition includes security. DevSecOps, on the other hand, “weaves security practices into every stage of software development right through deployment with the use of tools and methods to protect and monitor live applications.”\n\nSome think the term “DevSecOps” puts undue emphasis on security, but we heartily disagree. You can’t emphasize security enough!\n\n## Why is DevSecOps important to business?\n\nThe number one benefit of DevOps is code quality, according to our survey, and, clearly, that’s businesses’ priority as well; bad code costs money literally (time to fix) and figuratively (brand reputation). \n\nSo, if it’s [time to convince management to invest in DevSecOps](/blog/devops-stakeholder-buyin/), it’s important to continue to emphasize how devastating a security breach can be.\n\nAlso, it’s vital to connect the dots on exactly how a DevSecOps team can help prevent the worst-case scenarios. From [automated software testing](/blog/devsecops-security-automation/#5-benefits-of-automated-security) to a [security champions program](/blog/why-security-champions/), DevSecOps is one of the most efficient ways to help prevent hacks.\n\n## The future of DevSecOps\n\nThe future of DevSecOps can be summed up in one simple word: more. More testing, more automation, more integration, more shift left, more comprehensive scans… just more of everything that brings security into the development process earlier in the game.\n\nThere are signs that “more” is already happening, based on our 2021 survey results. Nearly 28% of security respondents report they are now part of a cross-functional team and a growing percentage are more focused on compliance. And more than 70% of security pros report their teams shifted left in 2021, up from 65% in 2020. In other words, security is increasingly _on the team._ \n\nAnd don’t forget about the promise of artificial intelligence and machine learning. As [AI/ML use expands in DevOps teams](/blog/ai-in-software-development/), DevSecOps will no doubt benefit.\n\n## Ready to learn DevSecOps?\n\nIf you’re ready to dive into DevSecOps, we have a 20 question quiz so you can test your readiness level and learn more.\n",[694,864,9],{"slug":1150,"featured":6,"template":698},"devsecops-faq-get-up-to-speed-on-this-hot-devops-area","content:en-us:blog:devsecops-faq-get-up-to-speed-on-this-hot-devops-area.yml","Devsecops Faq Get Up To Speed On This Hot Devops Area","en-us/blog/devsecops-faq-get-up-to-speed-on-this-hot-devops-area.yml","en-us/blog/devsecops-faq-get-up-to-speed-on-this-hot-devops-area",{"_path":1156,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1157,"content":1163,"config":1169,"_id":1171,"_type":13,"title":1172,"_source":15,"_file":1173,"_stem":1174,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/engineering-director-shadow",{"title":1158,"description":1159,"ogTitle":1158,"ogDescription":1159,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1160,"ogUrl":1161,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1161,"schema":1162},"The engineering director shadow experience at GitLab","Shadowing an engineering director at GitLab was an immersive, collaborative experience. Here's what you need to know.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749667509/Blog/Hero%20Images/continuous-integration-from-jenkins-to-gitlab-using-docker.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/engineering-director-shadow","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"The engineering director shadow experience at GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"William Arias\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-04-01\",\n      }",{"title":1158,"description":1159,"authors":1164,"heroImage":1160,"date":1166,"body":1167,"category":300,"tags":1168},[1165],"William Arias","2022-04-01","\n\nMy [engineering director shadow](/handbook/engineering/development/shadow/director-shadow-program.html) experience reminded me of a concept that gained relevance during the pandemic:\n\n> \"I am because we are\" set in the context of the actual state of the world: I will be safe when all and each of us is safe.\n\nThe inspiration of these ideas stem from the [Ubuntu Philosophy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_philosophy) and, if seen from another angle, could mean:\n\n> \"Ubuntu implies that everyone has different skills and strengths; people are not isolated, and through mutual support, [they can help each other to complete themselves](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/open-source-enlightenment-2015-part-1-audrey-tang/).\"\n\nDuring the shadowing experience, I realized that it is easy to get comfortable with my own world and department-specific view, which can be very foreign to other teams. The reality is that we are all interconnected and each bit of group success is **our** success. Is there an incident? A bug? A delay in hiring? It affects not only the department [DRI](/handbook/people-group/directly-responsible-individuals/) (what we call at GitLab the Directly Responsible Individual), but it can have an impact on all of us, and it can be disguised in different ways. A reliability challenge is not only an engineering problem; if there is an unresolved issue that goes on for too long, it can end up hurting GitLab’s reputation and brand. The issue can impact not only the goals of engineering but also of other teams, including marketing.\n\nTo navigate this interconnectedness, treat all individual efforts as a consolidated unit efficiently and transparently. This is one of my key takeaways from the shadowing program: Having a fair amount of humanity, humbleness, and people-oriented skills is important. I went into this program assuming I was going to experience mostly hard, deterministic skills but the reality was very different.\n\n## A day in the life\n\nShadowing [Wayne Haber](/company/team/#whaber), director of engineering for Growth, Sec, and Data Science, is a unique experience, especially for someone who doesn't spend a lot of time with upper leadership at GitLab. Wayne begins the shadow week with a prep coffee chat where he walks you through what to expect from the week, some tips, and his general criteria for success in the program (take notes and offer feedback!).\n\nAs the week kicks off, you'll first notice you'll be taking part in meetings, a lot of meetings. This is not a bad thing. However, you are going to be treated to a backstage pass to what mission-critical meetings at GitLab look like, how relationships are developed, how KPIs are decided and set, and much more.\n\nDuring my time with Wayne, I attended a variety of meetings from skip levels to a 1:1 with Wayne's boss. In those meetings there were a lot of nuances to observe and an opportunity to soak up how our engineering directors apply [the CREDIT values](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/). Wayne encourages people who take part to get involved in the meetings, be vocal, be willing to engage, take notes, and offer feedback. This is an atmosphere that helps to cultivate a sense of \"No Ego\" and promotes collaboration.\n\n## TL;DR\n\nI totally recommend taking one week to enjoy Wayne's adventures. It is an enriching and humbling opportunity to connect with colleagues that you might not come across if you are on another team. As mentioned before, we impact each other more than we might usually think!\n",[822,801,9],{"slug":1170,"featured":6,"template":698},"engineering-director-shadow","content:en-us:blog:engineering-director-shadow.yml","Engineering Director Shadow","en-us/blog/engineering-director-shadow.yml","en-us/blog/engineering-director-shadow",{"_path":1176,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1177,"content":1183,"config":1191,"_id":1193,"_type":13,"title":1194,"_source":15,"_file":1195,"_stem":1196,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/five-fast-facts-about-docs-as-code-at-gitlab",{"title":1178,"description":1179,"ogTitle":1178,"ogDescription":1179,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1180,"ogUrl":1181,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1181,"schema":1182},"Five fast facts about docs as code at GitLab","Here are five fast facts about how GitLab technical writers use GitLab in a docs-as-code workflow.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749660257/Blog/Hero%20Images/pen.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/five-fast-facts-about-docs-as-code-at-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Five fast facts about docs as code at GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Suzanne Selhorn\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Susan Tacker\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Diana Logan\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-10-12\",\n      }",{"title":1178,"description":1179,"authors":1184,"heroImage":1180,"date":1188,"body":1189,"category":820,"tags":1190},[1185,1186,1187],"Suzanne Selhorn","Susan Tacker","Diana Logan","2022-10-12","\n\nAt GitLab, we use GitLab as our single platform to document GitLab by using a “docs-as-code” workflow. Sound confusing? \n\nThe GitLab technical writing team uses GitLab to plan, create, review, edit, and publish the [GitLab documentation](http://docs.gitlab.com). And because we use the docs-as-code workflow, we can produce a large amount of content with a small, passionate, efficient team.\n\nIf you aren’t familiar with docs as code, here’s a quick definition: \n\n[Docs as code](https://idratherbewriting.com/trends/trends-to-follow-or-forget-docs-as-code.html#what-is-docs-as-code) is a way to develop and publish product documentation. It uses the same tools and processes as software code development, placing the documentation files along with the code files in a repository for version control. \n\nIf you are wondering whether your organization could adopt a docs-as-code workflow in GitLab, read on for five fast facts that help explain how our team does it.\n\n## We use GitLab to plan both GitLab features and docs content updates\n\nOur product managers, UX designers, engineers, and quality assurance teams work together to plan our feature work. Maybe when you’re planning releases, you use a Kanban board, or you create issues in a third-party tool.\n\nAt GitLab, we use epics and [issues](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/technical-writing/-/issues/680) to plan our work, and [issue boards](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/boards/4340643?label_name%5B%5D=Category%3ADocs%20Site) to track our progress. We value transparency, so all of this information is available to everyone, including discussions about planning. The tech writing team has visibility into the status of development at any time.\n\n![planning issue](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/planning_issue.png)\n\nIf we have larger doc efforts, we track them in GitLab, make the changes by using GitLab, and mark issues as done in GitLab. If a year passes and we want to remember why we made a change, we search GitLab and find who made the change and why. If you’re working in many different tools right now, imagine what it would be like to view everything in one place. Everything feels faster and more efficient. You skip the time you’d normally spend going through emails and websites and Slack to find lost discussions. It’s all here in GitLab.\n\nAnd if you love your wiki and don’t want to go without it, we have a wiki feature too.\n\n## We use GitLab to give and receive feedback on the docs\n\nIf you’ve been a writer for any amount of time, you know what a pain it can be to get people to review your content.\n\nAt GitLab, our developers write the first draft of content for all our new features. They save the content in the same repository as their code. Feature documentation is part of our development “definition of done.” They assign the draft content to our writers, who review it, add suggestions, and send their ideas and edits back to the authors.\n\nThe writers themselves also open merge requests (MRs) for content changes. And no matter who opens the MR (the writer, a developer, a support engineer, a community contributor), we all have the ability to easily comment on each other’s work.\n\nIn a merge request, it’s as simple as selecting a Suggestion button. You can comment on one line or several. You can provide changes or edits, and the person who authored the merge request can easily apply your change, or create their own competing suggestion, and you can discuss it. To invite others to the conversation, you can type their username in a comment, and they see your comment as a to-do item in GitLab. In this way, you can discuss any change. It’s transparent and inclusive.\n\n![making a suggestion](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/suggestion.png)\n\nBecause the doc content is in markdown, which is similar to plain text, it’s easy to view the differences between file versions, and to see who committed which change.\n\nMaybe you’ve worked in places where reviews were done in PDFs, or Word docs, or Google docs with comments. When you try this workflow, you'll see how much more efficient the process is. No one is passing around outdated versions of documents. No one is making updates that inadvertently wipe out someone else’s comments.\n\nAnd if anyone ever wants to know why we made a change, it’s easy to view the history of the page or even view who is to “blame” for a specific line. \n\n![who to blame?](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/blame.png)\n\nYou don’t have to store versions of a PDF document and try to search for who suggested which change. It’s all in GitLab.\n\n## We use GitLab to preview the docs content\n\nAt GitLab, we have tools to generate the docs site content locally, but you can also easily share a view of the docs site right from a merge request. If you’re playing with an idea and you want to show someone, you open a merge request, generate what we call “a review app” and voila, the changed docs site is available at a publicly available URL.\n\n![the review app](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/view_app.png)\n\nYour changes are visible, and you can iterate on them or commit as-is. Which brings us to another one of the most useful features we have at GitLab.\n\n## We use GitLab to test every content change\n\nMaybe you’re using a third-party tool to test the links in your docs, or to check spelling and grammar rules.\n\nWe are using third-party tools (Nanoc for links, Vale for spelling and grammar), but like everything else, these tools can be incorporated into GitLab, and into the writer workflow.\n\nEach writer has our tools installed locally and can view everything, from the document’s reading level to passive and active voice fixes on their local machine. But for those contributors who don’t have the toolset, we run a version of our tests in a pipeline as part of every commit.\n\n![a lint error](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/lint_error_2.png)\n\nIf you’re a developer and you don’t consider yourself to be an expert writer, you might find that the pipeline failed on your merge request because of an important grammar or branding rule. We’ve defined a list of many rules, and assigned levels of importance to them. So not only do we have a [style guide](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/documentation/styleguide/) and [word list](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/documentation/styleguide/word_list.html), but we also run tests to ensure our content doesn’t stray too far from those rules.\n\n## We use GitLab to generate the HTML output and we host the output on GitLab Pages\n\nOur CI/CD pipeline converts our markdown content and compiles it into HTML. Then we host this output on GitLab Pages, at the [docs.gitlab.com](http://docs.gitlab.com) website.\n\n![the pipeline](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/pipeline2.png)\n\nHaving the output generated by a pipeline means that we can update the docs site whenever we want. While the product is released once a month, we update the docs site once every hour. That means docs.gitlab.com always contains the most up-to-date content available, sometimes even pre-release information. Since the development planning and implementation issues are typically open to the public as part of our transparency value, pre-announcing features isn’t an issue. \n\nSo as you can see, for a multitude of reasons, we love our docs-as-code workflow. It can be an adjustment to transition to one tool for all of your doc needs, but GitLab supports the full writer workflow, no matter who writes your content. And we know, because we’ve been using it for years. \n\nLearn more about the tech writing docs-as-code work at GitLab:\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZlabtdA-gZE\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nTo learn more about contributing to our open source documentation, check out our instructions in “[How to update the docs](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/documentation/workflow.html#how-to-update-the-docs).” We welcome your contributions!\n",[9,1005,801],{"slug":1192,"featured":6,"template":698},"five-fast-facts-about-docs-as-code-at-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:five-fast-facts-about-docs-as-code-at-gitlab.yml","Five Fast Facts About Docs As Code At Gitlab","en-us/blog/five-fast-facts-about-docs-as-code-at-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/five-fast-facts-about-docs-as-code-at-gitlab",{"_path":1198,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1199,"content":1205,"config":1210,"_id":1212,"_type":13,"title":1213,"_source":15,"_file":1214,"_stem":1215,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/four-tips-to-increase-your-devops-salary",{"title":1200,"description":1201,"ogTitle":1200,"ogDescription":1201,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1202,"ogUrl":1203,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1203,"schema":1204},"Four tips to increase your DevOps salary","You have a great career with a solid salary, but can you do better? (Hint: of course.) Here's how.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749668124/Blog/Hero%20Images/moneyfarm_background.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/four-tips-to-increase-your-devops-salary","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Four tips to increase your DevOps salary\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sharon Gaudin\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-10-20\",\n      }",{"title":1200,"description":1201,"authors":1206,"heroImage":1202,"date":1207,"body":1208,"category":716,"tags":1209},[690],"2021-10-20","\n\n_This is the second in an occasional series looking at DevOps salaries and careers. Find out [how your DevOps salary stacks up](/blog/a-look-at-devops-salaries/)._\n\nSalaries for DevOps professionals are strong, despite a pandemic and a global economic crisis. However, you can still command an even higher salary with four straightforward strategies.\n\nVarious surveys have shown the IT industry is thriving right now and DevOps professionals, in particular, are [increasing in demand and value](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/a-look-at-devops-salaries/). DevOps repeatedly ranks well on some reputable lists such as Robert Half’s [15 highest paying IT jobs](https://www.roberthalf.com/blog/salaries-and-skills/the-13-highest-paying-it-jobs-in-2019) and Glassdoor’s 2021 list of [Best Jobs in America](https://www.glassdoor.com/research/best-jobs-in-america-for-2021/). \n\nIn [an August jobs report](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nationwide-tech-hiring-surges-in-second-quarter-per-dice-q2-tech-job-report-301351520.html), Dice CEO Art Zeile called this “one of the hottest tech job markets since the dot-com era,” and pointed to the upward trend in tech job postings since November 2020.\n\n## How to increase your salary\n\nBy following these strategies, DevOps professionals can take advantage of this strong market to boost your paychecks.\n\n### 1. Gain more experience\n\nExperience level is a big driver when it comes to how much money DevOps professionals will be taking home. [The Randstad 2021 Salary Guide](https://rlc.randstadusa.com/for-business/learning-center/salary-insights/salary-guide/IT-technologies) shows a more than $27,000 difference between the annual salary of a DevOps developer with one year of experience ($112,785) and someone with five years of experience ($140,242). An additional 10 years of experience can garner another $25,000 bump, according to the Randstad Salary Guide.\n\nExperience doesn’t have to happen sequentially, however. In our [2021 Global DevSecOps Survey](/developer-survey/) we found more than  69% of respondents participate in “sideline” open source projects. Those extracurricular efforts can look great on a resume and also are a way to showcase niche skills.\n\n### 2. Expand your education\n\nEmployers also are looking for DevOps professionals to continue to increase their skill set, such as learning new coding languages and scripting skills, according to Glassdoor and Robert Half.\nDevOps professionals also should stay up-to-date on new frameworks, automation, data management and security systems. And don’t forget the importance of analytics skills, configuration management and DevOps platforms. As we all know, technology is a moving target and being able to not only use the latest technology but also explain its importance to executives and other business leaders will make you a more valuable employee.\n\n### 3. Pursue certifications\n\nWant to show your employer - or a future employer - that you have the skills to work on a business-critical DevOps platform? The proof is sometimes in the certification. Think about getting certified in [Kubernetes](https://training.linuxfoundation.org/certification/certified-kubernetes-application-developer-ckad/), [Docker](https://prod.examity.com/docker/), Puppet or [Ansible](https://www.redhat.com/en/services/training/ex407-red-hat-certified-specialist-in-ansible-automation-exam?section=Overview). And of course there’s an option to become a [GitLab Certified Associate](https://about.gitlab.com/services/education/gitlab-certified-associate/). Certifications help an employer understand your functional knowledge of their business systems.\n\n### 4. Improve your soft skills \n\nYes, it’s critical that you know how to make the technology work and how to keep projects running on time and on budget, but you also should concentrate on “soft skills,” like communication, collaboration and leadership, if you’re aiming to qualify for a better salary. In 2020 our survey takers all agreed that soft skills were the most important thing for their future careers, and they remained the second choice of most survey takers this year as well. \n\nCompanies need professionals who understand the business’ needs, can communicate how a DevOps platform can solve key challenges and can explain the competitive advantage gained from a strong DevOps strategy. Soft skills enable professionals to operate as a team, endure stressful moments and work through difficult problems.\n\nDevOps professionals are in demand, putting you in a strong earning position. So make sure you are doing all you can to show you deserve a higher salary.\n\n## Read more on DevOps careers: \t\t\n\n- [Best advice for your DevOps career? Keep on learning](/blog/best-advice-for-your-devops-career-keep-on-learning/)\n\n- [6 tips to make software developer hiring easier](/blog/6-tips-to-make-software-developer-hiring-easier/)\n\n- [DevOps salaries in 2021: Where do you rank?](/blog/a-look-at-devops-salaries/)\n\n- [Have DevOps jobs to fill? Try these 3 strategies to hire and retain](/blog/have-devops-jobs-to-fill-try-these-3-strategies-to-hire-and-retain/)\n\n",[9,694,986],{"slug":1211,"featured":6,"template":698},"four-tips-to-increase-your-devops-salary","content:en-us:blog:four-tips-to-increase-your-devops-salary.yml","Four Tips To Increase Your Devops Salary","en-us/blog/four-tips-to-increase-your-devops-salary.yml","en-us/blog/four-tips-to-increase-your-devops-salary",{"_path":1217,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1218,"content":1224,"config":1229,"_id":1231,"_type":13,"title":1232,"_source":15,"_file":1233,"_stem":1234,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/funny-gitlab-remote-meetings",{"title":1219,"description":1220,"ogTitle":1219,"ogDescription":1220,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1221,"ogUrl":1222,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1222,"schema":1223},"Wild and crazy things that only happen to all-remote teams","Working remotely may make for a calmer commute but plenty of adventure awaits.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749680938/Blog/Hero%20Images/joshua-tree-leap.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/funny-gitlab-remote-meetings","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Wild and crazy things that only happen to all-remote teams\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Darren Murph\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-12-16\",\n      }",{"title":1219,"description":1220,"authors":1225,"heroImage":1221,"date":1226,"body":1227,"category":799,"tags":1228},[839],"2019-12-16","\n\nGitLab has more than [1,000 team members](/company/team/) across 65 (and counting!) countries. Every employee works remotely, from wherever they're most comfortable, and we have no company offices. While that allows us all to avoid the headaches of [commuting](/company/culture/all-remote/#for-the-world), it doesn't mean that our days are boring. Far from it, actually.\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">"It was just this mad scramble to turn off the camera." More people are working remotely, leading to videoconference call faux pas. \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/NbdEeWxbGv\">https://t.co/NbdEeWxbGv\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/WSJ/status/1159505825016295424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 8, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n[Tim Zallmann](/company/team/#timzallmann), a director of engineering at GitLab, was recently featured in a [Wall Street Journal report](https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-are-you-shirtless-when-remote-video-calls-go-wrong-11565280525?mod=e2tw) highlighting comedic happenings for those who work remotely. We polled the entire company to see if they had any stories to share, and the answers came rolling in.\n\n### Surprise guests\n\n![Monkeys in meetings](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/monkey-airbnb.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\nMonkey in the meeting.\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n> I was work-traveling last year for 6 weeks with my wife and kid through South Africa. One day, I was in a video call at a new Airbnb. I had my headphones in when a monkey tried to get through the window behind me. In the middle of the call, I was casually informed that there was a monkey behind me... which resulted in me screaming quite loudly, realizing the monkey was already well on its way inside.\n– [Tim Zallmann](/company/team/#timzallmann), director of engineering, Dev\n\n> When food delivery arrives in the middle of a meeting, but you didn't order enough for everyone.\n– [Patrick Harlan](/company/team/#pharlan), technical account manager\n\n> It's great when kids decide to jump into a call. Lots of big eyes and cute little hand waves. They also tend to whisper frantically into their parents' ears. Toddlers are the best.\n– [Christie Lenneville](/company/team/#clenneville), director of UX\n\n> Our dogs talk to each other. If I am on computer audio and my dog hears a GitLabber dog barking, he joins in. Some people – who shall remain nameless – like to tease dogs with pretend barking to see if they can get them to bark. We have also had pets join us for coffee chats and visit with each other.\n– [Kimberly Lock](/company/team/#kimlock), customer reference manager\n\n### Serendipitous run-ins\n\n![GitLab team members meet up for a day at the zoo](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/gitlab-san-diego-zoo.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\nGitLab team members meet up for a day at the zoo.\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n> I love traveling somewhere and instantly finding friends. I recently took a road trip with my family down the coast of California and met a GitLab team member who joined for a walk to the San Diego Zoo. I'd never met him before, but felt like an instant friend with so much to talk about.\n– [Priyanka Sharma](/company/team/#pritianka), director of technical evangelism\n\n> Joining a video call and finding out the person you are meeting with lives in your city.\n– [Lee Matos](/company/team/#leematos), Support engineering manager, Americas East\n\n\n\n### Moments fantastic and funny\n\n![Virtual happy hour](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/team-group-call-gitlab.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\nVirtual happy hour.\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n> We do virtual Friday happy hours with the team. We get on a big group call and everyone brings their beverage of choice (water, tea, whatever) and just chats for a few minutes about what they're doing for the weekend, etc. Fun times where you can bond with you co-workers. Even our [CEO Sid](/company/team/#sytses) shows up to many of them!\n– [Tina Sturgis](/company/team/#t_sturgis), senior manager, partner and channel Marketing\n\n> I have an LED color-changing light that I use at the foot of the basement stairs so my kids know if they can come in or not. Red, yellow, and green lights let them know if I'm on a call or taking a break (or somewhere in between).\n– [Brendan O'Leary](/company/team/#olearycrew), senior solutions manager\n\n> Green screen usage is a must! Cape Town, Star Trek ships, or a beach in Hawaii – the backdrop options on video calls are endless.\n– [Priyanka Sharma](/company/team/#pritianka), director of technical evangelism\n\n> When someone on a video call says \"Alexa\" and everyone's Alexa wakes up.\n– [Brendan O'Leary](/company/team/#olearycrew), senior solutions manager\n\n### GitLab's approach to meetings\n\nWe [approach meetings differently](/company/culture/all-remote/meetings/) at GitLab. While one's appearance, surroundings, and background can be the source of great stress and anxiety when preparing for a video call, GitLab team members are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work. That means we celebrate unique surroundings and welcome appearances from family and pets.\n\nLearn more about our [all-remote culture](/company/culture/all-remote/). If you're interested in being featured in the next round of remote outtakes, browse our [vacancies](/jobs/) and apply!\n\nCover image by Kevin Oliver\n{: .note}\n",[9,801,844],{"slug":1230,"featured":6,"template":698},"funny-gitlab-remote-meetings","content:en-us:blog:funny-gitlab-remote-meetings.yml","Funny Gitlab Remote Meetings","en-us/blog/funny-gitlab-remote-meetings.yml","en-us/blog/funny-gitlab-remote-meetings",{"_path":1236,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1237,"content":1243,"config":1248,"_id":1250,"_type":13,"title":1251,"_source":15,"_file":1252,"_stem":1253,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/future-proof-your-developer-career",{"title":1238,"description":1239,"ogTitle":1238,"ogDescription":1239,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1240,"ogUrl":1241,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1241,"schema":1242},"Future-proof your developer career","Roles are changing and AI is coming. We asked 14 DevOps practitioners, analysts, and GitLab execs how to future-proof your career.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679588/Blog/Hero%20Images/future-of-software-future-proof-your-career.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/future-proof-your-developer-career","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Future-proof your developer career\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Valerie Silverthorne\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-10-30\",\n      }",{"title":1238,"description":1239,"authors":1244,"heroImage":1240,"date":1245,"body":1246,"category":820,"tags":1247},[734],"2020-10-30","\n\n_This is the fourth and final part of our series on the future of software development. Part one examined [how the software developer role is changing](/blog/software-developer-changing-role/). Part two highlighted [“future” technologies likely to impact the way software is created](/blog/how-tomorrows-tech-affects-sw-dev/). Part three looked at [the role artificial intelligence (AI) will play in software development](/blog/ai-in-software-development/)._\n\nChanging roles, emerging technologies, and the promise (or threat) of artificial intelligence are colliding, creating a critical question for software developers: how should you future-proof your career?\n\nAnyone in the technology industry knows change is both swift and expected – remember [Moore’s Law](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/mooreslaw.asp)? But there’s change and then there’s a “big C” *Change* that would impact skills and potentially careers. The [World Economic Forum, writing on the Pluralsight blog](https://www.pluralsight.com/blog/career/tech-in-2025), shared a worrisome observation about the future: “Across nearly all industries, the impact of technological and other changes is shortening the shelf-life of employees’ existing skill sets... ”\n\nSo what skills will be sufficient to navigate the future? We asked 14 [DevOps](/topics/devops/) practitioners, analysts, and GitLab execs for their best advice.\n\n## Embrace the soft skills\n\nIn our 2020 [Global DevSecOps Survey](/developer-survey/), developers, security pros, ops team members, and testers were unanimous in their choice of the most important skills for the future: communication and collaboration. It’s not particularly surprising – DevOps team members are increasingly finding themselves working even more closely together and often in different or new areas of the company. Communication and collaboration in those cases can be the difference between success and failure.\n\n“You can’t have one brain that knows it all,” explains [Darwin Sanoy](/company/team/#DarwinJS), senior solutions architect, Americas, at GitLab. “You need communication and collaboration to work together.”\n\nOne way developers can fine-tune collab skills is to use their open source skills within their organizations, a practice known as “inner sourcing,” says [Jose Manrique Lopez de la Fuente](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jose-manrique-lopez-de-la-fuente-b869884/), CEO at Bitergia, and also a [GitLab Hero](/community/heroes/). “You’re not doing open source alone,” Manrique says. “There are hundreds of developers worldwide also doing it. So, with those skills I learned working with other developers, how can I be transparent with people who are not only connected to my team? How can I get more involved with what’s going on in the company?” The more developers practice this skill, the easier it will get, he predicts.\n\n## It’s not just about tech\n\nAlthough this seems counter-intuitive, future-proofing your career doesn’t necessarily mean boning up on new technologies. In [our survey](/developer-survey/), 28% of developers said [AI was an important skill to know for the future (and they’re probably not wrong)](https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/signals-for-strategists/ai-assisted-software-development.html), but most experts think it’s not wise to place all your energy in just a single specialty.\n\n“It’s best if you migrate your career from specialty to specialty trying to ride the wave,” Darwin says. “Take a look at what is picking up momentum but is not bleeding edge yet.” GitLab’s director of product management, CI/CD [Jason Yavorska](/company/team/#jyavorska) suggests polishing up the basics. “You want solid tech skills like trouble-shooting, a current knowledge of modern stacks and a lot of basic things,” Jason explains. “You want to be a little bit more of a generalist than an expert in one field.”\n\nThis is definitely a time to take step back and look at the bigger picture, suggests [Philip Lamb](https://www.linkedin.com/in/philliplamb/), global partner senior solutions architect – DevOps at Red Hat. He’s also a proponent of the power of generalization. “Focus less on specific tooling, software, and instead focus more on process and establishing a clear understanding of the sea changes DevOps brings,” he says. And don't forget that DevOps is going to look different for every organization.\n\n## Choose wisely\n\nBut if there’s one thing to keep in mind, above anything else, it’s this: “Avoid what AI is going to be good at,” Jason says. Forrester Research (and many others) think AI [could be creating code in 10 years or less](/blog/ai-in-software-development/). “AI and machine learning could be the most disrupting things to come to your career,” he explains. “If you’ve built your job out of basic things you could find yourself redundant. Focus on things you (as a human) are capable of.”\n",[694,9,822],{"slug":1249,"featured":6,"template":698},"future-proof-your-developer-career","content:en-us:blog:future-proof-your-developer-career.yml","Future Proof Your Developer Career","en-us/blog/future-proof-your-developer-career.yml","en-us/blog/future-proof-your-developer-career",{"_path":1255,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1256,"content":1261,"config":1267,"_id":1269,"_type":13,"title":1270,"_source":15,"_file":1271,"_stem":1272,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/get-the-most-out-of-a-ceo-shadow-program",{"title":1257,"description":1258,"ogTitle":1257,"ogDescription":1258,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":770,"ogUrl":1259,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1259,"schema":1260},"15 tips to succeed at GitLab's CEO Shadow program","A CEO shadow program can be invigorating, but also intimidating. Here are strategies to help you make the most of the experience.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/get-the-most-out-of-a-ceo-shadow-program","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"15 tips to succeed at GitLab's CEO Shadow program\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Neil McCorrison\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-11-02\",\n      }",{"title":1257,"description":1258,"authors":1262,"heroImage":770,"date":1264,"body":1265,"category":820,"tags":1266},[1263],"Neil McCorrison","2021-11-02","\n\nYou may already know that GitLab offers an incredible thing called the CEO Shadow program where anyone in the company is able to spend time with CEO and co-founder [Sid Sijbrandij](/company/team/#sytses). It's an opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at how our company functions.\n\nThere is a lot of [information](https://www.youtube.com/c/GitLabUnfiltered/search?query=ceo%20shadow) available about the program. But for anyone considering a CEO shadow program, either at [GitLab](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/#alumni) or another company, here are 15 pieces of advice to get the most out of the experience.\n\n## 1. Take lots of notes\n\nI took copious notes in a separate document because there were so many interesting things that happened - things that I want to remember, follow up on and learn more about. I've heard other shadows have had a notepad handy. Also consider how to further leverage recordings. Even in a normally unrecorded session (like a 1:1), Sid may start a recording to capture fidelity above what notes alone provide. It's an amazing trick.\n\n## 2. Be open to anything\n\nSid asked about his presentation [energy score](https://blog.energybroker.ie/whats-your-personal-energy-rating), danced the [cabbage patch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabbage_Patch_(dance)) during a 1:1 to celebrate a win, and was able to match everyone's energy in a discussion. So make sure to bring that energy! Also, did you know we have a [songbook](/company/culture/songbook/) that everyone can contribute to?\n\n## 3. Make the most of breaks\n\nTen-hour days of back-to-back meetings are no joke. Take the [time to refresh](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/#tips-for-remote-shadows) during the day when you have breaks.\n\n## 4. You won't be alone\n\nAt GitLab, you are one of two active shadows following the [\"see one, teach one\" rotation](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/#rotation-rhythm). Expect to build a great partnership with your co-shadow.\n\n## 5. Be a good partner\n\nKeep your co-shadow visible in the Zoom gallery view. It’s nice to see body language cues. It’s important to constantly help each other out between note-taking and other tasks.\n\n## 6. Everyone can benefit from a coach\n\nSid has a coach to perfect his communication and presentation skills, and others can benefit from one as well. There are lots of resources available to GitLab employees that are highly recommended, including [Modern Health](/handbook/total-rewards/benefits/modern-health/).\n\n## 7. Keep your communications organized\n\nUtilize the [sidebar sections feature in Slack](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/communication/#organizing-your-slack-sidebar-by-priority). Group the pertinent CEO Shadow channels and team members. You'll want to make sure you stay on top of those messages.\n\n## 8. Tame your schedule management software\n\nIf you have [Clockwise](/handbook/tools-and-tips/other-apps/#clockwise) installed, it will override your status in Slack and pause notifications (the `z` indicator). This can mean missing important messages depending on your configuration. You can disable this by running `cw settings` and pausing the status override.\n\n## 9. MRs are essential\n\nYes, [everything starts with an MR](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/communication/#start-with-a-merge-request): Have a concern, idea or suggestion? It’s going to get more traction if you take a stab at drafting it through an MR first.\n\n## 10. Experiment with your screen layout\n\nNotes on the left or right? Place them at the top of your screen near the camera. It can be easy to sink into taking notes and forget that you are often live on YouTube. Check your video once in a while to check your posture, eye placement and lighting. Don't forget to smile!\n\n## 11. Time-keeping is important\n\nUse the [time-keeping shell script](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/#keeping-time) to ensure meetings [end on time](/company/culture/all-remote/meetings/#start-on-time-end-on-time). It’s amazing, simple and something a lot of shadows continue to use after the program.\n\n## 12. Don't overthink taking notes\n\nDon’t try to understand context when someone starts talking. Just try to capture what they said accurately. Taking effective notes and having [live doc meetings](/company/culture/all-remote/live-doc-meetings/) are amazing skills that the shadow program will catapult you into.\n\n## 13. Listen carefully\n\nExpect to be asked for questions in or following [Valley meetings](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/#valley-meetings). They are a unique opportunity and another great chance to participate.\n\n## 14. Early is the new on-time\n\nYou should always join a meeting a minute or two before. I found that doing this during the shadow program gave me extra time to chat with participants – and often Sid – before the main meeting started.\n\n## 15. Get a true glimpse at our core values\n\nYou'll see [transparency](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#transparency) at work. You'll see that our [E-group](/company/team/e-group/) is full of personable, down-to-earth people who thrive on collaboration. You'll hear iteration mentioned - a lot. Not because it's a buzzword, but because it's a highly effective way to develop software.\n\n> Sid said it best: \"Iteration is one of our super powers. It's super hard to do, but when you get it right, it's super effective. It allows you to innovate quickly.\"\n\n**[Join GitLab](/jobs/) and become a CEO Shadow yourself!**\n",[801,9,268],{"slug":1268,"featured":6,"template":698},"get-the-most-out-of-a-ceo-shadow-program","content:en-us:blog:get-the-most-out-of-a-ceo-shadow-program.yml","Get The Most Out Of A Ceo Shadow Program","en-us/blog/get-the-most-out-of-a-ceo-shadow-program.yml","en-us/blog/get-the-most-out-of-a-ceo-shadow-program",{"_path":1274,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1275,"content":1281,"config":1288,"_id":1290,"_type":13,"title":1291,"_source":15,"_file":1292,"_stem":1293,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-serverless-with-cloudrun-for-anthos",{"title":1276,"description":1277,"ogTitle":1276,"ogDescription":1277,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1278,"ogUrl":1279,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1279,"schema":1280},"Announcing GitLab Serverless deploying to Cloud Run for Anthos","Discover how we're making it easier to deploy serverless workloads on-premise with Anthos.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749666851/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-serverless-blog.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-serverless-with-cloudrun-for-anthos","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Announcing GitLab Serverless deploying to Cloud Run for Anthos\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Mayank Tahilramani\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-11-19\",\n      }",{"title":1276,"description":1277,"authors":1282,"heroImage":1278,"date":1284,"body":1285,"category":1128,"tags":1286},[1283],"Mayank Tahilramani","2019-11-19","\nThis week at Google Cloud Next ’19 UK, Google Cloud grew its Anthos product portfolio with the addition of Cloud Run for Anthos running on-prem. I’m excited to share that GitLab has been collaborating with Google Cloud product teams to support this launch and enable customers with CI/CD and [GitLab Serverless](/topics/serverless/) capabilities for quicker and easier adoption of serverless solutions. In the spirit of our partnership, our support for [Cloud Run for Anthos](https://cloud.google.com/run) is a continuation of our collaboration [announced earlier this year at Google Cloud Next ’19 in San Francisco](/blog/running-a-consistent-serverless-platform/), where we showed how you can deploy a serverless function to Cloud Run using the same developer workflow you’re already familiar with in GitLab. Now, we’re looking to bring that same UX and workflow consistency to Cloud Run deployments on Anthos running on-premise. Overall, together, GitLab and Google Cloud are aiming to lower the barrier of adoption for customers looking to architect scalable, cloud native solutions. \n\nHowever, when discussing cloud native, oftentimes ‘public cloud infrastructure’ comes to mind. But when I think of cloud native, I think of the various, modern ways of architecting scalable solutions, backed by managed services to make operations more convenient. Until very recently, infrastructure-centric managed services like Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), Cloud Run, StackDriver, etc. have been traditionally associated with workloads running within cloud data centers. Given the recent announcements of [Google Cloud Anthos](https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/serverless/knative-based-cloud-run-services-are-ga), Google is clearly broadening the boundaries of cloud native across hybrid and heterogeneous environments, including customer data centers. As the infrastructure landscape diversifies, as application development intertwines with abstraction layers of managed services, and as workload flexibility becomes inherent with microservice containerization, the one thing you can rely on staying consistent is GitLab’s developer workflow to supplement all the above. In the context of all things [serverless](/topics/serverless/), let's take a closer look at what’s available today, what we’re still working on, and what that means for our users.\n\n## What’s available today\n\nGitLab serves as a single application for all of [DevOps](/topics/devops/), which includes building, deploying, and managing serverless applications. GitLab serverless enables developers to focus on writing application code without having to worry about Kubernetes or Knative YAML configuration. GitLab provides templates allowing developers to easily build and deploy Knative services that can be deployed to Cloud Run. Here is a [quick video walkthrough on the anatomy of a serverless project hosted in GitLab and deployed to Knative](https://youtu.be/IIM8JWhAbNk?t=210). With Google, you have a few options on how to leverage Cloud Run as a deployment target for GitLab CI/CD. As of this week, you can run Cloud Run in three different flavors: \n\n1. **Cloud Run**: This is a fully managed cloud service powered by Knative for serverless apps. GitLab supports deploying to Cloud Run and the full CI/CD workflow to leverage GitLab Runners to build and test functions. GitLab takes in the [`serverless.yml`](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/update/removals.html) file within the root of your source code repository to define and deploy to Cloud Run.  \n\n2. **Cloud Run for Anthos running on Google Cloud**: This is a managed deployment of Knative on Anthos GKE clusters running on Google Cloud Platform. This enables you to install a managed Cloud Run deployment on top of your own Kubernetes cluster. Similar to above, GitLab also supports deploying to Cloud Run via the full CI/CD workflow, but as of right now, the highest version of Knative supported by GitLab is 0.7. Latest version support for Knative is coming in [GitLab 12.6](/releases/) on Dec. 22, 2019.  \n\n3. **Cloud Run for Anthos running on-premise**: Similar to above, this flavor of Cloud Run enables users to run a managed Cloud Run deployment on top of Anthos GKE On-Prem in your own data center. Currently, Knative v.0.9 is deployed in GKE-OP clusters. GitLab is soon to release support for Knative v0.9 and users can track the progress of this work in [this open issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlabktl/issues/55) today. If you like what we’re working on, stop by and give us a thumbs up for feedback. So far, internal testing has been very positive and we look forward to formally supporting Cloud Run for Anthos running on-premise in the coming months/releases. The user experience will be almost identical to the prior two use cases listed above as you would expect.\n\n## Where to get started\n\nIf you’re interested in getting started with some sample code, check out our [documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/update/removals.html) and [sample app project](https://gitlab.com/knative-examples/functions) for reference. Additionally, [here is a walkthrough of deploying a demo app to Cloud Run from GitLab](https://youtu.be/lb_bRRAgEyc?t=1103). If you’re looking to get started with Serverless on Google Cloud Platform, [sign up for GitLab.com here](https://gitlab.com/users/sign_up) and then [sign up for $200 additional free GCP credits](https://cloud.google.com/partners/partnercredit/?PCN=a0n60000006Vpz4AAC).\n",[108,1287,694,232,9],"cloud native",{"slug":1289,"featured":6,"template":698},"gitlab-serverless-with-cloudrun-for-anthos","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-serverless-with-cloudrun-for-anthos.yml","Gitlab Serverless With Cloudrun For Anthos","en-us/blog/gitlab-serverless-with-cloudrun-for-anthos.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-serverless-with-cloudrun-for-anthos",{"_path":1295,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1296,"content":1302,"config":1308,"_id":1310,"_type":13,"title":1311,"_source":15,"_file":1312,"_stem":1313,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-taught-in-korean-uni",{"title":1297,"description":1298,"ogTitle":1297,"ogDescription":1298,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1299,"ogUrl":1300,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1300,"schema":1301},"Schooled in GitLab: Teaching our handbook at a South Korean university","Students at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies tackled our handbook. The students' favorite topics were compensation and remote work.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749673044/Blog/Hero%20Images/books-internship-post.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-taught-in-korean-uni","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Schooled in GitLab: Teaching our handbook at a South Korean university\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Guenjun Yoo\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-01-29\",\n      }",{"title":1297,"description":1298,"authors":1303,"heroImage":1299,"date":1305,"body":1306,"category":1128,"tags":1307},[1304],"Guenjun Yoo","2020-01-29","\nBusiness students at [Hankuk University of Foreign Studies](http://mis.hufs.ac.kr/) in Seoul, South Korea are studying the GitLab handbook and business model. The students are enthusiastic about GitLab and its story, says lecturer SanJoon Song in an email interview, but there was one problem: Our 3,000+ page handbook is a lot to swallow in one semester.\n\nSo Song had the class divide the handbook into 15 different categories, which different groups of students researched over the course of the semester. At the end of the term, the groups presented a summary of their category to the class.\n\n“Many engineers in Korea said that the GitLab handbook is good to read before starting up a business,” says Song. “However, there is a lot of reading in the handbook; too many pages for me.”\n\nThe level of transparency in the handbook was a revelation to Song and his students.\n\n“We didn't study [the handbook] only to focus on the content itself, but we tried to understand and share about the context of handbook; what conventions GitLab has and what protocols GitLab is trying to develop with its employees by this handbook,” says Song. “In Korea, this is very unusual to share such details of company goals and protocols with entire employees by handbook and for me, this approach is very new and fresh.”\n\n## Inside information\n\nSong was very surprised by how much “insider” information is available in our handbook and says he’s particularly amazed by the detailed explanations of what to do if things go wrong.\n\nOn the other hand, his students were most impressed by the details on [compensation](/handbook/total-rewards/compensation/compensation-calculator/calculator/) and incentives in the handbook, followed closely by the idea of remote work.\n\n“Personally I liked the concept of [‘accept mistakes’](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#accept-mistakes) in the efficiency section,” says Song. “We also talked a lot about GitLab’s [six values](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/).”\n\n![Breaking down the handbook](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/studyingthehandbook.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\nStudents in Song's class breaking down the handbook.\n{: .note.text-center}\n\nRemote work was also a big topic of discussion in Song's classroom.\n\n\"Many Koreans are interested in remote work,\" says Song. \"It is really great that people can work anywhere, anytime without having the stress of commuting. Remote work is not common in Korea yet. Only a few software developers are allowed to work from home but that is also partial and in a limited environment only. Many students also want to do the remote work but this is still kind of a dream.”\n\nSong is currently teaching a second GitLab-focused class, this time diving into project management and DevOps by looking at our product and Pivotal Labs. If there is one benefit Song thinks his students have taken away from studying GitLab it’s the importance of communication.\n\n“Communication between employees is one of the most important matters,\" says Song. \"By studying the GitLab handbook, my students and I learned an efficient way of communication between the employer and employees. The handbook explicitly shows how GitLab is trying to do the best way of communication between stakeholders; what is the company goal, why we established the goal and how we are achieving the goal.”\n\nSong hopes to inspire a future generation of entrepreneurs by studying the GitLab handbook in the classroom.\n\n“My students have studied the GitLab handbook for one semester. I hope this study can be their reference when they start their startup, so they can create their company goals and prototype in the direction of success, like GitLab.\"\n\n_If you’re interested in seeing more of Song’s curriculum, he shared it\n[here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u5J6Ypj6zwQJVjmrl1wd0eIv7Q_TYLJysDquhGMJimA/edit). You'll need to scroll down a bit._\n\nCover image by [Patrick Tomasso](https://unsplash.com/@impatrickt) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/)\n{: .note}\n",[9,268,694,944,844,778],{"slug":1309,"featured":6,"template":698},"gitlab-taught-in-korean-uni","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-taught-in-korean-uni.yml","Gitlab Taught In Korean Uni","en-us/blog/gitlab-taught-in-korean-uni.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-taught-in-korean-uni",{"_path":1315,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1316,"content":1322,"config":1328,"_id":1330,"_type":13,"title":1331,"_source":15,"_file":1332,"_stem":1333,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlabs-global-compensation-calculator-the-next-iteration",{"title":1317,"description":1318,"ogTitle":1317,"ogDescription":1318,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1319,"ogUrl":1320,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1320,"schema":1321},"GitLab’s Global Compensation Calculator: The next iteration","We released a new version of our Compensation Calculator in January – here’s what that means for new and existing GitLab team-members.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749667966/Blog/Hero%20Images/global-compensation-calculator-iteration.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlabs-global-compensation-calculator-the-next-iteration","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab’s Global Compensation Calculator: The next iteration\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Brittany Rohde\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-03-23\",\n      }",{"title":1317,"description":1318,"authors":1323,"heroImage":1319,"date":1325,"body":1326,"category":300,"tags":1327},[1324],"Brittany Rohde","2018-03-23","\n\nWe know many of you have thoughts about our [Compensation Calculator](/handbook/total-rewards/compensation/compensation-calculator/#the-compensation-calculator)! We see your comments on Hacker News; we are listening and continually working on improving it. In line with our value of [iteration](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#iteration), we have made additional changes to our Compensation Calculator. In January 2018, we released a new version to align the calculator closer to market rates, and adjust all current team members’ pay to be in line with the outputs of the iterated version. Here’s how it works.\n\n \u003C!-- more -->\n\n## What is our new formula?\n\nYour compensation = [SF benchmark](#sf-benchmark) x (0.7 x (max (0.2, [Rent Index](#rent-index) + [Hot Market Adjustment](#hot-market-adjustment)) / 1.26) + 0.30) x [Level Factor](#level-factor) x [Experience Factor](#experience-factor) x [Contract Type Factor](#contract-type-factor) x [Country Factor](#country-factor)\n\n### SF benchmark\n\nThis is the employee salary at the 50th percentile for the role in San Francisco (SF), which we determine using various sources of market data including [Comptryx](http://www.comptryx.com/).\n\n### Rent Index\n\nThis is taken from [Numbeo](https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/), which expresses the ratio of cost of rent in many metro areas. Since we are using San Francisco benchmarks, we divide by 1.26 to normalize the rent index to San Francisco. A minimum Rent Index of 0.2 is applied so no one is paid less than 41 percent of San Francisco's market.\n\nWe multiply the Rent Index by 0.7 and then add 0.3, so the sum would equal 1 (i.e. we pay San Francisco rates in San Francisco).\n\n### Hot Market Adjustment\n\nThis is an adjustment to any US-based metro area where the geographical area Rent Index is less than the Hot Market Adjustment plus the Numbeo Rent Index, to recognize that \"hot markets\" tend to have a Rent Index that is trailing (i.e. lower than) what one would expect based on compensation rates in the area.\n\n### Level Factor\n\nThis is currently defined as junior (0.8), intermediate (1.0), senior (1.2), staff (1.4), or manager (1.4), and will be defined as II (.8), III (1.0), Senior (1.2), Staff (1.4), or manager (1.4).\n\n### Experience Factor\n\nThis falls between 0.8 - 1.2 based on our [Experience Factor Guidelines](/handbook/total-rewards/compensation/compensation-calculator/#level-factor):\n\n- 0.8: New to the position requirements\n- 0.9: Learning the position requirements\n- 1: Comfortable with the requirements\n- 1.1: Thriving with the requirements\n- 1.2: Expert in the requirements\n\n### Country Factor\n\nThis is a ratio of the calculator to market data. We [determine this ratio](/handbook/total-rewards/compensation/compensation-calculator/#location-factor) by looking at how our calculator aligns to market in the region. If the calculator comes in higher than market, a factor lower than 1 is applied. If the calculator is in line with market, the factor stays at 1.\n\n### Contract Type Factor\n\nThis distinguishes between employee (1) or contractor (1.17). A contractor may carry the costs of their own health insurance, social security taxes, etc, leading to a 17 percent higher compensation for the contractor to account for the extra expenses to these GitLab team-members.\n\nThe calculator can be found on each position description. For example, take a look at our [Compensation Calculator for Developers](https://handbook.gitlab.com/job-families/engineering/backend-engineer/?area=San-Francisco_California&country=United-States&experience=0&level=Intermediate&low=96160&high=144240#compensation).\n\n## Using San Francisco Market Data\n\nThe first step in this iteration was to gather market data and incorporate it as the benchmarks for each role. After obtaining a global data set to map to our positions, we needed to decide if New York was still the right city to pivot the benchmarks around. After some analysis, we determined that San Francisco was a better source of data, so we adjusted the formula. We also analyzed and adjusted the parameters around rent index to ensure in San Francisco you make San Francisco's benchmark.\n\n## Instituting a Minimum Rent Index\n\nEarlier in 2017, we instituted a Geographical Areas iteration to the compensation calculator to ensure that there are not large pay differences in regions that have a similar job market. We looked at the rent indexes by [region](/handbook/total-rewards/compensation/compensation-calculator/#location-factor), determined any outliers on the high or low end of the rent index, and set the regional rent index at the highest of the remaining data set. With the January iteration of the compensation calculator, we also set a Minimum Rent Index so no one would be paid less than 41 percent of San Francisco’s market.\n\n## Adjusting our team’s pay\n\nWith this iteration of the compensation calculator, we wanted to align our team’s salaries according to market. We first looked at how experienced the team member is in their role by having the manager conduct an [Experience Factor Review](/handbook/total-rewards/compensation/compensation-calculator/#level-factor). This review verified we are paying our team in line with their experience, and not determining their experience to fit compensation. This review generates an output which is applied in the compensation calculator, but is also a great way to start the conversation around growth within each role. Managers and direct reports were able to review the experience factors and have constructive conversations around experience. Once we had all of the calculator inputs, including the up-to-date Experience Factor, our People Ops team reviewed all salaries to match the new compensation calculator. At the same time as the calculator was released, the increases to pay were also communicated.\n\n## What’s next, and why we think the compensation calculator is a powerful tool\n\nWe’ll continue to add more countries to our Country Factors list, review adding an additional factor for specialization within Development roles, review how the levels overlap when it comes to promotions, and review the Rent Indexes for countries with many data points (like the United States and United Kingdom).\n\nWe want to continue to make the calculator as reflective of market in as many locations as we can, given possible data constraints. This will go some way towards eliminating pay inequality among underrepresented groups, promote salary transparency on what each team member and candidate’s market value is, and save valuable recruiting time.\n\nWe also want to hear from you on where this calculator can continue to improve! Please let us know what you think in the comments.\n\n[Cover image](https://unsplash.com/photos/_zsL306fDck?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) by Antoine Dautry on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/search/photos/numbers?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)\n{: .note}\n",[844,801,9],{"slug":1329,"featured":6,"template":698},"gitlabs-global-compensation-calculator-the-next-iteration","content:en-us:blog:gitlabs-global-compensation-calculator-the-next-iteration.yml","Gitlabs Global Compensation Calculator The Next Iteration","en-us/blog/gitlabs-global-compensation-calculator-the-next-iteration.yml","en-us/blog/gitlabs-global-compensation-calculator-the-next-iteration",{"_path":1335,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1336,"content":1342,"config":1351,"_id":1353,"_type":13,"title":1354,"_source":15,"_file":1355,"_stem":1356,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlabs-next-generation-container-registry-is-now-available",{"title":1337,"description":1338,"ogTitle":1337,"ogDescription":1338,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1339,"ogUrl":1340,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1340,"schema":1341},"GitLab's next-generation container registry is now available","Self-managed customers can upgrade to the container registry (Beta) and unlock online garbage collection, which can reduce costly downtime and storage.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749683098/Blog/Hero%20Images/container-cloud__1_.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlabs-next-generation-container-registry-is-now-available","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab's next-generation container registry is now available\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Tim Rizzi\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-12-04\",\n      }",{"title":1337,"description":1338,"authors":1343,"heroImage":1339,"date":1345,"body":1346,"category":1347,"tags":1348},[1344],"Tim Rizzi","2023-12-04","**TLDR; Upgrade to the new container registry (Beta) to unlock online garbage collection. This [issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/423459) has all the information you need to get started.**\n\nWhen I joined the GitLab Package stage, the [container registry](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/packages/container_registry/) already existed and was a critical feature for GitLab and GitLab's customers. But some fundamental problems needed to be addressed.\n\n- The user interface was unusable due to missing functionality like sorting, filtering, and deleting container images.\n- Operations that required listing the tags associated with an image were not performant at scale.\n- There was no good way to delete container images programmatically.\n- We had very little insight into user adoption.\n- The storage costs for GitLab.com were tremendously high.\n\nOf course, all of the above issues were related. The container registry was using a fork of the [Distribution](https://github.com/distribution/distribution) project, which had a lot of performance and usability issues when operating at the GitLab.com scale.\n\nAs a team, we decided that the first problem to tackle was the ever-growing cost of storage for GitLab.com. The legacy registry did not support online garbage collection. After calculating that it would take an absurd amount of downtime to run garbage collection in offline mode, we moved on to our next idea: optimize the existing [offline garbage collector](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/2552).\n\n## Optimizing the container registry code\n\nWe optimized the code for Google Cloud Storage (GCS) and Amazon S3, and saw a 90% reduction in the time it takes to run garbage collection. This benefited many GitLab customers with container registries smaller than 100 TB. Even with the performance improvements, we estimated a staggering 64 days to run garbage collection for GitLab.com.\n\nIn the end, we took the Distribution project as far as we could. We needed a container registry that supported more advanced use cases than push and pull. And we needed to drastically reduce the operating costs to make the feature sustainable for Free tier users. We decided to [fork the Distribution project](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/2552) and build the next-generation container registry.\n\n## Solving the online garbage collection problem\n\nNext, we dove head first into solving the [online garbage collection](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/2313) problem for GitLab.com. Faced with petabytes of scale and the requirement to maintain our error budgets, we designed and implemented an [online migration of GitLab.com](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/5523) with zero degradation in service.\n\nWe completed the migration 12 months ago. The results?\n\n- Garbage collection deletes terabytes of data from GitLab.com each day.\n- Improved performance and reliability.\n- We removed a lot of data from object storage and saved a lot of money.\n\n## Migrating to the next-generation container registry\n\nNow we want to help GitLab self-managed customers migrate to the next-generation container registry. By upgrading, you will unlock support for online garbage collection, which can save you costly downtime or escalating storage costs. You can also expect to see performance and reliability improvements for the container registry API and UI.\n\nAnother benefit is that you get to give early feedback to the team on what's working well or not so well for you. This feedback is valuable for GitLab and your organization because we will ensure that the next set of features being developed meets your needs.\n\n## The road ahead\n\nNew features are coming. Now that the registry leverages a metadata database for efficient queries, we can deliver significant UI and UX improvements that were impossible before. In 2024, we plan to add support for the below features.\n\n- [Making the container registry GA for self-managed customers](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/5521)\n- [Improved sorting and filtering with the container registry](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/8507)\n- [Improved UI for manifest/multi-arch container images](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/11952)\n- [Improved UI for container image attestation and signing](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/7856)\n- [Improved UI for storing Helm charts in the registry](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/38047)\n- Add support for [protected repositories](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/9825) and [immutable tags](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/container-registry/-/issues/82)\n\n**Note:** While the registry is in `Beta` for self-managed, we will be adding new features to GitLab.com that will not be immediately available to self-managed until the registry is generally available. This is to ensure that we focus on migrating as many customers as possible as efficiently as possible.\n\n## Get started today\n\nWe want to enable those features for self-managed customers, but we need your help. Please consider migrating to the next-generation container registry today. The best place to start is the [feedback issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/423459), which has links to documentation, helpful tips, and the attention of the Package team here at GitLab.\n\n_Disclaimer: This blog contains information related to upcoming products, features, and functionality. It is important to note that the information in this blog post is for informational purposes only. Please do not rely on this information for purchasing or planning purposes. As with all projects, the items mentioned in this blog and linked pages are subject to change or delay. The development, release, and timing of any products, features, or functionality remain at the sole discretion of GitLab._","news",[9,1349,1350],"performance","product",{"slug":1352,"featured":90,"template":698},"gitlabs-next-generation-container-registry-is-now-available","content:en-us:blog:gitlabs-next-generation-container-registry-is-now-available.yml","Gitlabs Next Generation Container Registry Is Now Available","en-us/blog/gitlabs-next-generation-container-registry-is-now-available.yml","en-us/blog/gitlabs-next-generation-container-registry-is-now-available",{"_path":1358,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1359,"content":1364,"config":1369,"_id":1371,"_type":13,"title":1372,"_source":15,"_file":1373,"_stem":1374,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/have-devops-jobs-to-fill-try-these-3-strategies-to-hire-and-retain",{"title":1360,"description":1361,"ogTitle":1360,"ogDescription":1361,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":770,"ogUrl":1362,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1362,"schema":1363},"Have DevOps jobs to fill? Try these 3 strategies to hire and retain","So many DevOps jobs posted, so few options to fill them. Here's why hiring and retaining developers is tricky, and how 3 thoughtful strategies, including a DevOps platform, can help.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/have-devops-jobs-to-fill-try-these-3-strategies-to-hire-and-retain","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Have DevOps jobs to fill? Try these 3 strategies to hire and retain\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Valerie Silverthorne\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-09-23\",\n      }",{"title":1360,"description":1361,"authors":1365,"heroImage":770,"date":1366,"body":1367,"category":716,"tags":1368},[734],"2021-09-23","\nIf every company is a software company, how do you stand out from the crowd when it comes to attracting developer talent and filling DevOps jobs?\n\nThere’s a well-known, and worldwide, shortage of software developers, especially those with expertise in DevOps. Worse still, demand for those roles is accelerating rapidly: The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts employment opportunities for devs and testers will [increase 22% between 2020 and 2030](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm#tab-6). That growth rate means nearly 190,000 net new developer/QA/test jobs will be opening each year, according to the BLS. \n\nThat’s all a long way of saying things are tough out there. Organizations looking to expand, or even just maintain, their DevOps jobs momentum have to find unique ways to stand out from the crowd because, as [many surveys have shown](https://hired.com/state-of-software-engineers#report), salary alone is often insufficient to both attract and retain developer talent.\n\n**Elevating your DevOps skills? Join us at [Commit at KubeCon - Oct. 11!](/events/commit/)**\n\nHere are 3 ways organizations can create an environment where DevOps can thrive, boosting developer retention, job satisfaction and even “cool place to work” street cred.\n\n## Make (a few) cool tools rule\n\nDevelopers are known for their big love of tools. In our [2021 Global DevSecOps Survey](/developer-survey/), more than one-quarter of respondents said they used between 5 and ten tool chains, and more than half said each tool chain had an average of 5 tools on it. Do the math and it’s clear that’s a lot of tools, and according to [research on software developer job satisfaction](https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4842-4221-6_10) too much information (i.e., from **too many tools**) can lead to less productivity and unhappy developers.\n\nThe solution to this very common problem can be found by adopting a DevOps platform, a single application where every stage of DevOps is interconnected, visible and seamless. And make sure that platform can integrate with all the key, cutting edge, “must have” kinds of tools that developers like to put on their resumes, and everyone will benefit from this streamlined approach.\n\n## Pay attention to career education\n\nDevelopers are always willing to DIY career education. The latest Stack Overflow Survey found about 60% of their survey takers [taught themselves coding via an online source](https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2021#developer-profile-experience) – but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t value (and take advantage of) training opportunities from employers. In our 2021 survey, a majority of developers said they’re most excited to learn about AI/ML, while ops pros were looking for education around advanced programming languages. \n\nBy asking DevOps team members about their interests and needs, organizations can keep a pulse on training opportunities they could offer that will actually matter to their teams and potentially make filling DevOps jobs easier.\n\n## Be flexible about everything\n\nFrom working remotely to working part-time, it’s clear that developers want the option to mix it up if possible. The more options - like having the time to pursue a degree or a passion - given to DevOps team members, the more likely they are to be satisfied with their jobs. \n\nAlso, time to pursue some “off the books” projects is another smart company perk. Don’t forget the role open source projects played in the pandemic (here are [a few examples](https://www.newamerica.org/digital-impact-governance-initiative/reports/building-and-reusing-open-source-tools-government/open-source-project-hubs-for-covid-19/)), making an already important part of a developer’s role even more compelling. In fact, more than 69% of our survey respondents told us they were involved with at least one open source project in 2021, and that number was up 6% from 2020.  \n\n## Don't forget DevOps\n\nIt’s a temperamental DevOps job market, certainly, but organizations with healthy DevOps practices do have one secret weapon: DevOps itself. When we asked our 4,300+ survey takers what the top benefits of DevOps was, “happier developers” was near the top of the list. \n\n## Read more on DevOps careers: \t\t\n\n- [Best advice for your DevOps career? Keep on learning](/blog/best-advice-for-your-devops-career-keep-on-learning/)\n\n- [6 tips to make software developer hiring easier](/blog/6-tips-to-make-software-developer-hiring-easier/)\n\n- [Four tips to increase your DevOps salary](/blog/four-tips-to-increase-your-devops-salary/)\n\n- [DevOps salaries in 2021: Where do you rank?](/blog/a-look-at-devops-salaries/)\n\n",[694,9,986],{"slug":1370,"featured":6,"template":698},"have-devops-jobs-to-fill-try-these-3-strategies-to-hire-and-retain","content:en-us:blog:have-devops-jobs-to-fill-try-these-3-strategies-to-hire-and-retain.yml","Have Devops Jobs To Fill Try These 3 Strategies To Hire And Retain","en-us/blog/have-devops-jobs-to-fill-try-these-3-strategies-to-hire-and-retain.yml","en-us/blog/have-devops-jobs-to-fill-try-these-3-strategies-to-hire-and-retain",{"_path":1376,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1377,"content":1383,"config":1391,"_id":1393,"_type":13,"title":1394,"_source":15,"_file":1395,"_stem":1396,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/helping-organizations-build-successful-design-systems",{"title":1378,"description":1379,"ogTitle":1378,"ogDescription":1379,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1380,"ogUrl":1381,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1381,"schema":1382},"Benefits of building a design system for your organization ","At GitLab, we want to help organizations build successful design systems. In order to do that, we are looking for your feedback.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749681349/Blog/Hero%20Images/helping-organizations-build-successful-design-systems.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/helping-organizations-build-successful-design-systems","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Benefits of building a design system for your organization \",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Taurie Davis\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-06-16\",\n      }",{"title":1378,"description":1379,"authors":1384,"heroImage":1380,"date":1386,"body":1387,"category":1388,"tags":1389},[1385],"Taurie Davis","2020-06-16","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\n## Creating a design system\n\nOver the last few years, GitLab has invested in the creation of [Pajamas](https://design.gitlab.com/), our living\ndesign system. We believe that a design system can help us scale more efficiently by creating a shared\nvision and language that is used across departments and teams. \n\nNow, we're interested in hearing from our\ncommunity: **How can GitLab help you build a successful design system in your own organization?**\n\n### What is a design system\n\nA design system is a series of documentation that includes both design practices, as well as frontend guidelines.\nLive coded demos are included to allow cross-functional teams to easily reuse styles and components in\nseveral instances across your product. The underlying principles and guidelines that you develop are what\nset your design system apart from others.\n\n### Benefits of a design system\n\nDesign systems provide many benefits to organizations including:\n\n**Efficiency**\n- Product Designers can spend more time solving problems and less time designing (and redesigning) UI components.\n    Components can be reused, making design efforts scalable and ensuring the UI stays [DRY](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_repeat_yourself).\n- Engineers can reference design documentation that helps them to easily eliminate inconsistencies between\n    design and code without assistance from a Product Designer.\n- Engineers can find coding and development guidelines that help them write better code and conform\n    to set practices more efficiently.\n- Product Managers can quickly propose solutions that follow documented usability guidelines.\n\n**Consistency**\n- Teams can make fast, continuous feature additions within their iterative groups, while still maintaining\n    consistency with other product areas.\n- Users can get up to speed more quickly on new features, because they don’t need to spend time learning how to\n    interact with inconsistent UI patterns.\n- Product Designers can feel more confident that their designs are visually appealing, consistent, accessible, and on brand.\n- Marketing and UX departments can create consistent experiences across platforms through a shared visual language.\n\n**Improved communication**\n- Teams can quickly envision and align on the details of how a proposed solution might be implemented.\n- Organizations are able to prove to customers that they have a deep commitment to improving the experience of the product.\n- Departments are aligned through shared principles and personas.\n\n## Challenges with design system integration\n\nAlthough the benefits of a design system may be clear to many, most organizations struggle with integrating a design\nsystem workflow into their organization. Building a design system takes more upfront planning and gaining buy-in from\nyour organization’s executive team can be difficult.\n\n## How can GitLab help?\n\nAt GitLab, we recognize the benefits a design system can bring to an organization, and we're exploring whether we can support other organizations with this experience. For this reason,\nwe’ve begun drafting a [design system direction page](/direction/manage/foundations/) that focuses on providing a foundation\nfor your organization to begin building and implementing your own design system.\n\nWe’d love to know more about  whether your organization has begun building its own design system:\n\n- Whether your organization has begun building your own design system\n- If yes, how has a design system helped you? What struggles have you faced with implementing a design system?\n- If no, what has stopped you?\n\nIf you have thoughts, suggestions, or feedback, please contribute to our \n[Design System MVC and Roadmap Discussion issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/219445).\n","unfiltered",[9,1390],"design",{"slug":1392,"featured":6,"template":698},"helping-organizations-build-successful-design-systems","content:en-us:blog:helping-organizations-build-successful-design-systems.yml","Helping Organizations Build Successful Design Systems","en-us/blog/helping-organizations-build-successful-design-systems.yml","en-us/blog/helping-organizations-build-successful-design-systems",{"_path":1398,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1399,"content":1405,"config":1411,"_id":1413,"_type":13,"title":1414,"_source":15,"_file":1415,"_stem":1416,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/hiring-based-on-open-source-contributions-could-be-harmful",{"title":1400,"description":1401,"ogTitle":1400,"ogDescription":1401,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1402,"ogUrl":1403,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1403,"schema":1404},"We all love open source, but hiring based on contributions could be harmful","An industry expert from Indeed says it's a bad idea to make hiring decisions based on GitHub activity.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749678750/Blog/Hero%20Images/man-coding.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/hiring-based-on-open-source-contributions-could-be-harmful","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"We all love open source, but hiring based on contributions could be harmful\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Aricka Flowers\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-11-16\",\n      }",{"title":1400,"description":1401,"authors":1406,"heroImage":1402,"date":1408,"body":1409,"category":1128,"tags":1410},[1407],"Aricka Flowers","2018-11-16","\nThere’s been a lot of chatter about using open source contributions as a metric in the hiring process. After some intense discussions on social media, Ashe Dryden, a programmer and diversity advocate and consultant, [wrote about the ethical problems with hiring based on GitHub activity and open source contributions](https://www.ashedryden.com/blog/the-ethics-of-unpaid-labor-and-the-oss-community) back in 2013, and the topic resurfaces every few months.\n\nMost recently, [@ReBeccaOrg](https://twitter.com/ReBeccaOrg/status/954081973814755328) and [@Joemccann](https://twitter.com/joemccann/status/1004798006485573632) kicked up more discussion with their respective tweets, inspiring the head of open source at job site [Indeed.com](https://www.indeed.com/about), Duane O'Brien, to take it to the next level with a conference talk.\n\n\"This talk was inspired by a discussion from earlier in the year about a startup that tried to create a ranking algorithm to identify job candidates based solely on their GitHub activity,\" he explains. \"In fact, between the time that I started putting together the talk and the first time that I gave it, the topic had blown up on Twitter again because someone else had started talking about how they don't even look at resumes anymore, they just look at GitHub profiles. People were pointing out why this is problematic.\"\n\n### 1. It creates an uneven playing field\n\nWhile hiring based on GitHub profiles is not a universal practice, Duane says it has been going on for a while. He says the practice can inadvertently create bias.\n\n\"A problem with biasing your hiring process toward people who have a history of open source work is that it is likely you're expecting that they've done it in their free time\u003Csup>(1)(2)\u003C/sup>. And the demographic that historically has the most available free time [trends towards male](https://www.unece.org/info/media/news/statistics/2016/how-much-free-time-do-we-have/doc.html),\" he says. \"Because of this, there can be an unexpected effect of filtering out people who are primary caregivers or young parents, or people who are making a career transition and have to work two jobs, those who bear disproportionate household responsibilities, and so on.\"\n\n### 2. It plays up a sometimes unattainable standard\n\nAnother concern for critics of open source contribution-focused hiring is that it can perpetuate this mantra that you have to be coding nonstop to be considered a real developer.\n\n\"There's [this perception](https://www.codementor.io/@codementorteam/how-to-get-your-first-developer-job-even-if-you-don-t-have-a-cs-degree-8b60y8ch2), especially in Silicon Valley, that [if you are not eating, breathing, and sleeping code](https://www.businessinsider.com/why-one-programmer-hates-the-popular-eat-sleep-code-repeat-t-shirt-2016-5) at work and during all your spare time and don't have a bunch of [personal side projects](https://insights.dice.com/2013/11/15/improve-chance-landing-job-personal-project/), that you don't take it seriously or are [not as desirable of a candidate](https://techbeacon.com/what-do-job-seeking-developers-need-their-github) as someone who does spend all their time on coding,\" Duane says. \"I think that places an unfair claim on people's free time, and what they should be doing with it. Especially those with families. Most people expect flexibility and wouldn’t want to work for an employer who has unrealistic expectations.\"\n\n### Open source's place in hiring\n\nOpen source participation does have a role in hiring, but it should not be the be-all and end-all for a candidate. If you’re looking for someone who has experience working within a particular open source community or project, then it makes sense to look at the open source contributions of job candidates, O’Brien said. But in most cases, there are other ways to evaluate applicants and also keep the playing field even.\n\n\"If you're looking to hire for an engineering position and you've got two engineers, one of whom has a robust history of working in open source, and one of them who doesn't have any open source footprint at all, rather than automatically interpreting one candidate as less desirable than the other, I recommend finding another way to get a look at their skills,\" Duane advised. \"You can do that by asking them for code samples, or having them do panel interviews or take-home assessment-based assignments. Some companies are also offering contract work to potential candidates as a way to try them out on the job. Honeycomb.io has done some of this.\u003Csup>(3)\u003C/sup> This ‘hiring in production’ mentality seems to be emerging as a practice.\"\n\n### Suggestions for job hunters\n\nJob seekers who have little to no open source experience should be prepared for questions about their lack of participation. Be straightforward about your constraints, be it a lack of time, interest or opportunity, and offer code samples that allow employers to view your skills in action. Duane says it is also important to interview your potential employer to make sure their expectations are in line with your wants and needs.\n\nFor those looking to get some open source experience, there are a number of ways to get involved, including, of course, [GitLab](/community/contribute/). Duane pointed to paid opportunities like [Outreachy](https://www.outreachy.org/), which offers internships to people in underrepresented groups to support them in making their first contributions into open source, as well as bug bounties.\n\nDuane recently presented his talk at All Things Open and the Seattle GNU/Linux conference. He may present the talk again at a few more events in the near future.\n\n\"Since it's a topic that seems to come up in our social sphere every few months or so, I want to encourage us to go back and look at Ashe's blog post, and the other people who've already been talking about it,\" he said. \"There are many different ways to evaluate candidates besides just looking at their GitHub data, and it’s important that look at the whole picture when we evaluate candidates.\"\n\nWhat role do you think open source contributions should play in the hiring process? Sound off on Twitter and let us know [@GitLab](https://twitter.com/gitlab) or comment below.\n\n**Footnotes**\n\n[1](http://opensourcesurvey.org/2017/#insights),\n[2](https://assets.digitalocean.com/currents-report/DigitalOcean-Currents-Q4-2017.pdf),\n3 You can see some discussion of this in this [Twitter thread](https://twitter.com/DuaneOBrien/status/963499537154310145), which refers to the [first Sentry Scouts meetup](https://sentry.io/_/events/2018-01-17-sentry-scouts-1/).\n{: .note}\n",[9,944,268],{"slug":1412,"featured":6,"template":698},"hiring-based-on-open-source-contributions-could-be-harmful","content:en-us:blog:hiring-based-on-open-source-contributions-could-be-harmful.yml","Hiring Based On Open Source Contributions Could Be Harmful","en-us/blog/hiring-based-on-open-source-contributions-could-be-harmful.yml","en-us/blog/hiring-based-on-open-source-contributions-could-be-harmful",{"_path":1418,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1419,"content":1425,"config":1430,"_id":1432,"_type":13,"title":1433,"_source":15,"_file":1434,"_stem":1435,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/hiring-in-the-deep-end-of-the-talent-pool",{"title":1420,"description":1421,"ogTitle":1420,"ogDescription":1421,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1422,"ogUrl":1423,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1423,"schema":1424},"DevOps hiring from the deep end of the talent pool","Time to broaden your search beyond four-year tech degrees to candidates with life experience, self-taught/bootcamp chops, and soft skills.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749663743/Blog/Hero%20Images/three-things-i-learned-in-my-first-month-at-gitlab.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/hiring-in-the-deep-end-of-the-talent-pool","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"DevOps hiring from the deep end of the talent pool\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"PJ Metz\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-02-01\",\n      }",{"title":1420,"description":1421,"authors":1426,"heroImage":1422,"date":1427,"body":1428,"category":9,"tags":1429},[713],"2022-02-01","\n\nWhen it comes to DevOps hiring, many companies have only waded into the shallow end of the pool to find talent. They’ve relied on a steady stream of university graduates rather than being a little more creative in their search and realizing that many DevOps professionals are created outside of traditional four-year institutions. So let’s explore the DevOps hiring opportunities that await in the deep end of the talent pool. \n\n## Non-traditional paths\n\nWhile four-year degrees are wonderful – the dream of a college education should be available to all who want it – the reality is there are a variety of barriers to attending college. For instance, many people don’t realize the opportunity within tech until later in their life, after they’ve already earned a different degree or have been working for several years in a different field. To get their DevOps skills, they pursue an alternative route such as bootcamps or teaching themselves. In fact, non collegiate paths are increasingly common; according to a report by Hired, 45% of software engineers have a computer science degree, but 24% are self-taught, and another 10% learned how to code through a bootcamp program.\n\n### DevOps bootcamps\n\nBootcamps offer rigorous and thorough training on a very specific set of tech-related skills such as full-stack web development, data science, and UX/UI design. These virtual or in-person programs are full-time or part-time, and there are many bootcamps available all over the world. Bootcamps are appealing because of their affordable cost and shorter time investment, compared to earning a four-year degree.\n\nOrganizations aiming to train their engineering teams like bootcamps because they can focus exclusively on skills needed for the job, modern frameworks and languages, and real-world applications, making their graduates well-versed in building today’s apps. \n\n### Self-taught DevOps\n\nDevelopers often learn to code while working in another career. Former educators, EMTs, and office managers everywhere are dedicating time outside of their professions to learning to write code and build apps.\n\nSelf-taught developers are an asset to a company because they have the discipline to learn tough concepts on their own and find ways to apply them. This is something that many other avenues of learning don’t offer. Because they had to find their own way, self-taught developers often have unique perspectives and the ability to problem-solve that are valuable to teams at all levels of tech. \n\nDevOps is a unique career in that proving what you know is incredibly important. So when it's time for DevOps hiring, don’t exclude these other paths. Where someone learned isn’t as important as what they learned — or what they can build. So when you’re hiring, or creating a bot that chooses which resumes and applications to move forward with, make sure you’re not [getting rid of qualified candidates](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/09/07/harvard-business-school-study-says-software-overlooks-millions-of-qualified-job-candidates-heres-how-to-fight-back-against-the-bots/?sh=5a0f1ff813d3). \n\n## Why non-traditional?\n\nWorkers with non-tech backgrounds bring a lot to the table that should be considered along with their skill sets.\n\n### Diversify the knowledge\n\nPeople who choose non-traditional routes to tech are often people who have already been working at a professional level in another career. When you hire someone who took a different path to tech than college, you can benefit from their expertise as well as their experience from their former career. For instance, a former teacher brings the ability to present information and explain new concepts – both skills are essential in DevOps. Similarly, an office manager would know how to manage several different projects at once and understand how to work well within teams. \n\nIf diversity is important to your company, as it should be to every company, then looking beyond hiring only candidates with computer science degrees will help you to find that talent. Statistically speaking, [women and people of color are currently heavily under-represented in computer science programs across the U.S.](https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2020/06/major-madness-racial-and-gender-equity-in-computer-science), so they are likely to have other experiences such as bootcamps or be self-taught that would still qualify them for some of your DevOps hiring needs.   \n\n### Soft skills \n\nJust as important as technical skills are interpersonal skills, a.k.a. soft skills. [Teamwork, collaboration, and communication](/blog/soft-skills-are-the-key-to-your-devops-career-advancement/) are sometimes dismissed as secondary or unimportant compared to the candidate’s ability to write code. However, these skills are essential when working within a team and across an organization. Because [team-based work is central](/blog/future-proof-your-developer-career/#embrace-the-soft-skills) to implementing DevOps strategies, you should be hiring people with great soft skills to reduce friction. It is beneficial to the company to have a professional who can communicate with the lines of business and the C-suite about projects and goals. A college grad may have had internships and work experience, but a marketing designer or restaurant manager who has been in their respective businesses for 10 years already knows how to navigate a deadline-oriented workplace and communicate requirements to other stakeholders. \n\nAs you assemble your DevOps hiring strategy, don’t close yourself off to the idea of a non-traditional candidate. You might be surprised at how much they will enhance the dynamics of your DevOps team.\n",[694,9,268],{"slug":1431,"featured":6,"template":698},"hiring-in-the-deep-end-of-the-talent-pool","content:en-us:blog:hiring-in-the-deep-end-of-the-talent-pool.yml","Hiring In The Deep End Of The Talent Pool","en-us/blog/hiring-in-the-deep-end-of-the-talent-pool.yml","en-us/blog/hiring-in-the-deep-end-of-the-talent-pool",{"_path":1437,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1438,"content":1444,"config":1449,"_id":1451,"_type":13,"title":1452,"_source":15,"_file":1453,"_stem":1454,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-devsecops-drives-business-success",{"title":1439,"description":1440,"ogTitle":1439,"ogDescription":1440,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1441,"ogUrl":1442,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1442,"schema":1443},"How DevSecOps drives business success","Learn the benefits of DevSecOps, including how it drives ROI.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749663975/Blog/Hero%20Images/devsecopssurvey.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-devsecops-drives-business-success","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How DevSecOps drives business success\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sharon Gaudin\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-07-24\",\n      }",{"title":1439,"description":1440,"authors":1445,"heroImage":1441,"date":1446,"body":1447,"category":716,"tags":1448},[690],"2023-07-24","\nDevSecOps is an evolution of DevOps — but it’s more than just adding the word “Security” in between \"Development\" and \"Operations.\" It's about bringing everyone into the security team and [building security](/the-source/security/how-to-strengthen-security-by-applying-devsecops-principles/) into the entire software development lifecycle. Although DevSecOps is likely talked about more in coding circles than in boardrooms, the benefits of DevSecOps extend to the entire organization, helping teams deliver software faster without sacrificing quality or security.\n\nBut what exactly are the business benefits of DevSecOps? In this blog post, we'll dive into the top ways DevSecOps can help organizations drive business results and ROI.\n\n> Want to dig deeper into the basics of DevSecOps and how to use it to drive business success? [Download our guide to learn more](https://page.gitlab.com/resources-ebook-devsecops-success.html?utm_campaign=devsecopsplat&utm_content=ebookdevsecopssuccess).\n\n## How DevSecOps can benefit businesses\nHere are a few of the ways adopting DevSecOps can benefit a business:\n* Moving to a single platform [reduces money spent on toolchain](/the-source/platform/devops-teams-want-to-shake-off-diy-toolchains-a-platform-is-the-answer/) licenses and management\n* Focusing on security helps secure the business and its customers\n* Increasing productivity leads to faster time to market, which means staying ahead of competitors\n* Increasing security enables DevOps teams to identify issues that could ultimately hurt the brand and break customer and partner trust\n* Catching and fixing security vulnerabilities reduces legal liability connected to breaches\n* Having DevOps teams work cross-functionally in a single tool fosters collaboration in the software development team and across the entire company\n* Managing access controls, policies, and audits in one platform eases and promotes compliance\n* Unifying with a platform makes it easier to be cloud agnostic, which makes a company more resistant to vendor outages\n* Increasing visibility into every component in the [software supply chain](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-software-supply-chain-security/) boosts security and reliability\n* Automating scanning takes human error out of the equation by reducing the chances of having vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit\n\n## How DevSecOps drives ROI\n“Central for any executive is ROI and if a decision will bring their business forward or backward,” says [Ayoub Fandi](https://gitlab.com/ayofan), senior field security engineer at GitLab. “A DevSecOps platform brings all of the features, security tools, and automation of DevSecOps together in a single app so there’s no buying, stitching, and maintaining a complicated jumble of tools. It also means a company isn’t paying for all of those licensing costs, subscription fees, and maintenance expenses. Each year, companies spend more and more on technology, so if they can find a way to reduce their spending on that, it’ll be very welcome to executives.”\n\nBy helping protect a company’s brand, enabling the organization to stay ahead in a competitive field and remain compliant, and giving executives visibility over what’s causing slowdowns or increasing velocity, DevSecOps can be a valuable business tool.\n\n## What is a DevSecOps platform?\nA [comprehensive DevSecOps platform](https://about.gitlab.com/platform/) brings all of the features, security controls, and automation of DevSecOps together in one end-to-end application, so there’s no buying and supporting a complicated jumble of tools.\n\n“If I were in a company’s buying seat, I would be looking at DevSecOps,” says Fandi. “Executives want to worry less about compliance issues and security breaches that could have a big impact on their revenue, their ability to grow the company, and customers’ confidence in doing business with them. With DevSecOps, they can worry less about all of that.”\n\n_Explore how DevSecOps and a DevSecOps platform can help organizations save money, boost competitiveness, increase security, and more. [Download our comprehensive guide to get started](https://page.gitlab.com/resources-ebook-devsecops-success.html?utm_campaign=devsecopsplat&utm_content=ebookdevsecopssuccess)._\n",[495,9,758],{"slug":1450,"featured":6,"template":698},"how-devsecops-drives-business-success","content:en-us:blog:how-devsecops-drives-business-success.yml","How Devsecops Drives Business Success","en-us/blog/how-devsecops-drives-business-success.yml","en-us/blog/how-devsecops-drives-business-success",{"_path":1456,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1457,"content":1463,"config":1469,"_id":1471,"_type":13,"title":1472,"_source":15,"_file":1473,"_stem":1474,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-gitlabs-customer-and-partner-focus-fuels-our-culture",{"title":1458,"description":1459,"ogTitle":1458,"ogDescription":1459,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1460,"ogUrl":1461,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1461,"schema":1462},"How GitLab's customer and partner focus fuels our culture","It’s an exciting time to be working in a customer- or partner-facing role at GitLab. Our sales team members explain why.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679412/Blog/Hero%20Images/sales_blog_image_tiny.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-gitlabs-customer-and-partner-focus-fuels-our-culture","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How GitLab's customer and partner focus fuels our culture\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Jake Foster\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-05-03\",\n      }",{"title":1458,"description":1459,"authors":1464,"heroImage":1460,"date":1466,"body":1467,"category":799,"tags":1468},[1465],"Jake Foster","2022-05-03","\n\nIt’s an exciting time to be working in a customer- or partner-facing role at GitLab. Our role with customers is to build personalized relationships and demonstrate how we can help them solve problems with a best-in-class DevOps platform.\n\nAs we grow, our customer and partner focus plays a key role in building a healthy, connected workplace culture at GitLab. So we asked some of our leaders and team members from across the Sales, Channel Partner, and Account Management teams to share their insights. Here’s what we learned.\n\n## The opportunity we have to become the leader in DevOps means hiring more top-tier talent\n\n\"We are on a journey as a company where we believe we have got this exciting market opportunity. We've got a great product that fits the market really well, and that product is an industry leader.\n\n\"We believe a lot of companies are going to buy DevOps. We need to make sure that they buy that from us and that's a hard thing. That execution requires lots of top talent. We want to keep growing, as a team and individually, to capture more market share. That's going to take a lot of people who are great at what they do.\"\n\n- Michael McBride (a.k.a \"McB\"), Chief Revenue Officer\n\n## Why GitLab is an ideal place to grow in a sales or channel partner role\n\n\"We have an integrated GTM with our field sales teams and channels and alliances partners. I look after both the sales organization that manages those partners and supports them and their engagement with our direct selling force, as well as the programs and enablement and functions that it takes to integrate those partners into our go-to-market.\n\n\"I believe we've got great technology, great market timing, high customer need, lots of customer value, and a great product. That makes for a pretty awesome mix from a partnering perspective. It’s lots of fun to manage partners who are aiming to grow their businesses at the same time. It’s going to make the partners very happy.\"\n\n- Michelle Hodges, VP, WW Channels\n\n\"At my previous company, we were an unknown entity and you had to really pull out all the stops to get people just to take a call with you or to test the product or buy the product. Whereas, with GitLab, I would get on calls and customers are super excited to meet people from GitLab. There were quite a few cases where people were already going to buy GitLab, but they just needed someone to help them understand what they wanted to buy. It was a salesperson's dream because you are working with people who not just love the product, but love what the company stands for.\n\n\"I remember one time I was in a coffee shop, and I had a GitLab sticker on my laptop. Someone saw that – he was a developer, he came up to me and said, 'Wow, you work at GitLab. I love that company and we use it in our team.' I felt a bit like a celebrity getting spotted on the streets.\"\n\n- Anthony Ogunbowale - Thomas, Named Account Executive, EMEA\n\n## What makes our culture unique\n\n\"The things in the [company handbook](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/) can be kind of unbelievable to folks from the outside, when they say there's unlimited vacation time or they value results, not hours. But after being here for three years, it's true – there’s a real emphasis on valuing productivity and results. And, when people produce results, they’re rewarded.\"\n\n- Kevin Vogt, Federal Technical Account Manager\n\n\"I am not joking when I say this: This is the most successful I've ever felt in my career. And a lot of it is down to our values.\n\n\"We have a value system that's called [CREDIT](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/): It's collaboration; results; efficiency; diversity, inclusion, and belonging; iteration; and transparency. You will find in every engagement with a GitLab team member that they work towards exhibiting those things in a really authentic, intentional manner. It makes it a great place to build relationships, but also to get your job done. It creates innovation, speed, and teamwork in a way that I haven't found before.\"\n\n- Michelle Hodges\n\n## How GitLab sets its team members up for success\n\n\"We 'dogfood' our tools. We use GitLab for everything from HR to legal – the entire company uses GitLab as a platform.\n\n\"The company is also great with training. Any time that I've ever wanted training for any kind of need in my business role, they've always provided it and reimbursed it. I just finished a month's worth of training classes on how to be a successful manager. That's my first month going into that role, trying to make sure that I can be set up for success in it.\"\n\n- Kevin Vogt\n\n\"Every conversation with the customer is a collaboration. In pre-sales, we have a solutions architect, who's more of a technical person, and they can help lead on answering technical questions or do demos and proof of concepts. And then, depending on how the conversation is going, we might bring on someone from Product, in relation to what the customer's looking at. Everyone in the organization works together to help the customer understand and feel comfortable with the solution.\"\n\n- Anthony Ogunbowale - Thomas\n\n\"McB, our CRO, does his own Reverse Ask Me Anything session for team members that are underrepresented in tech to understand what the experience is on the GitLab Sales team. And also what upward mobility and trajectory could look like in the company.\n\n\"I feel very supported here. I feel empowered. It's one of the first jobs I've felt where they just trust me. They tell me to take things and run with it.\"\n\n- Marcus Carter, Senior Sales Recruiter\n\n## What we’re looking for as we grow our team\n\n\"I would say, curiosity is huge. Somebody who's curious and doesn't mind asking questions. I'd say somebody who is customer-focused, somebody who's excited about our customers, and somebody who's excited about technology as a whole, and in how technology is set to advance us. It's someone who is tenacious, somebody who is unrelenting and trying to offer solutions.\"\n\n- Marcus Carter\n\n\"This is a place where we believe we have a large market in every single one of our territories. There are customers that need the right DevOps solution and our product fits with those customers really well. So that leaves one last thing, sales skill.\n\n\"That’s great for a sales rep. If I've got the right product and a solid market, I'm excited, because I know I can deliver the sales skill, especially if I've got the marketing support and all the other things that GitLab has.\"\n\n- Michael McBride\n\n\nIf GitLab sounds like the place for you, there’s plenty more to learn about what it’s like to be a part of our team on our [careers site](/jobs/). You can also [learn more about open roles on our team](https://boards.greenhouse.io/gitlab).\n",[801,9,694],{"slug":1470,"featured":6,"template":698},"how-gitlabs-customer-and-partner-focus-fuels-our-culture","content:en-us:blog:how-gitlabs-customer-and-partner-focus-fuels-our-culture.yml","How Gitlabs Customer And Partner Focus Fuels Our Culture","en-us/blog/how-gitlabs-customer-and-partner-focus-fuels-our-culture.yml","en-us/blog/how-gitlabs-customer-and-partner-focus-fuels-our-culture",{"_path":1476,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1477,"content":1483,"config":1491,"_id":1493,"_type":13,"title":1494,"_source":15,"_file":1495,"_stem":1496,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-i-transitioned-from-frontend-to-ux",{"title":1478,"description":1479,"ogTitle":1478,"ogDescription":1479,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1480,"ogUrl":1481,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1481,"schema":1482},"How I transitioned from frontend to UX","One GitLab team-member shares how switching from a frontend engineer to a UX designer has been a rewarding experience.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679015/Blog/Hero%20Images/frontendux.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-i-transitioned-from-frontend-to-ux","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How I transitioned from frontend to UX\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Annabel Dunstone Gray\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-10-05\",\n      }",{"title":1478,"description":1479,"authors":1484,"heroImage":1480,"date":1486,"body":1487,"category":799,"tags":1488},[1485],"Annabel Dunstone Gray","2018-10-05","\nWhen I joined GitLab over two and a half years ago as a frontend engineer, I brought with\nme a background in photography and an interest in art and design. In my last year\nof university, I worked at an art museum, and I’ve always gravitated towards the\nmore design-y aspects of frontend. For each release, my assigned deliverables\nwere usually focused on redesigns, and while I enjoy that type of work, what I\nreally wanted to do was to help shape the look and feel of GitLab, rather than\nimplementing the designs of others.\n\n## Making the first move\n\nAt GitLab, we're lucky to have the opportunity to [transfer](/handbook/people-group/promotions-transfers/#department-transfers)\nto a different department, if our interests or career goals change. I spoke with\nmy frontend manager about my passions and shared my desire to start learning and\nworking with the UX team. I then spoke with [Sarrah](/company/team/#SVesselov),\nthe UX Manager, about the next steps, and I started working through online\ntutorials, getting up to speed on Sketch, and attending the UX weekly calls.\nOnce I acquired the necessary technical skills, I joined the [Plan](/direction/#plan)\nteam, which is focused mostly on the prioritization of ideas, allocation of\nresources, scheduling, and tracking. It’s an area I’m really excited about, and\nwe’re working on some incredibly useful management features (like [improved issue boards](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/48847), [sub-epics](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/issues/7327), and [value stream management](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/229)) that will help make\nGitLab an even more powerful tool.\n\nAs a frontend engineer, I was fortunate to have developed many transferable\nskills which helped me tackle this new challenge. Attention to detail is one\nskill that has been particularly useful when working on a new feature. Since\nI’m new to UX, I’ve found it really helpful to have a technical background,\nespecially considering that GitLab is such a technical product.\n\n## Advice to others\n\n![Me and my daughter attending a frontend meeting.](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/annabelandbaby.jpg){:.shadow.small.right.wrap-text}\n\nIf you’re interested in making a similar transition, I encourage you to speak\nwith your manager. I wish I’d done so sooner. I discussed my interests early\nlast year, but after having a baby, I had this idea that I\nshould stay in my current role, as I would never have time to learn a whole new\npractice. While I definitely don’t have any free time (I don’t know if you’ve\nheard – babies are quite time consuming), I’m so happy to be on the UX team, even\nthough I have a lot of catching up to do. Everyone in both frontend and UX has\nbeen incredibly supportive of my switching teams, and I’m learning a lot as I go\nalong. For now, I’ve got the best of both worlds – 50 percent of my time is focused on\nstyling-related frontend issues and reviewing the CSS in merge requests, while\nthe other 50 percent is working on UX issues.\n\nBy the way, we're hiring for loads of positions, across the company – [check out our current job openings](/jobs/).\n\n[Cover image](https://unsplash.com/photos/aLGiPJ4XRO4) by [Bharath](https://unsplash.com/@xen0m0rph), licensed under [CC X](https://unsplash.com/license).\n{: .note}\n",[1489,1490,9,801],"UX","frontend",{"slug":1492,"featured":6,"template":698},"how-i-transitioned-from-frontend-to-ux","content:en-us:blog:how-i-transitioned-from-frontend-to-ux.yml","How I Transitioned From Frontend To Ux","en-us/blog/how-i-transitioned-from-frontend-to-ux.yml","en-us/blog/how-i-transitioned-from-frontend-to-ux",{"_path":1498,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1499,"content":1504,"config":1509,"_id":1511,"_type":13,"title":1512,"_source":15,"_file":1513,"_stem":1514,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-is-it-being-a-new-mom-working-for-gitlab",{"title":1500,"description":1501,"ogTitle":1500,"ogDescription":1501,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":913,"ogUrl":1502,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1502,"schema":1503},"Parental/maternity leave around the world – how does your country stack up?","A new mother at GitLab takes a look at how different countries approach time off for new parents.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-is-it-being-a-new-mom-working-for-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Parental/maternity leave around the world – how does your country stack up?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Jarka Košanová et al\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-07-18\",\n      }",{"title":1500,"description":1501,"authors":1505,"heroImage":913,"date":1506,"body":1507,"category":799,"tags":1508},[919],"2019-07-18","\n_This is the first in a four-part series looking at a myriad of issues surrounding working remotely with children. We’ll take a look at parental leave policies worldwide, get an inside view of working at GitLab with a newborn, and discover tried-and-true strategies for working remotely with older children._\n\nAt GitLab we have a generous [parental leave policy](/handbook/total-rewards/benefits/#parental-leave).\n\nWhen I returned from my maternity leave, I started to think about what that leave means for all team members. I come from the Czech Republic, a country where it is considered ideal for a mother to stay home from work until their child is about three years old. This expectation extends to each child in the family. In this blog post, I will look at parental leave around the world, and in a second post I’ll talk about my experience working at GitLab with a newborn. The opinions are my own, of course, and in every country, including my home nation, there can be major differences in leave standards between big cities and the rest of the country, especially in the smaller villages and across different social groups.\n\n## Parental leave in the Czech Republic\n\nIt is a [complex system](https://www.euraxess.cz/czech-republic/information-assistance/childrenfamily-and-personal-life/maternity-leave-and-parental) but what is important is that once a baby is born employers must keep the job of an employee on parental leave open for three years, and that’s for each child. Parents are entitled to a fixed amount of government money and they can decide for how long they want to receive the stipend (the amount is split accordingly for each month). Because employers have to keep a job open for three years, the vast majority of mothers stay at home for three years. It is quite rare for fathers to stay at home, although this number is increasing.\n\n## Standards vary, even in Europe\n\nI will summarize laws from a few countries to show how parental policies differ across Europe and worldwide.\n\nAbout [80% of women in the Czech Republic stay home with their new child for two years or more](https://www.oecd.org/els/family/LMF_1_2_Maternal_Employment.pdf), and even fewer women return to work within the first year after birth.\n\nThe parental leave policy is very similar [in Germany where employers must keep a position open for women for three years](https://www.thelocal.de/20140113/german-parental-leave-our-guide) and [a lot of working mothers use it](https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Soziales/Elterngeld/Publikationen/Downloads-Elterngeld/elterngeld-leistungsbezuege-j-5229210187004.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2).\n\n> In the US there is no law that enforces paid parental leave.\n\nI lived in Switzerland for almost four years, and it was the first time I encountered completely different rules and approaches to parental leave. In Switzerland, women are permitted to stay at home for three to four months (it depends on the employer but purely by law, they are entitled to [14 weeks of maternity leave](https://www.ch.ch/en/maternity-leave/)) and about 70% of mothers return to work during [the first two years](https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/kataloge-datenbanken/publikationen.assetdetail.1061095.html) of the child's life.\n\n## From the UK to the US\n\n[In the UK, where women can take up to 52 weeks of maternity leave](https://www.gov.uk/maternity-pay-leave/leave), about [65% of mothers of kids up to two years old work](https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/moremotherswithyoungchildrenworkingfulltime/2017-09-26).\n\n[In the Netherlands, women can take at least 16 weeks](https://www.expatica.com/nl/healthcare/womens-health/having-a-baby-in-the-netherlands-107665/) of maternity leave (including pregnancy) and almost 90% of women return to work before their child is one year, while in France 80% of mothers will return to work.\n\n> In the Czech Republic, about 80% of women stay home with children for two years or more.\n\nMore than half (53%) of Australian women return to work within the first two years.\n\n[In Sweden, both parents can split 480 days of parental leave](https://www.forsakringskassan.se/privatpers/foralder/nar_barnet_ar_fott/foraldrapenning/!ut/p/z0/04_Sj9CPykssy0xPLMnMz0vMAfIjo8ziTTxcnA3dnQ28_U2DXQwczTwDDcOCXY1CDc31g1Pz9AuyHRUBTbm8uw!!/) and most families use this benefit. Scandinavian countries also have the largest volume of fathers taking parental leave.\n\nIn the US, there is no law that enforces paid parental leave. The [Family and Medical Leave Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_and_Medical_Leave_Act_of_1993) ensures 12 weeks of job protection with unpaid leave, and there are some states that have more generous policies. Companies are taken as very generous if they decide to provide at least a couple of paid weeks of leave. In the US, 60% of women return to work during the baby's first year and [44% go back to work within the first three months after giving birth](https://fairygodboss.com/maternity-leave-resource-center/statistics).\n\nThis is just a snapshot of how parental leave is treated around the world. Check the [Parental Leave Review 2018](https://www.leavenetwork.org/fileadmin/user_upload/k_leavenetwork/annual_reviews/Leave_Review_2018.pdf) if you are interested in more data from other countries. You may also find a [length of maternity, parental and father-specific leave table](https://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx?queryid=54760) interesting. And if you want a short summary across 11 countries, check out [this article from Business Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/maternity-leave-worldwide-2017-8#germany-mothers-can-take-up-to-three-years-family-leave-11).\n\n_Next up: Jarka shares her experience with GitLab maternity leave as well as some good advice for expectant and early-stage parents._\n\nPhoto by [insung yoon](https://unsplash.com/@insungyoon?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/search/photos/baby-mobile?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)\n{: .note}\n",[844,9,268],{"slug":1510,"featured":6,"template":698},"how-is-it-being-a-new-mom-working-for-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:how-is-it-being-a-new-mom-working-for-gitlab.yml","How Is It Being A New Mom Working For Gitlab","en-us/blog/how-is-it-being-a-new-mom-working-for-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/how-is-it-being-a-new-mom-working-for-gitlab",{"_path":1516,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1517,"content":1523,"config":1529,"_id":1531,"_type":13,"title":1532,"_source":15,"_file":1533,"_stem":1534,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-the-dora-metrics-can-help-devops-team-performance",{"title":1518,"description":1519,"ogTitle":1518,"ogDescription":1519,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1520,"ogUrl":1521,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1521,"schema":1522},"How the DORA metrics can help DevOps team performance ","The best DevOps teams measure their results. Here's a deep dive into the DORA metrics that matter.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749676702/Blog/Hero%20Images/data.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-the-dora-metrics-can-help-devops-team-performance","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How the DORA metrics can help DevOps team performance \",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Aathira Nair\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-04-20\",\n      }",{"title":1518,"description":1519,"authors":1524,"heroImage":1520,"date":1526,"body":1527,"category":716,"tags":1528},[1525],"Aathira Nair","2022-04-20","\n\n_Accelerated adoption of the cloud requires tools that aid in faster software delivery and performance measurements.  Delivering visibility across the value chain, the DORA metrics streamline alignment with business objectives, drive software velocity, and promote a collaborative culture._ \n\nSoftware delivery, operational efficiency, quality - there is no shortage of challenges around digital transformation for business leaders. \n\nCustomer satisfaction, a prominent business KPI, has paved the way for experimentation and faster analysis resulting in an increased volume of change in the software development lifecycle (SDLC). Leaders worldwide are helping drive this culture of innovation aligned with organization goals and objectives. However, it is not always about driving the culture alone; it is also about collaboration, visibility, velocity, and quality. \n\nCloud computing and microservices are driving the cloud-first approach for software delivery, helping to scale them independently, and allowing teams to move faster. But, without DevOps, the team doesn’t have the underlying core to move fast efficiently. DevOps has the power to enable the smallest changes that can have great effects. \n\nThis brings us to the question - how do you measure velocity and impact? Or how do you assess quality, and ensure that it is not hampered by velocity? The latter would be what is commonly referred to as technical debt.\n\n## A continuous journey needs continuous improvement\n\nAny improvement starts with measurement. Measuring and optimizing DevOps practices improves developer efficiency, overall team performance, and business outcomes. DevOps metrics demonstrate effectiveness, shaping a culture of innovation and ultimately overall digital transformation. In the [Accelerate State of DevOps 2021](https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/devops-sre/announcing-dora-2021-accelerate-state-of-devops-report) report by the DevOps Research and Assessment (DORA) team at Google Cloud, which draws insights from 7 years of data collection and research, four metrics are the key to measure software delivery performance.\n\n## What are these metrics?\n\n- Deployment Frequency\n- Lead time for changes\n- Time to restore service\n- Change failure rate\n\n### Deployment Frequency\n\nLet’s start with the velocity of development. Deployment frequency measures how often the organization deploys code to production or releases it to end users. This metric borrows from lean manufacturing concepts, wherein small multiple batch sizes are the preferred approach for higher efficiency and more rapid adjustments.\n\n### Lead time for changes\n\nNow comes the extent of automation in your processes. Lead time for changes measures the time needed to take a committed code to successfully run in production. This is one of the two metrics with significant variance in the data. \n\n### Time to restore service\n\nThis represents a business' capacity. Time to restore service measures the time needed to restore services to the level they were previously, in case of an incident. Here too we see significant variance in the data.\n\n### Change failure rate\n\nAnd finally, we take a look at quality. Changes which cause a failure in the system – a deployment failure, an incident, a rollback or a remedy – all contribute to measuring the change failure rate. \n\n## Driving visibility into the DevOps lifecycle\n\nRecently, Zoopla used DORA metrics to boost deployments and increase automation. Understanding the root cause of their problems helped them make informed adjustments in their process workflows, automation, tools, and more. They recognized the value of using a single platform to overcome roadblocks in velocity and innovation. This brought added visibility into their system which helped improve measurement and analytics. \n\nOur [2021 Global DevSecOps Survey](/developer-survey/) shows engineers are happier when they can focus on innovation and adding value than when maintaining integrations. In fact they would rather focus on higher quality documentation which can further amplify results of investments in DevOps capabilities. Documentation and visibility together drives team performance and competitive advantage. \n\nVisibility driven through [DORA metrics](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/analytics/#supported-dora-metrics-in-gitlab) can uncover bottlenecks such as a dysfunction in code review, allowing management to identify causes of slowdowns in the DevOps lifecycle, and enable engineering leaders to align with business priorities. This delivers continuous improvement and progress towards business goals, promoting a collaborative culture across the organization.\n\nThe team at Zoopla used the GitLab DevOps platform to obtain metrics for deploy frequency, lead time, change fail rate, and time to onboard. \n\nimage_title: ![VSA-DORA](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/VSA-DORA.png)\n\nThe metrics helped influenced decision making and prioritization at Zoopla. Teams were encouraged to learn from the metrics, and incorporate changes into their planning cycles to keep on the path of continuous improvement. They were successful in measuring improvements and building an efficient engineering team that was flexible in responding to business needs. \n\n[Read more on [how Zoopla used DORA metrics for continuous improvement](/blog/how-zoopla-uses-dora-metrics-and-your-team-can-too/) and the [DORA metrics API in GitLab](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/api/dora/metrics.html#devops-research-and-assessment-dora-key-metrics-api)]\n",[694,9,695],{"slug":1530,"featured":6,"template":698},"how-the-dora-metrics-can-help-devops-team-performance","content:en-us:blog:how-the-dora-metrics-can-help-devops-team-performance.yml","How The Dora Metrics Can Help Devops Team Performance","en-us/blog/how-the-dora-metrics-can-help-devops-team-performance.yml","en-us/blog/how-the-dora-metrics-can-help-devops-team-performance",{"_path":1536,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1537,"content":1543,"config":1549,"_id":1551,"_type":13,"title":1552,"_source":15,"_file":1553,"_stem":1554,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-to-begin-your-devops-journey",{"title":1538,"description":1539,"ogTitle":1538,"ogDescription":1539,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1540,"ogUrl":1541,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1541,"schema":1542},"How to begin your DevOps journey","So you want a career in DevOps? These easy and affordable opportunities will let you get started today.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749663736/Blog/Hero%20Images/a-deep-dive-into-the-security-analyst-persona.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-to-begin-your-devops-journey","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How to begin your DevOps journey\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Christina Hupy, Ph.D.\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-01-13\",\n      }",{"title":1538,"description":1539,"authors":1544,"heroImage":1540,"date":1545,"body":1546,"category":716,"tags":1547},[1022],"2022-01-13","\n[DevOps](/topics/devops/) is a hot career track. The DevOps industry is projected by IDC to be at [$17.7 billion in revenue by 2024](https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US45188520). Such growth requires more DevOps practitioners in all realms. Yet, due to the speed of change in DevOps, students are generally not learning DevOps skills and workflows while in a degree program. That doesn’t mean you have to wait to gain these critical skills. We share how to get the skills you need now.\n\n## Why early exposure to DevOps is important\n\nBy learning DevOps early on in their education, students can drastically shorten the typical six-years-or-more timeline to becoming a DevOps professional. In our [GitLab for Education Survey](/solutions/education/edu-survey/), 40% of student respondents answered that DevOps is critical for workforce readiness and 45% viewed the ability to build a portfolio and record of contributions as a top benefit of using DevOps while in school.\n\nStudents and young professionals learning to code with the same approach they will use in the industry gives them a jump on their careers and makes the transition from the classroom to a DevOps culture that much easier. It can also help to accelerate the digital transformation as newly onboarded employees begin to spread the benefits of iterating faster, innovating together, and increasing deployment velocity.\n\nHere’s how to get a headstart on learning DevOps.\n\n### 1. Bring DevOps to your classroom\n\nIf your university and professors are not currently teaching DevOps or using DevOps tools in your classes, don't worry, we've got a blog post that covers [5 easy ways to bring DevOps into your classroom](/blog/5-ways-to-bring-devops-to-your-campus/). Learn about how our GitLab for Education team can visit your classroom and give a guest lecture on DevOps or a workshop. And how our GitLab for Education Program offers free, top-tier, unlimited licenses to qualifying institutions. Students can also sign up individually for [GitLab’s free tier](/pricing/).\n\n### 2. Explore DevOps on your own\n\nExploring DevOps on your own is a great way to extend your knowledge, gain different perspectives, and build on top of your degree. \n\nDevOps as a discipline, platform, and culture is ever-evolving. With social media, tech publications, case studies, and blog posts there is no shortage of content for you to access. It is easy to tune into industry conversations on Twitter and elsewhere to stay on the cutting edge. We recommend getting started by reading some of our [GitLab blogs](/blog/) or blogs from other organizations in the DevOps space that catch your eye.\n\nFor instance, follow Developer Evangelists or Developer Relations professionals, known as DevRels, from your favorite organizations, and see what they are sharing. Don’t worry about understanding all the details at first, just look for the high-level points, the tools they discuss, and general industry trends. Follow [Michael Friedrich](https://gitlab.com/dnsmichi), GitLab Developer Evangelist, to learn about all things DevOps, especially CI/CD, monitoring, and observability, and follow [Abubakar Siddiq Ango](https://gitlab.com/abuango), GitLab Developer Evangelism Program Manager, to learn about DevSecOps with a focus on the Cloud Native Ecosystem. \n\n### 3. Start networking\n\nThere is no better way to get excited about DevOps and its potential than through networking with other DevOps professionals and enthusiasts. \n\n- Meetups. Tech companies in the DevOps space host monthly meetups (in-person and virtual), where professionals and community members alike listen to a short talk and then engage in a Q&A. These meetups provide opportunities for networking as well. At GitLab, you can see our [upcoming events](https://www.meetup.com/pro/gitlab) and register for free or sign up to host one for your classmates or teammates. (We are here to help](/community/meetups/) and get you started. \n\n- Conferences. GitLab‘s annual user conference, GitLab Commit, showcases amazing presentations from customers across all industries and community members from all over the world, along with breakout sessions so you can network. Keep an eye out for the next one in September and [view the playlist](https://www.youtube.com/c/Gitlab/playlists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf_id=1) from GitLab Commit 2021. Also [DevOps Days](https://devopsdays.org/), a series of free technical conferences around the world, lets you mingle with DevOps professionals and learn more about the industry.\n\n### 4. Get hands-on with DevOps tools and platforms\n\nReady to jump in? Gaining hands-on experience is the fastest way to start your journey, and you don’t need an internship or job to access tools. If you are a current student or early professional, you can begin to build a portfolio of projects on GitLab or your [platform of choice](https://about.gitlab.com/topics/devops/beginner-devops-platform/). Even simple projects, such as creating a Twitter bot or Python script, can be done in a source control management system like GitLab. \n\nStore relevant homework, course projects, capstone projects, and side projects in one central repository and your future employers will be able to see your portfolio and how your skills have progressed over time. With [GitLab pages](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/pages/), you can even publish your resume and keep a journal of blog posts documenting your journey in DevOps. \n\nAs example, check out [the profile page of PJ Metz](https://gitlab.com/PjMetz), GitLab Education Evangelist. Notice everything he’s worked on is right there and you can click to see his commits and merge requests. The earlier you start to build a portfolio, the more you’ll have to share with potential employers\n\n### 5. Contribute to the open source community\n\nAnother great way to gain experience is to contribute to open source projects. Students and young professionals often aren't aware of the value of contributing to open source projects, haven’t considered it, or maybe think that you need high-level developer skills to contribute. \n\nBy nature, anyone who has very basic technical skills can contribute to an open source project at some level. Most open source projects have resources available for new contributors or first-time contributors, including a “Getting Started” guide or a list of contributions needed. Contributions aren’t limited to expert coders; open source communities accept input from a variety of skill levels and experience. For example, new contributors can work on documentation and language translation. Minor UX changes or bug fixes are also great first contributions. \n\nAdditionally, many open source projects often have engaged communities that are invested in helping new contributors learn and grow their skills. This set of unique characteristics makes contributing to open source projects a great starting point for people from diverse backgrounds.  \n\nGitLab is an open core platform with a vibrant community. We have over 10,000 merge requests from the wider community with an average of 250 contributors per month. You can contribute to GitLab in [three ways](/community/contribute/):\n\n- Fix bugs\n- Add to documentation\n- Translate our docs and products to different languages\n\nWe make contributing very easy and accessible to first-time contributors. We even label each issue with `quick win`.  Our [quarterly hackathons](/community/hackathon/) enable you to network with our community, meet merge request coaches, attend meetups, and win sweet swag prizes. For more, check out our #contributors channel on [Discord](https://discord.gg/gitlab).\n\n### 6. Earn some industry credentials \n\nAfter getting your feet wet and building skills on your own, you may also be interested in adding some more formal credentials to your resume. Courses and certificate programs are a great way to add to your degree or work on professional development early in your career. Certifications are generally achieved after gaining some hands-on experience and working in the field. \n\n- DevOps courses. Most online learning platforms, such as Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning have some form of DevOps course. For example, LinkedIn Learning has a free [DevOps foundations course](https://www.linkedin.com/learning/devops-foundations/development-and-operations-2?autoAdvance=true&autoSkip=false&autoplay=true&resume=true&u=2255073).\n\n- DevOps certifications. If you have some experience under your belt and are interested in a more formal path, a DevOps certification could be of interest to you. DevOps certification is an accredited credential that is earned by demonstrating some specific skills and subject matter that are required to work in the DevOps profession. These credentials are earned by taking courses, passing assessments, and participating in performance reviews, or providing work samples. DevOps certifications can be specific to a certain tool, such as the Docker Certified Associate or Kubernetes Certification. Amazon Web Services, or AWS, also offers a Certified DevOps Engineer Exam. Some DevOps certifications are more tool- and platform-agnostic such as those offered by the [DevOps Institute](https://www.devopsinstitute.com/certifications/). \n\nGitLab has a learning platform with several courses and certification pathways, including a GitLab Certified Associate, GitLab Certified CI/CD Specialist, and GitLab DevOps Professional. See our [full list](/learn/certifications/public/) or [sign up to learn more](https://gitlab.edcast.com/). \n\nWherever you are on your journey to becoming a DevOps professional, these resources should help you move forward and learn more about this exciting aspect of software development.\n",[1548,9,268],"DevOps platform",{"slug":1550,"featured":6,"template":698},"how-to-begin-your-devops-journey","content:en-us:blog:how-to-begin-your-devops-journey.yml","How To Begin Your Devops Journey","en-us/blog/how-to-begin-your-devops-journey.yml","en-us/blog/how-to-begin-your-devops-journey",{"_path":1556,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1557,"content":1563,"config":1569,"_id":1571,"_type":13,"title":1572,"_source":15,"_file":1573,"_stem":1574,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-to-build-out-your-devops-team",{"title":1558,"description":1559,"ogTitle":1558,"ogDescription":1559,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1560,"ogUrl":1561,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1561,"schema":1562},"How to build out your DevOps team","Hiring the right DevOps roles put you on the path to success. ","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749664007/Blog/Hero%20Images/devopsroles.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-to-build-out-your-devops-team","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How to build out your DevOps team\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Johanna Ambrosio\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-01-25\",\n      }",{"title":1558,"description":1559,"authors":1564,"heroImage":1560,"date":1566,"body":1567,"category":716,"tags":1568},[1565],"Johanna Ambrosio","2022-01-25","\nGetting started with modern software development can feel overwhelming, particularly if you're trying to build a DevOps team from scratch. Hiring the right DevOps roles may require a blend of art, science, and luck, but it is doable. Here's our best advice on key DevOps roles, and the skills each position needs to make your DevOps team function like a well-oiled machine.\n\n- **Developers:** DevOps is a team sport nowadays. Devs test code, act as [security champions](/blog/why-security-champions/), provision infrastructure, and write automation scripts… just to name a few of the job requirements. They use scrum, Kanban, or other Agile methods to work in short iterations with regular feedback from the business side or from other clients. The dev role has changed dramatically over the past few years and will likely continue to adopt elements of other roles from UX to business-side subject matter expert. They want to continue to stretch themselves, so keep that in mind. In our [2021 Global DevSecOps Survey](/developer-survey/), developers said understanding AI/ML is the most important skill for their future careers.   \n\n- **Operations engineer/systems administrator:** In Olden Times, this is the person who ensured the software could and did run smoothly in production and sent out alarms if it didn't. But on a DevOps team, ops will manage the cloud, help create monitoring and analytics that are integrated into code, manage the tools, deal with the tools, and, of course, help resolve problems. Like the dev role, operations pros need new and emerging skills to stay relevant, including advanced programming languages, subject matter expertise, and a deeper understanding of security, according to our survey.\n\n- **Evangelist:** Someone needs to make sure the rest of the company knows what your team is up to, sing its praises, and communicate what the business's most pressing needs are. Ideally, this is a senior-level person who sits on the company's Executive Committee or board. More than just a cheerleader, an evangelist on a DevOps team should get everyone in the company involved in DevOps, committed to its success, and happy to spend budget on the endeavor. \n\n- **Project manager/release manager:** This DevOps role tracks the team's progress against business objectives, sets goals and timelines, and tries to keep everything running on time. Solving problems with cost, project scope, schedule, and client satisfaction are also squarely in this job description.\n\n\n- **QA tester/automation engineer:** A testing professional plays a critical role on a DevOps team, even with the advent of \"devs who test\" and test automation. Testing pros look at the big picture of the entire software pipeline and at snippets of code. From choosing or creating the right tests to driving test automation, this DevOps role needs out-of-the-box thinking, flexibility, and the ability to pivot at a moment's notice. \n\n\n- **Security engineer:** It's critical to build in security and compliance from the start, rather than trying to tack it on at the end when fixing problems becomes most expensive. A security engineer on a DevOps team must be strategic and hands-on. Security has a lingering tarnished reputation as a top-down problem that devs literally don't have the tools to solve, but are asked to. So for this DevOps role, it's critical to hire someone who can meet dev and ops where they are, explain the challenges and technologies, and work together collegially.\n\n- **User experience (UX) professional:** This DevOps role is the end-user advocate, the person who is totally focused on how the software looks and works from the client's perspective. Think of the UX pro as the person who brings the client and the client's needs right into the development process. In this era of modern software development, [a UX role](/blog/the-evolution-of-ux-at-gitlab/) is a must-have rather than a nice-to-have.\n\nThose are just the \"getting started\" DevOps roles. Other titles to consider include a site reliability engineer or a DevOps platform engineer, an infrastructure engineer, project and product managers, systems engineers and architects, and software architects. Keep in mind that, especially now with the Great Resignation, [hiring talent for any of these DevOps roles](/blog/have-devops-jobs-to-fill-try-these-3-strategies-to-hire-and-retain/), and pretty much anything IT-related in general, can take months.\n\nReskilling is an excellent option, though. The DevOps Institute [offers trainings](https://www.devopsinstitute.com/skilup-days/), which it calls SKILup Days, on topics such as site reliability engineering and how to create a CI/CD pipeline. And when thinking about reskilling, don't forget [the importance of soft skills to a DevOps team](/blog/soft-skills-are-the-key-to-your-devops-career-advancement/). If ever there's a place where collaboration and communication matter, it's in DevOps.\n\n_Johanna Ambrosio is a freelance technology writer._\n\nCover image by Hans-Peter Gauster on [Unsplash](https://www.unsplash.com)\n{: .note}\n",[694,9,695],{"slug":1570,"featured":6,"template":698},"how-to-build-out-your-devops-team","content:en-us:blog:how-to-build-out-your-devops-team.yml","How To Build Out Your Devops Team","en-us/blog/how-to-build-out-your-devops-team.yml","en-us/blog/how-to-build-out-your-devops-team",{"_path":1576,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1577,"content":1583,"config":1589,"_id":1591,"_type":13,"title":1592,"_source":15,"_file":1593,"_stem":1594,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-to-make-your-devops-team-elite-performers",{"title":1578,"description":1579,"ogTitle":1578,"ogDescription":1579,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1580,"ogUrl":1581,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1581,"schema":1582},"How to make your DevOps team elite performers","Every company wants DevOps done better. The DORA Report spotlights what it takes to be a DevOps elite, and what teams need to do to get there.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749667875/Blog/Hero%20Images/trends-in-version-control-land-microservices-cover.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-to-make-your-devops-team-elite-performers","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How to make your DevOps team elite performers\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sharon Gaudin\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-10-26\",\n      }",{"title":1578,"description":1579,"authors":1584,"heroImage":1580,"date":1585,"body":1586,"category":716,"tags":1587},[690],"2021-10-26","\n\nSo your company has a DevOps team –  great! – but are they elite performers or low performers?\n\nThere’s a chasm of difference between the two, according to the [State of DevOps 2021 report](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/uploads/069ee8e2ee6af463cf0aafcd89eda33e/state-of-devops-2021.pdf) from DORA, the DevOps Research and Assessment team at Google. It’s the tipping point in how resilient, efficient and reliable your team is, and that’s directly tied to your ability to help your business be more competitive. (To be transparent, GitLab was one of the many sponsors of the report, and we’ve incorporated some of the DORA metrics [within our DevOps Platform](https://gitlab-com.gitlab.io/cs-tools/gitlab-cs-tools/what-is-new-since/?tab=features&s[…]tegories=DevOps+Reports&textSearch=DevOps&minVersion=13_08) so you can compare your highest and lowest-performing teams and see how much of the DevOps lifecycle each one is embracing.)\n\nBragging rights aside, a personal -- and not insignificant -- benefit of being on an elite DevOps team is that your [company value](/blog/a-look-at-devops-salaries/), as well as your [salary](/blog/four-tips-to-increase-your-devops-salary/), would likely rise, as would your ability to be hired at a top-tier company. \n\nSo what does it mean to be an elite DevOps team and what does it take to get there? Let’s dive in:\n\n## The benefits of being an elite team\n\nAccording to the DORA report there are specific things elite teams are able to consistently do. Here’s a look at some big goals:\n\n### Deploy more frequently\n\nElite performers deploy code 973 times more frequently than low performers, the survey notes. That’s right -- 973 times more. Low performers say they require a change lead time greater than six months. In sharp contrast, elite teams only need an hour. We’ll do the math for you: Elite teams have a 6,570 times faster lead time from commit to deploy than low performers.\n\n### Recover quicker\n\nThere’s a similar broad gap between low performers and elite teams when it comes to stability. DORA notes the time it takes the elite group to restore service is less than one hour, compared to more than six months for the low performers. \n\n### Lower change failure rates\n\nWhen it comes to change failure rates, there’s a 3 times difference between top and bottom performers. That means the elite group’s changes are a third less likely to fail. \n\n## DORA’s tips on how to become an elite team\n\nThose are great goals but how do you make them a reality? These six tips will take you in the right direction\n\n### 1. Make smart use of hybrid and multi-cloud environments\n\nDORA survey respondents who use either hybrid cloud or [multi-cloud](/topics/multicloud/) environments were 1.6 times more likely to beat their company’s performance targets than those who did not use these cloud setups. Multi-cloud users, for instance, say they are able to leverage each cloud provider’s unique benefits and achieve greater availability.\n\n### 2. How you implement the cloud matters\n\nWhen it comes to being able to support business needs, how the cloud is adopted and implemented makes a big difference. There’s a lot of benefit to adhering to the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) [five essentials of cloud computing](https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.500-291r2.pdf): on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity or expansion, and measured service. DORA noted elite performers were 3.5 times more likely to have met all essential NIST cloud characteristics.\n\n### 3. Let DevOps and SRE complement each other\n\nTop DevOps professionals understand they don’t have to choose between DevOps and [site reliability engineering (SRE)](https://handbook.gitlab.com/job-families/engineering/infrastructure/site-reliability-engineer/). They work well together. “Elite performers are 2.1x as likely to report the use of SRE practices as their low-performing counterparts,” the DORA report notes. “But even teams operating at the highest levels have room for growth: Only 10% of elite respondents indicated that their teams have fully implemented every SRE practice we investigated.”\n\n### 4. Make sure you’re documenting\n\nThere’s a direct correlation between creating documents, which include everything from manuals to code comments, to a DevOps team’s success. Solid documentation is accurate, up-to-date, comprehensive, searchable, well organized and clear. The report points out that teams with good documentation are 2.4 times more likely to meet or exceed their reliability targets, and 2.5 times more likely to fully leverage the cloud.\n\n### 5. Build in security throughout development\n\nSecurity can get [a lot of lip service in DevOps](/blog/developer-security-divide/), but the best teams know that high delivery and operational performance are directly linked to integrating security practices throughout their development process. Security reviews must be integrated into every phase and applied to all major features, security professionals must be included in planning and development, and security testing must be automated.\n\n### 6. Pay attention to your team culture\n\nIn short, culture matters -- a lot. Industry surveys consistently show that culture is one of the top drivers of IT performance. Professionals who [have a sense of belonging and inclusion](/blog/why-software-developer-job-satisfaction-matters-and-how-to-make-it-happen/), and who work collaboratively and cross-functionally, produce higher software delivery and operational performance. \n\nAccording to the DORA report, it’s clear that becoming an elite team of DevOps professionals is an attainable goal. The report notes a dramatic increase in the percentage of elite professionals this year: 26% (of 1,200 surveyed), up from just 7% in 2018. \n\nIt’s time to up your game or risk being left behind.\n\n_For a slightly different look at aspirational DevOps results, read our [2021 Global DevSecOps Survey](/developer-survey/)._\n\n",[694,9,1588],"google",{"slug":1590,"featured":6,"template":698},"how-to-make-your-devops-team-elite-performers","content:en-us:blog:how-to-make-your-devops-team-elite-performers.yml","How To Make Your Devops Team Elite Performers","en-us/blog/how-to-make-your-devops-team-elite-performers.yml","en-us/blog/how-to-make-your-devops-team-elite-performers",{"_path":1596,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1597,"content":1603,"config":1608,"_id":1610,"_type":13,"title":1611,"_source":15,"_file":1612,"_stem":1613,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-to-move-from-ic-to-devops-manager-and-succeed",{"title":1598,"description":1599,"ogTitle":1598,"ogDescription":1599,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1600,"ogUrl":1601,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1601,"schema":1602},"How to move from IC to DevOps manager and succeed","Transitioning from great DevOps engineer to great DevOps manager isn't always easy. Here are some tools to help you get a management role and keep it.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749663753/Blog/Hero%20Images/managers-more-optimistic-than-developers.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-to-move-from-ic-to-devops-manager-and-succeed","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How to move from IC to DevOps manager and succeed\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Lauren Gibbons Paul\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-03-01\",\n      }",{"title":1598,"description":1599,"authors":1604,"heroImage":1600,"date":1605,"body":1606,"category":820,"tags":1607},[1064],"2022-03-01","\nAs a seasoned [DevOps engineer](https://about.gitlab.com/topics/devops/what-is-a-devops-engineer/), an individual contributor (IC) role might eventually start to chafe. Here are 5 strategies to make the case that you're ready for a DevOps manager role, and 3 key things to keep in mind once you get there.\n\n## DevOps manager: More than just the title\n\nJust as many organizations don’t have dedicated DevOps teams – they just do DevOps – many will not have a title that sounds like “DevOps manager.” It is not uncommon for your current position to morph into a managerial role, so let your manager know you’re interested. Also, it never hurts to come into that conversation with a transition plan already in hand.\n\nUntil then, hone the skills that make for a good manager of any type – things like being a good communicator, mentoring others, and fostering collaboration. [Collaboration is a must-have](https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-become-a-devops-manager-5-tips/#:~:text=A%20good%20DevOps%20manager%20encourages,learn%20and%20develop%2C%20Kromhout%20said) in a management role. \n\n## DevOps manager skills\n\nDevOps manager skills include deep technical expertise in at least one area, such as systems architecture, along with broad technical experience. Ideally, a manager will have the ability to program in multiple languages to give relevant feedback and better understand the tools and support team members need. You’ll also need to understand how to respond to security incidents. \n\n[Sharpening and adding to your technical skills](https://victorops.com/blog/being-a-devops-team-manager) – and learning new ones – are some of the best things you can do to make yourself more attractive as a potential DevOps manager. Not only will new skills help [advance your career](/blog/the-top-skills-you-need-to-get-your-devops-dream-job/), they’ll help your paycheck even if you decide to remain an individual contributor. And don’t forget the “impress your boss” benefits of being a [continuous learner](/blog/best-advice-for-your-devops-career-keep-on-learning/).\n\n## Understand the expectations (and implications) of management\n\nWhen examining DevOps manager roles and responsibilities, job number one is mediating the interpersonal skirmishes among team members and with other groups. Alone, that can be challenging enough, but it’s just the starting point. \n\nBefore you take on the role, make sure you understand what is involved. A DevOps manager will be expected to help set goals and timelines, oversee project management, obtain needed tools and skills, understand the work teams are doing, advocate for team interests within the wider organization, evangelize, and generally be a cheerleader for anyone who needs it. And don’t forget, [cheerleading is serious business](https://www.agileconnection.com/article/management-myth-11-team-needs-cheerleader) in many organizations. A DevOps manager also needs a good network, and to be able to bring people onboard to fill skills gaps.  \n\n## Find a mentor\n\nMany companies offer mentorship programs, including [GitLab](/handbook/people-group/learning-and-development/mentor/), and they can be a tremendous resource for someone looking to grow into a management role. A mentor doesn't have to be a technology leader – learning management from someone in marketing, sales, or finance is useful as well.\n\n## Volunteer for an interim role\n\nWhether it's the \"great resignation\" or simply the usual tech churn, turnover can mean teams need \"interim\" leaders. Being an interim manager can be an opportunity to get your feet wet, help out in an area that might not be completely familiar, and show your willingness to stretch, learn new things, and be a true team player. Obviously, many interim roles don't turn into permanent ones, but they still offer experience that can help build a case for a promotion to management. \n\n## You're a manager now\n\nOnce you’ve stepped into a DevOps manager role, here are three ways to be successful:\n\n1. **Lead the change**. The concept of DevOps obviously means that development and operations are working together, but it also requires working closely with other functional areas with a culture of openness. Good managers break down organizational silos and help people assimilate and embrace the changes needed for successful DevOps. The best DevOps managers are able to bridge communication gaps, tearing down the walls between functions – especially developers, IT operations, and security – and strive to instill a sense of [shared purpose and empathy](https://www.toptal.com/devops/bridging-gaps-devops-communication#:~:text=What%20is%20DevOps%20in%20simple,using%20common%20processes%20and%20tools).\n\n2. **Focus on the processes and the metrics**. A successful DevOps manager is able to toggle quickly between personnel and process. Fine-tuning the [CI/CD pipelines](/topics/ci-cd/), test automation, multi-cloud options, and cutting-edge technology choices like Kubernetes and AI/ML will require a continuous improvement mentality and a serious reliance on metrics. If you can’t measure performance, it’s tough to improve it. Also, by focusing on incremental performance increases, a DevOps manager not only increases development velocity, but is in a good place [to plan for the future](https://www.techopedia.com/devops-managers-explain-what-they-do/2/33379).  \n\n3. **Don’t overlook training for the team**. Technical skills are the lifeblood of the DevOps team, and they need constant updating. But most people feel they are too busy to take time for training [and some of it may not be particularly compelling](https://www.agileconnection.com/article/management-myth-9-we-have-no-time-training). Your challenge as a DevOps manager is to first convince your managers that the training is justified and then to persuade your team to make time for it. Find the right kind of training and offer it to the people who need it, when they need it. Delivering learning in chunks of five to 10 minutes, also known as microlearning, has been proven much more engaging for employees and drives retention. So, look for training employees can schedule and do on their own time and terms – and ideally [via mobile devices](https://elearningindustry.com/microlearning-vs-macrolearning-for-corporate-training#:~:text=According%20to%20research%2C%20microlearning%20is,bringing%20learning%20to%20the%20employees).\n",[694,9,695],{"slug":1609,"featured":6,"template":698},"how-to-move-from-ic-to-devops-manager-and-succeed","content:en-us:blog:how-to-move-from-ic-to-devops-manager-and-succeed.yml","How To Move From Ic To Devops Manager And Succeed","en-us/blog/how-to-move-from-ic-to-devops-manager-and-succeed.yml","en-us/blog/how-to-move-from-ic-to-devops-manager-and-succeed",{"_path":1615,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1616,"content":1622,"config":1628,"_id":1630,"_type":13,"title":1631,"_source":15,"_file":1632,"_stem":1633,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-to-navigate-the-great-resignation",{"title":1617,"description":1618,"ogTitle":1617,"ogDescription":1618,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1619,"ogUrl":1620,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1620,"schema":1621},"How to navigate The Great Resignation","Tips for leaders and job seekers as they embrace the future of work or search for their first remote job.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679453/Blog/Hero%20Images/remote-work.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-to-navigate-the-great-resignation","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How to navigate The Great Resignation\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Betsy Bula\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-12-16\",\n      }",{"title":1617,"description":1618,"authors":1623,"heroImage":1619,"date":1625,"body":1626,"category":799,"tags":1627},[1624],"Betsy Bula","2021-12-16","\n\n[The Great Resignation](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenamcgregor/2021/12/14/2021-brought-us-the-great-resignation-no-one-can-agree-what-to-call-it/?sh=a58146b509c7) is upon us. Turnover rates in the U.S. continued to reach historic highs in October 2021, with more than 4.2 million people quitting their jobs that month, according to the [Bureau of Labor Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm). While this Great Resignation can be attributed to a number of factors, it’s clear that remote and flexible work is high on the list for knowledge workers globally. \n\nIn fact, in GitLab’s [2021 Remote Work Report](https://about.gitlab.com/company/culture/all-remote/remote-work-report/), 52% of remote workers said they would consider leaving their co-located company for a remote role. If remote work was suddenly no longer an option, one in three respondents would quit their job. \n\nWhether you’re a job seeker looking for your first remote role or an employer hoping to embrace remote work to attract and retain the most talented people in this new era of work, here are a few things to keep in mind.\n\n## Job seekers: What to look for when considering a remote job\n\n![Working at GitLab Commit London 2019](https://about.gitlab.com/images/all-remote/gitlab-commit-london-coworking-2019.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\nWorking at GitLab Commit London 2019\n{: .note.text-center}\n\nIn a job market that is stacked in your favor, you may find yourself comparing multiple offers to decide on your next move. While many companies now claim to support remote and flexible work, they are likely [not all equal](/company/culture/all-remote/all-remote-vs-hybrid-remote-comparison/) in terms of how their remote culture truly operates.\n\nEach person has individual preferences and needs from their employer, but there are some factors that no job title or compensation package can offset. You’ll want to ask a few [critical questions](/company/culture/all-remote/evaluate/) during the interview process to be sure the remote role you’re considering meets your expectations. \n\n### 1. Where do the leaders work? \n\nThere’s a dramatic difference between remote work being tolerated and it being truly ingrained into every process and norm within the organization. \n\nWhere the company’s leaders (and your manager) spend most of their time is an [excellent indicator](/company/culture/all-remote/hybrid-remote/#leaderships-place-in-the-office) of the level of commitment they have for remote or hybrid work. If you’re considering joining a [hybrid organization](/company/culture/all-remote/hybrid-remote) where most senior leaders and even your manager primarily work in an office, you may want to ask more questions about how they ensure all team members have an equitable employee experience. \n\n### 2. How does the team communicate?\n\nIn any hybrid or all-remote organization, communication practices are a foundational piece to team members feeling like they’re able to thrive. Ask about whether the company [maintains a handbook](/company/culture/all-remote/handbook-first-documentation/), or single source of truth, that all team members can access. If not, how is information disseminated? \n\nIt’s a good sign if there are [asynchronous communication](/company/culture/all-remote/asynchronous/) practices in place, and tools that allow teams to collaborate and share information regardless of the hours they work each day.\n\n### 3. What does \"flexibility\" actually mean?\n\nMany companies will use the word “flexibility” on their career site, but it can be hard to know what that actually means in practice. \n\nIs the team expected to be online during certain hours? Will the company track your online hours? These are potential red flags to dig into more in the interview process. Keep in mind that an organization that truly believes in remote work will track your results, not your hours spent on your laptop. \n\nHaving true [autonomy over your schedule](/company/culture/all-remote/tips/#find-your-routine) means you’ll have the opportunity to work [non-linear workdays](/company/culture/all-remote/non-linear-workday/), be there for family and friends when needed, and get work done during your peak productivity hours. This allows you to shape your work around your life, not the other way around. \n\n### 4. Will you be set up for success?\n\nWhen you’re [starting out in a remote role](/company/culture/all-remote/getting-started/), you need the right tools, training, and equipment to be productive and happy. \n\nFind out whether you’ll be offered equipment, or be able to [expense what you’ll need](/handbook/spending-company-money/) to create a [healthy remote workspace](/company/culture/all-remote/workspace/). Some organizations will offer to cover expenses of joining a coworking space if you prefer not to work at home everyday. \n\nAlso be sure to ask what the onboarding process will look like and how your manager and team will [support you](/company/culture/all-remote/being-a-great-remote-manager/#prioritize-onboarding) through the first weeks and months. It’s important to have the resources you need as you learn the company’s culture and adopt new remote skills, especially if this is your first remote role.\n\n## Employers: Evolve your organization to keep talented people engaged\n\n![GitLab all-remote at scale illustration](https://about.gitlab.com/images/all-remote/gitlab_all_remote_work_environment_scale.jpg){: .medium.center}\n\nThe world of work has undergone a dramatic evolution since the start of the pandemic, putting the onus on business leaders and hiring managers to make sure their processes and cultures evolve too. What worked in the past to retain team members may simply not meet their needs today.\n\nDespite the pressure to keep retention as high as possible, remember that some attrition is natural. You don’t want to prevent team members from pursuing the next step in their career, even if that means leaving the organization. It’s also important to recognize when someone is not aligned with your values, because this can cause your culture to erode over time.\n\n### 1. Ask the right questions (and listen)\n\nYou’re probably already surveying your team regularly about their overall satisfaction with your company as an employer. But what are you doing with that information? If you’re asking team members about their work preferences but not using those results as a catalyst for change, your best employees are likely to start looking elsewhere. \n\nSharing a summary of the results transparently will also go a long way in helping to build trust, create accountability, and give everyone a better understanding of the breadth of needs within the team. \n\nManagers also play a crucial role in the employee experience equation, especially in a remote or hybrid environment. They should be checking in with their team members regularly in [1:1 meetings](/handbook/leadership/1-1/) to understand what’s going on in their lives, help them [combat isolation and burnout](/company/culture/all-remote/mental-health/#working-to-prevent-burnout-isolation-and-anxiety), and to keep tabs on their overall engagement. \n\n### 2. Don't try to replicate the in-office experience remotely\n\nIf you were once a colocated company that has recently adopted remote or hybrid work, this means rethinking your processes, norms, workflows, and even [your culture](/company/culture/all-remote/building-culture/). You may have been able to attract and keep talented people engaged in the past by offering stellar on-site perks, but what does your culture look like when the office is stripped away? \n\nInstead of [trying to force old habits](/company/culture/all-remote/what-not-to-do/) to work in a dramatically different setting, take a look at your organizational design as a whole, and start evolving it. This includes how your team communicates, how you recognize and promote people, how you handle meetings, whether you track output or input, and so much more. \n\nIf possible, consider [hiring a Head of Remote](/company/culture/all-remote/head-of-remote), or someone who is experienced in organizational design and remote practices.\n\n### 3. Build a culture of trust, flexibility, and autonomy\n\nThere’s no “one size fits all” when it comes to when and where a diverse team of people can do their best work. That’s why allowing your team to have full autonomy in shaping their workdays and weeks is the best way to boost productivity and build mutual trust within your organization. \n\nFor this to work, you’ll need to focus on [measuring results](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#measure-results-not-hours), not input. Step away from the tracking devices. Instead, outline each team's and each individual's goals on a quarterly or monthly basis, and measure their success based on those goals, not on whether they were sitting in a chair during certain hours.  \n\n### 4. Create clarity through documentation\n\nTo provide a top-notch employee experience in a remote, hybrid, or even colocated setting, your goal should be to have [no unwritten rules](/company/culture/all-remote/building-culture/#no-unwritten-rules-in-a-remote-work-culture). This means you’ll need a handbook, or a single source of truth, where you document everything a team member needs to know about your company. \n\nThis high level of documentation extends to how you approach [meetings](/company/culture/all-remote/meetings/) as well. Every meeting should have an agenda attached to the invite ahead of time. During meetings, take copious notes so that there’s enough context around the discussion. Not only does this create shared clarity for those in attendance, it’s also more inclusive of those who are unable to attend.\n\nWith the dramatic rise in remote-friendly roles and organizations embracing borderless hiring, job seekers today have more options and opportunities than ever before. Organizations and leaders must begin to evolve and be more intentional about how they support their employees beyond the requisite compensation and benefits. Communicate openly, be willing to iterate, and extend empathy and grace to one another. \n\n**Looking for more resources and remote best practices? Check out [GitLab’s Guide to Remote Work](https://learn.gitlab.com/allremote/).** \n",[9,844],{"slug":1629,"featured":6,"template":698},"how-to-navigate-the-great-resignation","content:en-us:blog:how-to-navigate-the-great-resignation.yml","How To Navigate The Great Resignation","en-us/blog/how-to-navigate-the-great-resignation.yml","en-us/blog/how-to-navigate-the-great-resignation",{"_path":1635,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1636,"content":1642,"config":1648,"_id":1650,"_type":13,"title":1651,"_source":15,"_file":1652,"_stem":1653,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/imposter-syndrome-and-remote-work",{"title":1637,"description":1638,"ogTitle":1637,"ogDescription":1638,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1639,"ogUrl":1640,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1640,"schema":1641},"How to tackle impostor syndrome while working remotely","Isolation can cause impostor syndrome to flourish. We explain how adopting a growth mindset can help stop impostor syndrome in its tracks.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749681541/Blog/Hero%20Images/done_perfect.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/imposter-syndrome-and-remote-work","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How to tackle impostor syndrome while working remotely\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sara Kassabian\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-09-02\",\n      }",{"title":1637,"description":1638,"authors":1643,"heroImage":1639,"date":1645,"body":1646,"category":799,"tags":1647},[1644],"Sara Kassabian","2020-09-02","\n\nNow that the pandemic has shifted office operations at countless companies across all industries from in-person to online, many workers are witnessing the informal modes of communication and recognition that come with occupying a shared space all fall away. When you're working remotely, there is simply no opportunity for chance encounters, which means giving and receiving feedback from colleagues and management requires extra effort. It can be easy to feel anxious about whether or not the right people are noticing your hard work, and even when they are, that nagging feeling of doubt, or feeling like an impostor, can derail your efforts before you even begin.\n\n## What is impostor syndrome?\n\nImpostor syndrome comes down to feeling inadequate or undeserving of your success despite objective evidence showing you otherwise, explained [Taylor McCaslin](/company/team/#tmccaslin), Senior Product Manager, Secure:Static Analysis at GitLab, in a presentation on the topic at [GitLab Virtual Contribute](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mICmSotKwik&list=PL05JrBw4t0KrGipyfKvBifwFhNE8sjRN_&index=5&t=0s). Impostor syndrome creates a negative script that can obstruct your progress on meaningful projects, slow your journey to achieving your goals, and suck the energy out of your days.\n\nSo how do you slay the vampire that is impostor syndrome?\n\n## The growth mindset\n\nImpostor syndrome manifests in different ways for different people, and in this blog post we introduce different strategies for stopping these negative thought patterns. But one universal approach is adopting a [growth mindset](https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/29/carol-dweck-mindset/). On her blog [Brain Pickings](https://www.brainpickings.org/), Maria Popova summarizes the differences between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset:\n\n\"A 'fixed mindset' assumes that our character, intelligence, and creative ability are static givens which we can't change in any meaningful way... A 'growth mindset,' on the other hand, thrives on challenge and sees failure not as evidence of unintelligence but as a heartening springboard for growth and for stretching our existing abilities.\"\n\nThere is no turnkey solution for combatting impostor syndrome, but thinking about times of challenge as opportunities for growth is one way to stop being so hard on yourself.\n\n## Types of impostor syndrome\n\nSometimes remote work can leave you feeling isolated, a cognitive space where impostor syndrome thrives. Whether you've worked remotely for years, or just recently started working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, impostor syndrome might be showing up for you a lot more now than before.\n\n### Perfectionism\n\nPerfectionism is the ultimate trap and creates a vicious cycle of over-thinking and procrastination. The fear of getting started is often rooted in insecurities about laying bare the imperfections that are guaranteed in first iterations.\n\nSoftware development seemingly tries to correct for perfectionist tendencies by prioritizing iteration over perfection, speed over polish.\n\n\"One thing that I'll mention about a perfectionist vampire is that this is why agile is structured the way that it is,\" said Taylor. \"We do these iteration cycles and do innovative work to avoid this build trap where you want something to be so perfect that you never actually ship anything. So it's interesting to see software development taking some of the cues from the struggles of perfectionism to try to get something out and learn quickly.\"\n\nWhen you're working remotely, the options for procrastination are about as long as your household chore list. At GitLab, we recognize that [friends and family come first](/company/family-and-friends-day/), and that sometimes it's better to step away from your devices and go for a walk or start a load of laundry when your brain can no longer compute.\n\nWhen it comes time for the perfectionist to buckle down and produce results, the mantra ought to be: \"don't get it perfect – just get it done.\" In software development, it's always better to ship small, unpolished changes rather than pressuring yourself to send a finished product in one working session. Remember, in the impostor syndrome roshambo – [iteration](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#iteration) beats perfection every time.\n\n### The superhero\n\nWhile the perfectionist is often afraid to get started, the superhero is afraid to stop. The superhero will push themselves harder and further than everyone else to try and prove to themselves and their colleagues that they are not an impostor.\n\n\"[Superheroes] feel that they need success in all aspects of their life, at work, as parents, as partners, and they may feel stressed if they don't get to accomplish something,\" Taylor explained. \"This is something where you can deal with what's called Clark syndrome, where you're trying to be a superhero. At night you're trying to be a parent, during the day, you're trying to do all of these different things that split you in lots of different directions.\"\n\nRemote work means there is more time in your day to, well, work. While great in theory, for the superhero, remote work means that you can easily reach burn out faster than the speed of light. The pressures of producing results, managing a growing team, and being the most supportive family member can send a high-achiever into overdrive.\n\nIf you recognize yourself in this description, it may be time to assess your [burnout levels](https://burnoutindex.org/). If you're in the red zone, it's time to talk to your manager to see how you can better balance the demands of your work with your health and wellbeing.\n\nA note to managers: It is important to recognize that the responsibility of supporting superheroes doesn't just lie on the individual. It is incumbent upon managers to recognize when a team is underresourced and overperforming – is it fair to continue demanding more from your superhero just because you're confident they'll rise to the occasion?\n\n### The natural genius\n\nThe struggle is part of learning, but the growth mindset is particularly challenging for the natural genius to wrap their heads around.\n\n\"When the natural genius has to struggle to work at something, they think that they're a failure,\" said Taylor. \"This is someone who, maybe, school came easy for them or a particular subject made sense, or maybe they were just someone who's an awesome programmer that self-taught themselves. They're used to skills coming easy. And when they have to put in the effort, their brain tells them, 'Oh, no, like you have to work for this. You're not good at this. You are an impostor.'\"\n\nThe natural genius effect is particularly acute in the tech industry, where you're collaborating with a lot of sharp minds with deep knowledge of technology and computers. But as Taylor pointed out, there is no one person with a complete and total understanding of everything about computers and technology.\n\nYou may be collaborating on code produced by someone who knows all about a complex technical topic that is unfamiliar to you. It's easy for the natural genius to conflate a lack of understanding of one technical subject with a lack of knowledge in _all_ technical subjects. While working remotely, it's even easier to get stuck in your head, and asynchronous collaboration means you're not communicating in real-time.\n\nSometimes, in a quest to prove their smarts, the natural genius can overcorrect their feelings of impostor syndrome and dip their toes into the [Dunning-Kruger effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect), which describes a cognitive bias where people with low ability overestimate their capabilities. Don't fall into the trap of trying to write complicated and clever code to impress yourself and your techy colleagues.\n\nA tip: Don't be so hard on yourself. Instead, think about how you would approach your niece and nephew who may be having trouble with a particular subject in school. Would you admonish them for struggling? Hopefully not. Instead, check your ego at the door, embrace a growth mindset, and remember that learning something new is hard, but that doesn't mean you're incapable.\n\n### The lone ranger\n\n\"Soloists, as I call them, feel like they have to accomplish tasks on their own, and if they need to ask for help, it makes them feel like a fraud or a failure,\" said Taylor. \"When in reality, this is not true. It takes an army to build a company, to raise a child, to build a successful career. This is one where asking for help is not a sign of weakness. In fact, it's actually a sign of strength.\"\n\nThe lone ranger complex is alive and well in a remote work set-up. Without your colleagues nearby, the impulse can be to fumble through a challenging workflow instead of reaching out to a colleague with your questions.\n\nWe are encouraged at GitLab to be a [manager of one](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#managers-of-one), meaning the individual is accountable for themselves and their own time, which could create an environment where impostor syndrome flourishes. Still, the company worked hard to encourage collaboration and communication through our [handbook](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/) and the GitLab tool itself. [Collaboration](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#collaboration) is one of our core values, and we have many methods for communication with colleagues when you might get stuck with a question that isn't documented in our handbook. Post to our #git-help channel on Slack, ping your manager in an issue, or create an MR for some broken code. Just remember, when you find the solution, write it down.\n\nOur [document everything](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#write-things-down) policy and emphasis on collaboration helps to slay the lone ranger vampire at a company-wide level.\n\n### The experts\n\nThe expert feels as though they need to accumulate every single piece of information before they are qualified enough to dive into a new project or new role.\n\nThere are far too many smart and qualified people who feel as though their competence is measured only by what they've already accomplished, and their incompetence is measured by what you are striving to achieve. This insecurity will lead people to collect certifications and do exhaustive research before taking the plunge by diving into a challenging new project or applying for a new role.\n\nWomen-identifying individuals are particularly vulnerable to \"the expert\" fallacy. Research indicates that women-identifying folks are more likely to talk themselves out of opportunities or not apply for promotions or new roles when they don't meet the total list of qualifications.\n\nGitLab has established two mentorship programs that help our team members lean in to new opportunities: CEO shadow and the Minorities in Tech (MIT) Team Member Resource Group (TMRG) mentorship program. The [CEO shadow](/blog/gitlab-remote-ceo-shadow-takeaways/) program is a (formerly in-person, now remote) rotation designed to give future senior leaders insight into the operations of the company by following GitLab CEO [Sid Sijbranij](/company/team/#sytses) throughout his day. Earlier this year, the MIT TMRG launched a [new mentorship program](/diversity-inclusion-belonging/) that connects underrepresented minorities that work at GitLab to senior leaders.\n\n## What can you do about impostor syndrome?\n\nImpostor syndrome is fueled by the negative scripts we use to narrate our life, so one of the methods for combatting impostor syndrome is to reframe your thinking.\n\nIt can be tough to identify your negative thoughts in the moment (meditation and yoga can help here), but once you can identify a negative thought, challenge it.\n\n\"Ask, 'What is objectively the answer to this negative thought? Is it true? Is there any grounding evidence that suggests that it's true?',\" Taylor explained. \"And then you want to reframe that. Now that you've looked at your negative thought in an objective light, you probably have some very tangible points to be able to take that energy then and say: 'Actually, I had this negative thought, but instead I'm feeling these things because of X, Y, or Z'.\"\n\nThe growth mindset can be a helpful way to combat feelings of impostor syndrome. The idea that success is rooted in learning from mistakes and catalyzing your potential, as opposed to achievement itself, will help rewrite the script that holds so many of us back.\n\n# More questions about impostor syndrome?\n\nThanks to Taylor for putting together the presentation that this blog post is based on. Watch Taylor's presentation from GitLab Virtual Contribute 2020 in full below:\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/mICmSotKwik\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nCover image by [Brett Jordan](https://unsplash.com/@brett_jordan?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/perfectionism?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)\n{: .note}\n",[9,844],{"slug":1649,"featured":6,"template":698},"imposter-syndrome-and-remote-work","content:en-us:blog:imposter-syndrome-and-remote-work.yml","Imposter Syndrome And Remote Work","en-us/blog/imposter-syndrome-and-remote-work.yml","en-us/blog/imposter-syndrome-and-remote-work",{"_path":1655,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1656,"content":1662,"config":1669,"_id":1671,"_type":13,"title":1672,"_source":15,"_file":1673,"_stem":1674,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/leah-petersen-user-spotlight",{"title":1657,"description":1658,"ogTitle":1657,"ogDescription":1658,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1659,"ogUrl":1660,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1660,"schema":1661},"From motorcycle stunter to DevOps: Finding love for CI/CD","Switching to GitLab helped a newly minted DevOps engineer grasp the concept of CI/CD.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749663760/Blog/Hero%20Images/image-for-leah-post.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/leah-petersen-user-spotlight","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Motorcycle stunter turned DevOps engineer says GitLab helped her learn to \"love\" CI/CD\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Aricka Flowers\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-06-21\",\n      }",{"title":1663,"description":1658,"authors":1664,"heroImage":1659,"date":1665,"body":1666,"category":820,"tags":1667},"Motorcycle stunter turned DevOps engineer says GitLab helped her learn to \"love\" CI/CD",[1407],"2018-06-21","\nWhen professional motorcycle stuntwoman turned developer Leah Petersen switched from Jenkins to GitLab, she was a bit nervous to say the least. Having only worked in tech for nine months, the [Samsung SDS](https://www.samsungsds.com/us/en/index.html) engineer was not enthused about the prospect of having to learn a new application after feeling like she had “just started to get competent” with Jenkins.\n\nAfter a self-described mini pity party, she dove into GitLab head first, jumping into a few big ticket projects to get a handle on the landscape. Within a few short months, Petersen was so impressed by her GitLab CI/CD experience that she felt the need to shout her newfound “love” for continuous integration and continuous delivery from the virtual mountaintop of [her blog](https://leahnp.github.io/2018/moving-from-jenkins-to-gitlab-CI/).\n\nWe recently met up with Petersen to learn more about her transition to the tech world and experience with GitLab.\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/Avx_RftRT_o\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n### Q & A with Leah Petersen, DevOps Engineer\n\n**Where do you work and what does your team do?**\n\nI work for a team in Samsung SDS called the Cloud Native Computing Team, and I'm [a DevOps engineer](https://about.gitlab.com/topics/devops/what-is-a-devops-engineer/). We deal primarily with containers in Kubernetes and helping companies modernize and move to the cloud. My team is super unique. We were kind of treated like an incubated startup within Samsung, so we're really given a lot of autonomy to make our own decisions.\n\nOur team was put together about five years ago, and Samsung really made a bet on Kubernetes being the future of orchestrating huge workloads in the cloud. Initially, we were focusing mainly on research and development, contributing to the Kubernetes community and learning who was a part of it, what their motives were, and how we could find our place in it. Over the last year, Samsung has really pivoted our role in the company, and we're looking at how we can help Samsung as a global organization move to Kubernetes and containers.\n\n**Where did you work before Samsung?**\n\nI was a motorcycle stunt rider before I became an engineer, and that career kind of organically grew out of my passion for motorcycles. I started stunting, loved the community and was able to meet people all over the country and travel. Being one of the few women who did it, I organically started getting calls for jobs and gigs. I thought, “If I can do this in my 20s and make this my full-time career, I'm definitely going to take a shot at it,” so I did.\n\nIt was an amazing opportunity and experience to travel the world and meet people all over this planet who are passionate about this crazy thing that I'm also passionate about. And I got to work with a lot of amazing brands and raise awareness about the sport that I love. So, I don't have any regrets about that and cherish the time that I got to spend on a motorcycle professionally.\n\n**How did you move from being a professional motorcycle stunter to a DevOps engineer?**\n\nI had been looking for a new career path and wasn't really sure what I was going to do. I knew that I wanted to build some tangible skills. I wanted skills that had a clear market value, and tech definitely provides that.\n\nI ended up taking an online coding course in Python, and had this “aha” moment where I realized, not only can I do this, which I didn't think was previously possible, but it's fun; I really like solving these problems. At that point I started taking more online courses and learning as much as I could for free. Then I ended up finding [Ada Developers Academy](https://www.adadevelopersacademy.org/), and that was the perfect segue into the industry.\n\n> I had this “aha” moment where I realized, not only can I do this, which I didn't think was previously possible, but it's fun\n\n**Can you describe how your experience has been as woman in tech?**\n\nYou definitely get a lot of strange reactions being a woman in tech. Walking into a situation, oftentimes people are surprised you're an engineer. You'll get reactions like, “Oh, I thought you were a project manager,” or, “I thought you were a recruiter,” or whatever other stereotype that you brought into the room. That can be discouraging and makes you feel unwelcome in that space. But I think we need women in every part of tech: frontend, backend, DevOps, operations, everything. If your interest is in UX, go for that. But don't let all the men who've been in the industry for 25 years on the operations side of things scare you off either. I really think we need diverse minds and approaches to problems in the whole spectrum of it.\n\nSometimes I forget about the gender disparity in tech because my team, specifically, has a couple of really amazing women who I get to work with every day. So, I'm very fortunate. But I recently went to KubeCon in Copenhagen, and it's a amazing conference with so much energy, but it's a real wake up call when you see the gender disparity there. There's 4,000 guys walking around and you feel like you stick out [or] when you're sitting in an auditorium, look around and realize, “Oh, I'm the only lady here.” It's something that you can't look away from.\n\n**Why did you decide to go into DevOps engineering?**\n\nIn my boot camp classes we were focusing on web development and building Ruby on Rails and Node.js apps. We each had an opportunity to do an internship at companies in Seattle that support the Ada program. Samsung was one of them, and they came in to do a presentation about their involvement in open source and Kubernetes. I had no idea what they were talking about, but Kubernetes and the momentum of the open source community was really appealing to me. So I took a chance and picked Samsung, dove right in, and found my way as I went along. I'm really happy that I chose Kubernetes and to specialize in the cloud.\n\n>Kubernetes and the momentum of the open source community was really appealing to me. So I took a chance, dove right in, and found my way as I went along\n\n**How did you get started with GitLab CI/CD? And how would you describe your transition to the application?**\n\nI always felt like I was fighting with the CI platform we were on prior to GitLab. It was never really functioning how we wanted it to, and something was always kind of failing. The whole reason you have CI/CD is to get visibility into what's happening with your code, right? You want to run your code through this pipeline and make sure there are no bugs, that you’re packaging it correctly and putting it in the places that you need it to be in production. It's this hugely critical component of going from the developer's computer to the world; that's the pipeline. So you really need the visibility to see what is happening every step of the way.\n\nOn the old system, I felt that I just didn't have that visibility. I was digging for the problems and not able to understand where they were coming from, where they were originating from, why they were happening or how to fix them. I feel like GitLab definitely does a great job of assisting the user in finding the origin of a problem, tracing that step back and making it clear where your issues are and when you're having success.\n\n**How has using GitLab impacted your career and workflow?**\n\nThere's a lot of talk about accessibility and user experience in tech. And we all know what it's like to have a bad user experience with a piece of technology; it's the most frustrating thing in the entire world. As a developer, you deal with lots of different tech every single day. When I started using GitLab about a year and a half into my career, it was certainly the first platform where I was like, ‘I feel so at home here. Everything’s fluid. I can find where everything is. I understand what everything is.’ There aren't these big black holes of confusion that have me asking, “Why does this exist and what am I doing here?’”\n\nWith GitLab, everything is just this cheery, happy place. And I really appreciate how it has now set the bar for me when it comes to the way in which a technology should function when I’m working with it.\n\nCover photo by [Rendiansyah Nugroho](https://unsplash.com/photos/JUePy_-uOSI) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/)\n{: .note}\n",[9,1108,1287,944,695,268,694,1668],"user stories",{"slug":1670,"featured":6,"template":698},"leah-petersen-user-spotlight","content:en-us:blog:leah-petersen-user-spotlight.yml","Leah Petersen User Spotlight","en-us/blog/leah-petersen-user-spotlight.yml","en-us/blog/leah-petersen-user-spotlight",{"_path":1676,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1677,"content":1683,"config":1692,"_id":1694,"_type":13,"title":1695,"_source":15,"_file":1696,"_stem":1697,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/learn-advanced-rust-programming-with-a-little-help-from-ai-code-suggestions",{"title":1678,"description":1679,"ogTitle":1678,"ogDescription":1679,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1680,"ogUrl":1681,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1681,"schema":1682},"Learn advanced Rust programming with a little help from AI","Use this guided tutorial, along with AI-powered GitLab Duo Code Suggestions, to continue learning advanced Rust programming.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749662439/Blog/Hero%20Images/codewithheart.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/learn-advanced-rust-programming-with-a-little-help-from-ai-code-suggestions","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Learn advanced Rust programming with a little help from AI\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Michael Friedrich\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-10-12\",\n      }",{"title":1678,"description":1679,"authors":1684,"heroImage":1680,"date":1686,"body":1687,"category":1688,"tags":1689},[1685],"Michael Friedrich","2023-10-12","When I started learning a new programming language more than 20 years ago,\nwe had access to the Visual Studio 6 MSDN library, installed from 6 CD-ROMs.\nAlgorithms with pen and paper, design pattern books, and MSDN queries to\nfigure out the correct type were often time-consuming. Learning a new\nprogramming language changed fundamentally in the era of remote\ncollaboration and artificial intelligence (AI). Now you can spin up a\n[remote development\nworkspace](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/quick-start-guide-for-gitlab-workspaces/),\nshare your screen, and engage in a group programming session. With the help\nof [GitLab Duo Code Suggestions](/gitlab-duo/), you always have an\nintelligent partner at your fingertips. Code Suggestions can learn from your\nprogramming style and experience. They only need input and context to\nprovide you with the most efficient suggestions.\n\n\nIn this tutorial, we build on the [getting started blog\npost](/blog/learning-rust-with-a-little-help-from-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/)\nand design and create a simple feed reader application.\n\n\n- [Preparations](#preparations)\n    - [Code Suggestions](#code-suggestions)\n- [Continue learning Rust](#continue-learning-rust)\n    - [Hello, Reader App](#hello-reader-app)\n    - [Initialize project](#initialize-project)\n    - [Define RSS feed URLs](#define-rss-feed-urls)\n- [Modules](#modules)\n    - [Call the module function in main()](#call-the-module-function-in-main)\n- [Crates](#crates)\n    - [feed-rs: parse XML feed](#feed-rs-parse-xml-feed)\n- [Runtime configuration: Program\narguments](#runtime-configuration-program-arguments)\n    - [User input error handling](#user-input-error-handling)\n- [Persistence and data storage](#persistence-and-data-storage)\n\n- [Optimization](#optimization)\n    - [Asynchronous execution](#asynchronous-execution)\n    - [Spawning threads](#spawning-threads)\n    - [Function scopes, threads, and closures](#function-scopes-threads-and-closures)\n- [Parse feed XML into objects](#parse-feed-xml-into-object-types)\n    - [Map generic feed data types](#map-generic-feed-data-types)\n    - [Error handling with Option::unwrap()](#error-handling-with-option-unwrap)\n- [Benchmarks](#benchmarks)\n    - [Sequential vs. Parallel execution benchmark](#sequential-vs-parallel-execution-benchmark)\n    - [CI/CD with Rust caching](#cicd-with-rust-caching)\n- [What is next](#what-is-next)\n    - [Async learning exercises](#async-learning-exercises)\n    - [Share your feedback](#share-your-feedback)\n\n## Preparations\n\nBefore diving into the source code, make sure to set up [VS\nCode](/blog/learning-rust-with-a-little-help-from-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/#vs-code)\nand [your development environment with\nRust](/blog/learning-rust-with-a-little-help-from-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/#development-environment-for-rust).\n\n\n### Code Suggestions\n\nFamiliarize yourself with suggestions before actually verifying the\nsuggestions. GitLab Duo Code Suggestions are provided as you type, so you do\nnot need use specific keyboard shortcuts. To accept a code suggestion, press\nthe `tab` key. Also note that writing new code works more reliably than\nrefactoring existing code. AI is non-deterministic, which means that the\nsame suggestion may not be repeated after deleting the code suggestion.\nWhile Code Suggestions is in Beta, we are working on improving the accuracy\nof generated content overall. Please review the [known\nlimitations](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/repository/code_suggestions.html#known-limitations),\nas this could affect your learning experience.\n\n\n**Tip:** The latest release of Code Suggestions supports multi-line\ninstructions. You can refine the specifications to your needs to get better\nsuggestions.\n\n\n```rust\n    // Create a function that iterates over the source array\n    // and fetches the data using HTTP from the RSS feed items.\n    // Store the results in a new hash map.\n    // Print the hash map to the terminal.\n```\n\n\nThe VS Code extension overlay is shown when offering a suggestion. You can\nuse the `tab` key to accept the suggested line(s), or `cmd cursor right` to\naccept one word. Additionally, the three dots menu allows you to always show\nthe toolbar.\n\n\n![VS Code GitLab Duo Code Suggestions overlay with\ninstructions](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/vs_code_code_suggestions_options_overlay_keep_toolbar.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\n## Continue learning Rust\n\nNow, let us continue learning Rust, which is one of the [supported languages\nin Code\nSuggestions](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/repository/code_suggestions.html#supported-languages).\n[Rust by Example](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/) provides an\nexcellent tutorial for beginners, together with the official [Rust\nbook](https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/). Both resources are referenced\nthroughout this blog post.\n\n\n### Hello, Reader App\n\nThere are many ways to create an application and learn Rust. Some of them\ninvolve using existing Rust libraries - so-called `Crates`. We will use them\na bit further into the blog post. For example, you could create a\ncommand-line app that processes images and writes the result to a file.\nSolving a classic maze or writing a Sudoku solver can also be a fun\nchallenge. Game development is another option. The book [Hands-on\nRust](https://hands-on-rust.com/) provides a thorough learning path by\ncreating a dungeon crawler game. My colleague Fatima Sarah Khalid started\nthe [Dragon Realm in C++ with a little help from\nAI](/blog/building-a-text-adventure-using-cplusplus-and-code-suggestions/)\n-- check it out, too.\n\n\nHere is a real use case that helps solve an actual problem: Collecting\nimportant information from different sources into RSS feeds for (security)\nreleases, blog posts, and social discussion forums like Hacker News. Often,\nwe want to filter for specific keywords or versions mentioned in the\nupdates. These requirements allow us to formulate a requirements list for\nour application:\n\n\n1. Fetch data from different sources (HTTP websites, REST API, RSS feeds).\nRSS feeds in the first iteration.\n\n1. Parse the data.\n\n1. Present the data to the user, or write it to disk.\n\n1. Optimize performance.\n\n\nThe following example application output will be available after the\nlearning steps in this blog post:\n\n\n![VS Code Terminal, cargo run with formatted feed entries\noutput](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/vs_code_terminal_cargo_run_formatted_output_final.png)\n\n\nThe application should be modular and build the foundation to add more data\ntypes, filters, and hooks to trigger actions at a later point.\n\n\n### Initialize project\n\nReminder: `cargo init` in the project root creates the file structure,\nincluding the `main()` entrypoint. Therefore, we will learn how to create\nand use Rust modules in the next step.\n\n\nCreate a new directory called `learn-rust-ai-app-reader`, change into it and\nrun `cargo init`. This command implicitly runs `git init` to initialize a\nnew Git repository locally. The remaining step is to configure the Git\nremote repository path, for example,\n`https://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/ai/learn-with-ai/learn-rust-ai-app-reader`.\nPlease adjust the path for your namespace. Pushing the Git repository\n[automatically creates a new private project in\nGitLab](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/#create-a-new-project-with-git-push).\n\n\n```shell\n\nmkdir learn-rust-ai-app-reader\n\ncd learn-rust-ai-app-reader\n\n\ncargo init\n\n\ngit remote add origin\nhttps://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/ai/learn-with-ai/learn-rust-ai-app-reader.git\n\ngit push --set-upstream origin main\n\n```\n\n\nOpen VS Code from the newly created directory. The `code` CLI will spawn a\nnew VS Code window on macOS.\n\n\n```shell\n\ncode .\n\n```\n\n\n### Define RSS feed URLs\n\nAdd a new hashmap to store the RSS feed URLs inside the `src/main.rs` file\nin the `main()` function. You can instruct GitLab Duo Code Suggestions with\na multi-line comment to create a\n[`HashMap`](https://doc.rust-lang.org/stable/std/collections/struct.HashMap.html)\nobject, and initialize it with default values for Hacker News, and\nTechCrunch. Note: Verify that the URLs are correct when you get suggestions.\n\n\n```rust\n\nfn main() {\n    // Define RSS feed URLs in the variable rss_feeds\n    // Use a HashMap\n    // Add Hacker News and TechCrunch\n    // Ensure to use String as type\n\n}\n\n```\n\n\nNote that the code comment provides instructions for:\n\n\n1. The variable name `rss_feeds`.\n\n2. The `HashMap` type.\n\n3. Initial seed key/value pairs.\n\n4. String as type (can be seen with `to_string()` calls).\n\n\nOne possible suggested path can be as follows:\n\n\n```rust\n\nuse std::collections::HashMap;\n\n\nfn main() {\n    // Define RSS feed URLs in the variable rss_feeds\n    // Use a HashMap\n    // Add Hacker News and TechCrunch\n    // Ensure to use String as type\n    let rss_feeds = HashMap::from([\n        (\"Hacker News\".to_string(), \"https://news.ycombinator.com/rss\".to_string()),\n        (\"TechCrunch\".to_string(), \"https://techcrunch.com/feed/\".to_string()),\n    ]);\n\n}\n\n```\n\n\n![VS Code with Code Suggestions for RSS feed URLs for Hacker News and\nTechCrunch](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/vs_code_main_array_rss_feed_urls_suggested.png)\n\n\nOpen a new terminal in VS Code (cmd shift p - search for `terminal`), and\nrun `cargo build` to build the changes. The error message instructs you to\nadd the `use std::collections::HashMap;` import.\n\n\nThe next step is to do something with the RSS feed URLs. [The previous blog\npost](/blog/learning-rust-with-a-little-help-from-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/)\ntaught us to split code into functions. We want to organize the code more\nmodularly for our reader application, and use Rust modules.\n\n\n## Modules\n\n[Modules](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/mod.html) help with\norganizing code. They can also be used to hide functions into the module\nscope, limiting access to them from the main() scope. In our reader\napplication, we want to fetch the RSS feed content, and parse the XML\nresponse. The `main()` caller should only be able to access the\n`get_feeds()` function, while other functionality is only available in the\nmodule.\n\n\nCreate a new file `feed_reader.rs` in the `src/` directory. Instruct Code\nSuggestions to create a public module named `feed_reader`, and a public\nfunction `get_feeds()` with a String HashMap as input. Important: The file\nand module names need to be the same, following the [Rust module\nstructure](https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/ch07-02-defining-modules-to-control-scope-and-privacy.html).\n\n\n![Code Suggestions: Create public module, with function and input\ntypes](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/code_suggestions_rust_public_module_function_input.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\nInstructing Code Suggestions with the input variable name and type will also\nimport the required `std::collections::HashMap` module. Tip: Experiment with\nthe comments, and refine the variable types to land the best results.\nPassing function parameters as object references is considered best practice\nin Rust, for example.\n\n\n```rust\n\n// Create public module feed_reader\n\n// Define get_feeds() function which takes rss_feeds as String HashMap\nreference as input\n\npub mod feed_reader {\n    use std::collections::HashMap;\n\n    pub fn get_feeds(rss_feeds: &HashMap\u003CString, String>) {\n        // Do something with the RSS feeds\n    }\n}\n\n```\n\n\n![Code Suggestions: Public module with `get_feeds()` function, and suggested\ninput\nvariable](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/code_suggestions_rust_public_module_function_input.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\nInside the function, continue to instruct Code Suggestions with the\nfollowing steps:\n\n\n1. `// Iterate over the RSS feed URLs`\n\n2. `// Fetch URL content`\n\n3. `// Parse XML body`\n\n4. `// Print the result`\n\n\n![Code Suggestions: Public module with `get_feeds()` function, step 1:\nIterate](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/code_suggestions_rust_module_function_01_iterate.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\n![Code Suggestions: Public module with `get_feeds()` function, step 2: Fetch\nURL\ncontent](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/code_suggestions_rust_module_function_02_fetch_content.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\n![Code Suggestions: Public module with `get_feeds()` function, step 3: Parse\nXML\nbody](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/code_suggestions_rust_module_function_03_parse_body.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\n![Code Suggestions: Public module with `get_feeds()` function, step 4: Print\nthe\nresults](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/code_suggestions_rust_module_function_04_print_result.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\nThe following code can be suggested:\n\n\n```rust\n\n// Create public module feed_reader\n\n// Define get_feeds() function which takes rss_feeds as String HashMap\nreference as input\n\npub mod feed_reader {\n    use std::collections::HashMap;\n\n    pub fn get_feeds(rss_feeds: &HashMap\u003CString, String>) {\n        // Iterate over the RSS feed URLs\n        for (name, url) in rss_feeds {\n            println!(\"{}: {}\", name, url);\n\n            // Fetch URL content\n            let body = reqwest::blocking::get(url).unwrap().text().unwrap();\n\n            // Parse XML body\n            let parsed_body = roxmltree::Document::parse(&body).unwrap();\n\n            // Print the result\n            println!(\"{:#?}\", parsed_body);\n        }\n    }\n}\n\n```\n\n\nYou see a new keyword here:\n[`unwrap()`](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/error/option_unwrap.html).\nRust does not support `null` values, and uses the [`Option`\ntype](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/std/option.html) for any\nvalue. If you are certain to use a specific wrapped type, for example,\n`Text` or `String`, you can call the `unwrap()` method to get the value. The\n`unwrap()` method will panic if the value is `None`.\n\n\n**Note** Code Suggestions referred to the `reqwest::blocking::get` function\nfor the `// Fetch URL content` comment instruction. The [`reqwest`\ncrate](https://docs.rs/reqwest/latest/reqwest/) name is intentional and not\na typo. It provides a convenient, higher-level HTTP client for async and\nblocking requests.\n\n\nParsing the XML body is tricky - you might get different results, and the\nschema is not the same for every RSS feed URL. Let us try to call the\n`get_feeds()` function, and then work on improving the code.\n\n\n### Call the module function in main()\n\n\nThe main() function does not know about the `get_feeds()` function yet, so\nwe need to import its module. In other programming languages, you might have\nseen the keywords `include` or `import`. The Rust module system is\ndifferent.\n\n\nModules are organized in path directories. In our example, both source files\nexist on the same directory level. `feed_reader.rs` is interpreted as crate,\ncontaining one module called `feed_reader`, which defines the function\n`get_feeds()`.\n\n\n```\n\nsrc/\n  main.rs\n  feed_reader.rs\n```\n\n\nIn order to access `get_feeds()` from the `feed_reader.rs` file, we need to\n[bring module\npath](https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/ch07-04-bringing-paths-into-scope-with-the-use-keyword.html)\ninto the `main.rs` scope first, and then call the full function path.\n\n\n```rust\n\nmod feed_reader;\n\n\nfn main() {\n\n    feed_reader::feed_reader::get_feeds(&rss_feeds);\n\n```\n\n\nAlternatively, we can import the full function path with the `use` keyword,\nand later use the short function name.\n\n\n```rust\n\nmod feed_reader;\n\nuse feed_reader::feed_reader::get_feeds;\n\n\nfn main() {\n\n    get_feeds(&rss_feeds);\n\n```\n\n\n**Tip:** I highly recommend reading the [Clear explanation of the Rust\nmodule system blog\npost](https://www.sheshbabu.com/posts/rust-module-system/) to get a better\nvisual understanding.\n\n\n```diff\n\n\nfn main() {\n    // ...\n\n    // Print feed_reader get_feeds() output\n    println!(\"{}\", feed_reader::get_feeds(&rss_feeds));\n```\n\n\n```rust\n\nuse std::collections::HashMap;\n\n\nmod feed_reader;\n\n// Alternative: Import full function path\n\n//use feed_reader::feed_reader::get_feeds;\n\n\nfn main() {\n    // Define RSS feed URLs in the variable rss_feeds\n    // Use a HashMap\n    // Add Hacker News and TechCrunch\n    // Ensure to use String as type\n    let rss_feeds = HashMap::from([\n        (\"Hacker News\".to_string(), \"https://news.ycombinator.com/rss\".to_string()),\n        (\"TechCrunch\".to_string(), \"https://techcrunch.com/feed/\".to_string()),\n    ]);\n\n    // Call get_feeds() from feed_reader module\n    feed_reader::feed_reader::get_feeds(&rss_feeds);\n    // Alternative: Imported full path, use short path here.\n    //get_feeds(&rss_feeds);\n}\n\n```\n\n\nRun `cargo build` in the terminal again to build the code.\n\n\n```shell\n\ncargo build\n\n```\n\n\nPotential build errors when Code Suggestions refer to common code and\nlibraries for HTTP requests, and XML parsing:\n\n\n1. Error: `could not find blocking in reqwest`. Solution: Enable the\n`blocking` feature for the crate in `Config.toml`: `reqwest = { version =\n\"0.11.20\", features = [\"blocking\"] }`.\n\n2. Error: `failed to resolve: use of undeclared crate or module reqwest`.\nSolution: Add the `reqwest` crate.\n\n3. Error: `failed to resolve: use of undeclared crate or module roxmltree`.\nSolution: Add the `roxmltree` crate.\n\n\n```shell\n\nvim Config.toml\n\n\nreqwest = { version = \"0.11.20\", features = [\"blocking\"] }\n\n```\n\n\n```shell\n\ncargo add reqwest\n\ncargo add roxmltree\n\n```\n\n\n**Tip:** Copy the error message string, with a leading `Rust \u003Cerror\nmessage>` into your preferred browser to check whether a missing crate is\navailable. Usually this search leads to a result on crates.io and you can\nadd the missing dependencies.\n\n\nWhen the build is successful, run the code with `cargo run` and inspect the\nHacker News RSS feed output.\n\n\n![VS Code terminal, cargo run to fetch Hacker News XML\nfeed](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/vs_code_terminal_fetch_rss_feed_output_hacker_news.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\nWhat is next with parsing the XML body into human-readable format? In the\nnext section, we will learn about existing solutions and how Rust crates\ncome into play.\n\n\n## Crates\n\nRSS feeds share a common set of protocols and specifications. It feels like\nreinventing the wheel to parse XML items and understand the lower object\nstructure. Recommendation for these types of tasks: Look whether someone\nelse had the same problem already and might have created code to solve the\nproblem.\n\n\nReusable library code in Rust is organized in so-called\n[`Crates`](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/crates.html), and made\navailable in packages, and the package registry on crates.io. You can add\nthese dependencies to your project by editing the `Config.toml` in the\n`[dependencies]` section, or using `cargo add \u003Cname>`.\n\n\nFor the reader app, we want to use the [feed-rs\ncrate](https://crates.io/crates/feed-rs). Open a new terminal, and run the\nfollowing command:\n\n\n```shell\n\ncargo add feed-rs\n\n```\n\n\n![VS Code Terminal Terminal: Add crate, verify in\nConfig.toml](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/vs_code_rust_crate_add_feed-rs_explained.png)\n\n\n### feed-rs: parse XML feed\n\nNavigate into `src/feed_reader.rs` and modify the part where we parse the\nXML body. Code Suggestions understands how to call the `feed-rs` crate\n`parser::parse` function -- there is only one specialty here: `feed-rs`\n[expects string input as raw\nbytes](https://docs.rs/feed-rs/latest/feed_rs/parser/fn.parse_with_uri.html)\nto determine the encoding itself. We can provide instructions in the comment\nto get the expected result though.\n\n\n```rust\n            // Parse XML body with feed_rs parser, input in bytes\n            let parsed_body = feed_rs::parser::parse(body.as_bytes()).unwrap();\n```\n\n\n![Code Suggestions: Public module with `get_feeds()` function, step 5:\nModify XML parser to\nfeed-rs](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/code_suggestions_rust_module_function_05_use_feed_rs_to_parse.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\nThe benefit of using `feed-rs` is not immediately visible until you see the\nprinted output with `cargo run`: All keys and values are mapped to their\nrespective Rust object types, and can be used for further operations.\n\n\n![VS Code terminal, cargo run to fetch Hacker News XML\nfeed](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/vs_code_terminal_fetch_rss_feed_output_hacker_news_feed_rs.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\n## Runtime configuration: Program arguments\n\nUntil now, we have run the program with hard-coded RSS feed values compiled\ninto the binary. The next step is allowing to configure the RSS feeds at\nruntime.\n\n\nRust provides [program\narguments](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/std_misc/arg.html) in\nthe standard misc library. [Parsing the\narguments](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/std_misc/arg/matching.html)\nprovides a better and faster learning experience than aiming for advanced\nprogram argument parsers (for example, the\n[clap](https://docs.rs/clap/latest/clap/) crate), or moving the program\nparameters into a configuration file and format\n([TOML](https://toml.io/en/), YAML). You are reading these lines after I\ntried and failed with different routes for the best learning experience.\nThis should not stop you from taking the challenge to configure RSS feeds in\nalternative ways.\n\n\nAs a boring solution, the command parameters can be passed as `\"name,url\"`\nstring value pairs, and then are split by the `,` character to extract the\nname and URL values. The comment instructs Code Suggestions to perform these\noperations and extend the `rss_feeds` HashMap with the new values. Note that\nthe variable might not be mutable, and, therefore, needs to be modified to\n`let mut rss_feeds`.\n\n\nNavigate into `src/main.rs` and add the following code to the `main()`\nfunction after the `rss_feeds` variable. Start with a comment to define the\nprogram arguments, and check the suggested code snippets.\n\n\n```rust\n    // Program args, format \"name,url\"\n    // Split value by , into name, url and add to rss_feeds\n```\n\n\n![Code suggestions for program arguments, and splitting name,URL values for\nthe rss_feeds\nvariable](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/code_suggestions_rust_program_args_boring_solution.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\nThe full code example can look like the following:\n\n\n```rust\n\nfn main() {\n    // Define RSS feed URLs in the variable rss_feeds\n    // Use a HashMap\n    // Add Hacker News and TechCrunch\n    // Ensure to use String as type\n    let mut rss_feeds = HashMap::from([\n        (\"Hacker News\".to_string(), \"https://news.ycombinator.com/rss\".to_string()),\n        (\"TechCrunch\".to_string(), \"https://techcrunch.com/feed/\".to_string()),\n    ]);\n\n    // Program args, format \"name,url\"\n    // Split value by , into name, url and add to rss_feeds\n    for arg in std::env::args().skip(1) {\n        let mut split = arg.split(\",\");\n        let name = split.next().unwrap();\n        let url = split.next().unwrap();\n        rss_feeds.insert(name.to_string(), url.to_string());\n    }\n\n    // Call get_feeds() from feed_reader module\n    feed_reader::feed_reader::get_feeds(&rss_feeds);\n    // Alternative: Imported full path, use short path here.\n    //get_feeds(&rss_feeds);\n}\n\n```\n\n\nYou can pass program arguments directly to the `cargo run` command,\npreceding the arguments with `--`. Enclose all arguments with double quotes,\nput the name followed by a comma and the RSS feed URL as argument. Separate\nall arguments with whitespaces.\n\n\n```\n\ncargo build\n\n\ncargo run -- \"GitLab Blog,https://about.gitlab.com/atom.xml\"\n\"CNCF,https://www.cncf.io/feed/\"\n\n```\n\n\n![VS Code terminal, RSS feed output example for the GitLab\nblog](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/vs_code_terminal_gitlab_blog_rss_feed_example.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\n### User input error handling\n\nIf the provided user input does not match the program expectation, we need\nto [throw an error](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/error.html)\nand help the caller to fix the program arguments. For example, passing a\nmalformed URL format should be treated as a runtime error. Instruct Code\nSuggestions with a code comment to throw an error if the URL is not valid.\n\n\n```rust\n    // Ensure that URL contains a valid format, otherwise throw an error\n```\n\n\nOne possible solution is to check if the `url` variable starts with\n`http://` or `https://`. If not, throw an error using the [panic!\nmacro](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/std/panic.html). The full\ncode example looks like the following:\n\n\n```rust\n    // Program args, format \"name,url\"\n    // Split value by , into name, url and add to rss_feeds\n    for arg in std::env::args().skip(1) {\n        let mut split = arg.split(\",\");\n        let name = split.next().unwrap();\n        let url = split.next().unwrap();\n\n        // Ensure that URL contains a valid format, otherwise throw an error\n        if !url.starts_with(\"http://\") && !url.starts_with(\"https://\") {\n            panic!(\"Invalid URL format: {}\", url);\n        }\n\n        rss_feeds.insert(name.to_string(), url.to_string());\n    }\n```\n\n\nTest the error handling with removing a `:` in one of the URL strings. Add\nthe `RUST_BACKTRACE=full` environment variable to get more verbose output\nwhen the `panic()` call happens.\n\n\n```\n\nRUST_BACKTRACE=full cargo run -- \"GitLab\nBlog,https://about.gitlab.com/atom.xml\" \"CNCF,https//www.cncf.io/feed/\"\n\n```\n\n\n![VS Code Terminal with wrong URL format, panic error\nbacktrace](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/vs_code_terminal_url_format_error_panic_backtrace.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\n## Persistence and data storage\n\nThe boring solution for storing the feed data is to dump the parsed body\ninto a new file. Instruct Code Suggestions to use a pattern that includes\nthe RSS feed name, and the current ISO date.\n\n\n```rust\n    // Parse XML body with feed_rs parser, input in bytes\n    let parsed_body = feed_rs::parser::parse(body.as_bytes()).unwrap();\n\n    // Print the result\n    println!(\"{:#?}\", parsed_body);\n\n    // Dump the parsed body to a file, as name-current-iso-date.xml\n    let now = chrono::offset::Local::now();\n    let filename = format!(\"{}-{}.xml\", name, now.format(\"%Y-%m-%d\"));\n    let mut file = std::fs::File::create(filename).unwrap();\n    file.write_all(body.as_bytes()).unwrap();\n```\n\n\nA possible suggestion will include using the [chrono\ncrate](https://crates.io/crates/chrono). Add it using `cargo add chrono` and\nthen invoke `cargo build` and `cargo run` again.\n\n\nThe files are written into the same directory where `cargo run` was\nexecuted. If you are executing the binary direcly in the `target/debug/`\ndirectory, all files will be dumped there.\n\n\n![VS Code with CNCF RSS feed content file, saved on\ndisk](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/vs_code_cncf_rss_feed_saved_on_disk.png)\n\n\n## Optimization\n\nThe entries in the `rss_feeds` variable are executed sequentially. Imagine\nhaving a list of 100+ URLs configured - this could take a long time to fetch\nand process. What if we could execute multiple fetch requests in parallel?\n\n\n### Asynchronous execution\n\nRust provides [threads](https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/ch16-01-threads.html)\nfor asynchronous execution.\n\n\nThe simplest solution will be spawning a thread for each RSS feed URL. We\nwill discuss optimization strategies later. Before you continue with\nparallel execution, measure the sequential code execution time by preceding\nthe `time` command with `cargo run`.\n\n\n```\n\ntime cargo run -- \"GitLab Blog,https://about.gitlab.com/atom.xml\"\n\"CNCF,https://www.cncf.io/feed/\"\n\n\n0.21s user 0.08s system 10% cpu 2.898 total\n\n```\n\n\nNote that this exercise could require more manual code work. It is\nrecommended to persist the sequential working state in a new Git commit and\nbranch `sequential-exec`, to better compare the impact of parallel\nexecution.\n\n\n```shell\n\ngit commit -avm \"Sequential execution working\"\n\ngit checkout -b sequential-exec\n\ngit push -u origin sequential-exec\n\n\ngit checkout main\n\n```\n\n\n### Spawning threads\n\nOpen `src/feed_reader.rs` and refactor the `get_feeds()` function. Start\nwith a Git commit for the current state, and then delete the contents of the\nfunction scope. Add the following code comments with instructions for Code\nSuggestions:\n\n\n1. `// Store threads in vector`: Store thread handles in a vector, so we can\nwait for them to finish at the end of the function call.\n\n2. `// Loop over rss_feeds and spawn threads`: Create boilerplate code for\niterating over all RSS feeds, and spawn a new thread.\n\n\nAdd the following `use` statements to work with the `thread` and `time`\nmodules.\n\n\n```rust\n    use std::thread;\n    use std::time::Duration;\n```\n\n\nContinue writing the code, and close the for loop. Code Suggestions will\nautomatically propose adding the thread handle in the `threads` vector\nvariable, and offer to join the threads at the end of the function.\n\n\n```rust\n    pub fn get_feeds(rss_feeds: &HashMap\u003CString, String>) {\n\n        // Store threads in vector\n        let mut threads: Vec\u003Cthread::JoinHandle\u003C()>> = Vec::new();\n\n        // Loop over rss_feeds and spawn threads\n        for (name, url) in rss_feeds {\n            let thread_name = name.clone();\n            let thread_url = url.clone();\n            let thread = thread::spawn(move || {\n\n            });\n            threads.push(thread);\n        }\n\n        // Join threads\n        for thread in threads {\n            thread.join().unwrap();\n        }\n    }\n```\n\n\nAdd the `thread` crate, build and run the code again.\n\n\n```shell\n\ncargo add thread\n\n\ncargo build\n\n\ncargo run -- \"GitLab Blog,https://about.gitlab.com/atom.xml\"\n\"CNCF,https://www.cncf.io/feed/\"\n\n```\n\n\nAt this stage, no data is processed or printed. Before we continue re-adding\nthe functionality, let us learn about the newly introduced keywords here.\n\n\n### Function scopes, threads, and closures\n\nThe suggested code brings new keywords and design patterns to learn. The\nthread handle is of the type `thread::JoinHandle`, indicating that we can\nuse it to wait for the threads to finish\n([join()](https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/ch16-01-threads.html#waiting-for-all-threads-to-finish-using-join-handles)).\n\n\n`thread::spawn()` spawns a new thread, where we can pass a function object.\nIn this case, a\n[closure](https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/ch13-01-closures.html) expression\nis passed as anonymous function. Closure inputs are passed using the `||`\nsyntax. You will recognize the [`move`\nClosure](https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/ch16-01-threads.html#using-move-closures-with-threads),\nwhich moves the function scoped variables into the thread scope. This avoids\nmanually specifying which variables need to be passed into the new\nfunction/closure scope.\n\n\nThere is a limitation though: `rss_feeds` is a reference `&`, passed as\nparameter by the `get_feeds()` function caller. The variable is only valid\nin the function scope. Use the following code snippet to provoke this error:\n\n\n```rust\n\npub fn get_feeds(rss_feeds: &HashMap\u003CString, String>) {\n\n    // Store threads in vector\n    let mut threads: Vec\u003Cthread::JoinHandle\u003C()>> = Vec::new();\n\n    // Loop over rss_feeds and spawn threads\n    for (key, value) in rss_feeds {\n        let thread = thread::spawn(move || {\n            println!(\"{}\", key);\n        });\n    }\n}\n\n```\n\n\n![VS Code Terminal, variable scope error with references and thread move\nclosure](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/vs_code_terminal_cargo_build_error_function_threads_variable_scopes.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\nAlthough the `key` variable was created in the function scope, it references\nthe `rss_feeds` variable, and therefore, it cannot be moved into the thread\nscope. Any values accessed from the function parameter `rss_feeds` hash map\nwill require a local copy with `clone()`.\n\n\n![VS Code Terminal, thread spawn with\nclone](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/code_suggestions_rust_thread_spawn_clone.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\n```rust\n\npub fn get_feeds(rss_feeds: &HashMap\u003CString, String>) {\n\n    // Store threads in vector\n    let mut threads: Vec\u003Cthread::JoinHandle\u003C()>> = Vec::new();\n\n    // Loop over rss_feeds and spawn threads\n    for (name, url) in rss_feeds {\n        let thread_name = name.clone();\n        let thread_url = url.clone();\n        let thread = thread::spawn(move || {\n            // Use thread_name and thread_url as values, see next chapter for instructions.\n```\n\n\n## Parse feed XML into object types\n\nThe next step is to repeat the RSS feed parsing steps in the thread closure.\nAdd the following code comments with instructions for Code Suggestions:\n\n\n1. `// Parse XML body with feed_rs parser, input in bytes` to tell Code\nSuggestions that we want to fetch the RSS feed URL content, and parse it\nwith the `feed_rs` crate functions.\n\n2. `// Check feed_type attribute feed_rs::model::FeedType::RSS2 or Atom and\nprint its name`: Extract the feed type by comparing the `feed_type`\nattribute with the\n[`feed_rs::model::FeedType`](https://docs.rs/feed-rs/latest/feed_rs/model/enum.FeedType.html).\nThis needs more direct instructions for Code Suggestions telling it about\nthe exact Enum values to match against.\n\n\n![Instruct Code Suggestions to match against specific feed\ntypes](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/code_suggestions_feed_rs_type_condition.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\n```rust\n            // Parse XML body with feed_rs parser, input in bytes\n            let body = reqwest::blocking::get(thread_url).unwrap().bytes().unwrap();\n            let feed = feed_rs::parser::parse(body.as_ref()).unwrap();\n\n            // Check feed_type attribute feed_rs::model::FeedType::RSS2 or Atom and print its name\n            if feed.feed_type == feed_rs::model::FeedType::RSS2 {\n                println!(\"{} is an RSS2 feed\", thread_name);\n            } else if feed.feed_type == feed_rs::model::FeedType::Atom {\n                println!(\"{} is an Atom feed\", thread_name);\n            }\n```\n\n\nBuild and run the program again, and verify its output.\n\n\n```\n\ntime cargo run -- \"GitLab Blog,https://about.gitlab.com/atom.xml\"\n\"CNCF,https://www.cncf.io/feed/\"\n\n\nCNCF is an RSS2 feed\n\nTechCrunch is an RSS2 feed\n\nGitLab Blog is an Atom feed\n\nHacker News is an RSS2 feed\n\n```\n\n\nLet us verify this output by opening the feed URLs in the browser, or\ninspecting the previously downloaded files.\n\n\nHacker News supports RSS version 2.0, with\n`channel(title,link,description,item(title,link,pubDate,comments))`.\nTechCrunch and the CNCF blog follow a similar structure.\n\n```xml\n\n\u003Crss version=\"2.0\">\u003Cchannel>\u003Ctitle>Hacker\nNews\u003C/title>\u003Clink>https://news.ycombinator.com/\u003C/link>\u003Cdescription>Links for\nthe intellectually curious, ranked by\nreaders.\u003C/description>\u003Citem>\u003Ctitle>Writing a debugger from scratch:\nBreakpoints\u003C/title>\u003Clink>https://www.timdbg.com/posts/writing-a-debugger-from-scratch-part-5/\u003C/link>\u003CpubDate>Wed,\n27 Sep 2023 06:31:25\n+0000\u003C/pubDate>\u003Ccomments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37670938\u003C/comments>\u003Cdescription>\u003C![CDATA[\u003Ca\nhref=\"https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37670938\">Comments\u003C/a>]]>\u003C/description>\u003C/item>\u003Citem>\n\n```\n\n\nThe GitLab blog uses the\n[Atom](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc4287) feed format similar to\nRSS, but still requires different parsing logic.\n\n```xml\n\n\u003C?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8' ?>\n\n\u003Cfeed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom'>\n\n\u003C!-- / Get release posts -->\n\n\u003C!-- / Get blog posts -->\n\n\u003Ctitle>GitLab\u003C/title>\n\n\u003Cid>https://about.gitlab.com/blog\u003C/id>\n\n\u003Clink href='https://about.gitlab.com/blog/' />\n\n\u003Cupdated>2023-09-26T00:00:00+00:00\u003C/updated>\n\n\u003Cauthor>\n\n\u003Cname>The GitLab Team\u003C/name>\n\n\u003C/author>\n\n\u003Centry>\n\n\u003Ctitle>Atlassian Server ending: Goodbye disjointed toolchain, hello\nDevSecOps platform\u003C/title>\n\n\u003Clink\nhref='https://about.gitlab.com/blog/atlassian-server-ending-move-to-a-single-devsecops-platform/'\nrel='alternate' />\n\n\u003Cid>https://about.gitlab.com/blog/atlassian-server-ending-move-to-a-single-devsecops-platform/\u003C/id>\n\n\u003Cpublished>2023-09-26T00:00:00+00:00\u003C/published>\n\n\u003Cupdated>2023-09-26T00:00:00+00:00\u003C/updated>\n\n\u003Cauthor>\n\n\u003Cname>Dave Steer, Justin Farris\u003C/name>\n\n\u003C/author>\n\n```\n\n\n### Map generic feed data types\n\nUsing\n[`roxmltree::Document::parse`](https://docs.rs/roxmltree/latest/roxmltree/struct.Document.html)\nwould require us to understand the XML node tree and its specific tag names.\nFortunately,\n[feed_rs::model::Feed](https://docs.rs/feed-rs/latest/feed_rs/model/struct.Feed.html)\nprovides a combined model for RSS and Atom feeds, therefore let us continue\nusing the `feed_rs` crate.\n\n\n1. Atom: Feed->Feed, Entry->Entry\n\n2. RSS: Channel->Feed, Item->Entry\n\n\nIn addition to the mapping above, we need to extract the required\nattributes, and map their data types. It is helpful to open the\n[feed_rs::model\ndocumentation](https://docs.rs/feed-rs/latest/feed_rs/model/index.html) to\nunderstand the structs and their fields and implementations. Otherwise, some\nsuggestions would result in type conversion errors and compilation failures,\nthat are specific to the `feed_rs` implementation.\n\n\nA [`Feed`](https://docs.rs/feed-rs/latest/feed_rs/model/struct.Feed.html)\nstruct provides the `title`, type `Option\u003CText>` (either a value is set, or\nnothing). An\n[`Entry`](https://docs.rs/feed-rs/latest/feed_rs/model/struct.Entry.html)\nstruct provides:\n\n\n1. `title`: `Option\u003CText>`with\n[`Text`](https://docs.rs/feed-rs/latest/feed_rs/model/struct.Text.html) and\nthe `content` field as `String`.\n\n2. `updated`: `Option\u003CDateTime\u003CUtc>>` with\n[`DateTime`](https://docs.rs/chrono/latest/chrono/struct.DateTime.html) with\nthe [`format()`\nmethod](https://docs.rs/chrono/latest/chrono/struct.DateTime.html#method.format).\n\n3. `summary`: `Option\u003CText>`\n[`Text`](https://docs.rs/feed-rs/latest/feed_rs/model/struct.Text.html) and\nthe `content` field as `String`.\n\n4. `links`: `Vec\u003CLink>`, vector with\n[`Link`](https://docs.rs/feed-rs/latest/feed_rs/model/struct.Link.html)\nitems. The `href` attribute provides the raw URL string.\n\n\nUse this knowledge to extract the required data from the feed entries.\nReminder that all `Option` types need to call `unwrap()`, which requires\nmore raw instructions for Code Suggestions.\n\n\n```rust\n                // https://docs.rs/feed-rs/latest/feed_rs/model/struct.Feed.html\n                // https://docs.rs/feed-rs/latest/feed_rs/model/struct.Entry.html\n                // Loop over all entries, and print\n                // title.unwrap().content\n                // published.unwrap().format\n                // summary.unwrap().content\n                // links href as joined string\n                for entry in feed.entries {\n                    println!(\"Title: {}\", entry.title.unwrap().content);\n                    println!(\"Published: {}\", entry.published.unwrap().format(\"%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S\"));\n                    println!(\"Summary: {}\", entry.summary.unwrap().content);\n                    println!(\"Links: {:?}\", entry.links.iter().map(|link| link.href.clone()).collect::\u003CVec\u003CString>>().join(\", \"));\n                    println!();\n                }\n```\n\n\n![Code suggestions to print feed entry types, with specific\nrequirements](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/code_suggestions_print_feed_entries_fields_with_rust_type_specifics.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\n### Error handling with Option unwrap()\n\nContinue iterating on the multi-line instructions after building and running\nthe program again. Spoiler: `unwrap()` will call the `panic!` macro and\ncrash the program when it encounters empty values. This can happen if a\nfield like `summary` is not set in the feed data.\n\n\n```shell\n\nGitLab Blog is an Atom feed\n\nTitle: How the Colmena project uses GitLab to support citizen journalists\n\nPublished: 2023-09-27 00:00:00\n\nthread '\u003Cunnamed>' panicked at 'called `Option::unwrap()` on a `None`\nvalue', src/feed_reader.rs:40:59\n\n```\n\n\nA potential solution is to use\n[`std::Option::unwrap_or_else`](https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/option/enum.Option.html#method.unwrap_or_else)\nand set an empty string as default value. The syntax requires a closure that\nreturns an empty `Text` struct instantiation.\n\n\nSolving the problem required many attempts to find the correct\ninitialization, passing just an empty string did not work with the custom\ntypes. I will show you all my endeavors, including the research paths.\n\n\n```rust\n\n// Problem: The `summary` attribute is not always initialized. unwrap() will\npanic! then.\n\n// Requires use mime; and use feed_rs::model::Text;\n\n/*\n\n// 1st attempt: Use unwrap() to extraxt Text from Option\u003CText> type.\n\nprintln!(\"Summary: {}\", entry.summary.unwrap().content);\n\n// 2nd attempt. Learned about unwrap_or_else, passing an empty string.\n\nprintln!(\"Summary: {}\", entry.summary.unwrap_or_else(|| \"\").content);\n\n// 3rd attempt. summary is of the Text type, pass a new struct\ninstantiation.\n\nprintln!(\"Summary: {}\", entry.summary.unwrap_or_else(|| Text{}).content);\n\n// 4th attempt. Struct instantiation requires 3 field values.\n\nprintln!(\"Summary: {}\", entry.summary.unwrap_or_else(|| Text{\"\", \"\",\n\"\"}).content);\n\n// 5th attempt. Struct instantation with public fields requires key: value\nsyntax\n\nprintln!(\"Summary: {}\", entry.summary.unwrap_or_else(|| Text{content_type:\n\"\", src: \"\", content: \"\"}).content);\n\n// 6th attempt. Reviewed expected Text types in\nhttps://docs.rs/feed-rs/latest/feed_rs/model/struct.Text.html and created\nMime and String objects\n\nprintln!(\"Summary: {}\", entry.summary.unwrap_or_else(|| Text{content_type:\nmime::TEXT_PLAIN, src: String::new(), content: String::new()}).content);\n\n// 7th attempt: String and Option\u003CString> cannot be casted automagically.\nCompiler suggested using `Option::Some()`.\n\nprintln!(\"Summary: {}\", entry.summary.unwrap_or_else(|| Text{content_type:\nmime::TEXT_PLAIN, src: Option::Some(), content: String::new()}).content);\n\n*/\n\n\n// xth attempt: Solution. Option::Some() requires a new String object.\n\nprintln!(\"Summary: {}\", entry.summary.unwrap_or_else(|| Text{content_type:\nmime::TEXT_PLAIN, src: Option::Some(String::new()), content:\nString::new()}).content);\n\n```\n\n\nThis approach did not feel satisfying, since the code line is complicated to\nread, and required manual work without help from Code Suggestions. Taking a\nstep back, I reviewed what brought me there - if `Option` is `none`,\n`unwrap()` will throw an error. Maybe there is an easier way to handle this?\nI asked Code Suggestions in a new comment:\n\n\n```\n                // xth attempt: Solution. Option::Some() requires a new String object.\n                println!(\"Summary: {}\", entry.summary.unwrap_or_else(|| Text{content_type: mime::TEXT_PLAIN, src: Option::Some(String::new()), content: String::new()}).content);\n\n                // Alternatively, use Option.is_none()\n```\n\n\n![Code suggestions asked for alternative with\nOptions.is_none](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/code_suggestions_after_complex_unwrap_or_else_ask_for_alternative_option.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\nIncreased readability, less CPU cycles wasted on `unwrap()`, and a great\nlearning curve from solving a complex problem to using a boring solution.\nWin-win.\n\n\nBefore we forget: Re-add storing the XML data on disk to complete the reader\napp again.\n\n\n```rust\n                // Dump the parsed body to a file, as name-current-iso-date.xml\n                let file_name = format!(\"{}-{}.xml\", thread_name, chrono::Local::now().format(\"%Y-%m-%d-%H-%M-%S\"));\n                let mut file = std::fs::File::create(file_name).unwrap();\n                file.write_all(body.as_ref()).unwrap();\n```\n\n\nBuild and run the program to verify the output.\n\n\n```shell\n\ncargo build\n\n\ntime cargo run -- \"GitLab Blog,https://about.gitlab.com/atom.xml\"\n\"CNCF,https://www.cncf.io/feed/\"\n\n```\n\n\n![VS Code Terminal, cargo run with formatted feed entries\noutput](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/vs_code_terminal_cargo_run_formatted_output_final.png)\n\n\n## Benchmarks\n\n\n### Sequential vs. Parallel execution benchmark\n\nCompare the execution time benchmarks by creating five samples each.\n\n\n1. Sequential execution. [Example source code\nMR](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/ai/learn-with-ai/learn-rust-ai-app-reader/-/merge_requests/1)\n\n2. Parallel exeuction. [Example source code\nMR](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/ai/learn-with-ai/learn-rust-ai-app-reader/-/merge_requests/3)\n\n\n```shell\n\n# Sequential\n\ngit checkout sequential-exec\n\n\ntime cargo run -- \"GitLab Blog,https://about.gitlab.com/atom.xml\"\n\"CNCF,https://www.cncf.io/feed/\"\n\n\n0.21s user 0.08s system 10% cpu 2.898 total\n\n0.21s user 0.08s system 11% cpu 2.585 total\n\n0.21s user 0.09s system 10% cpu 2.946 total\n\n0.19s user 0.08s system 10% cpu 2.714 total\n\n0.20s user 0.10s system 10% cpu 2.808 total\n\n```\n\n\n```shell\n\n# Parallel\n\ngit checkout parallel-exec\n\n\ntime cargo run -- \"GitLab Blog,https://about.gitlab.com/atom.xml\"\n\"CNCF,https://www.cncf.io/feed/\"\n\n\n0.19s user 0.08s system 17% cpu 1.515 total\n\n0.18s user 0.08s system 16% cpu 1.561 total\n\n0.18s user 0.07s system 17% cpu 1.414 total\n\n0.19s user 0.08s system 18% cpu 1.447 total\n\n0.17s user 0.08s system 16% cpu 1.453 total\n\n```\n\n\nThe CPU usage increased for parallel execution of four RSS feed threads, but\nit nearly halved the total time compared to sequential execution. With that\nin mind, we can continue learning Rust and optimize the code and\nfunctionality.\n\n\nNote that we are running the debug build through Cargo, and not the\noptimized released builds yet. There are caveats with parallel execution\nthough: Some HTTP endpoints put rate limits in place, where parallelism\ncould hit these thresholds easier.\n\n\nThe system executing multiple threads in parallel might get overloaded too –\nthreads require context switching in the Kernel, assigning resources to each\nthread. While one thread gets computing resources, other threads are put to\nsleep. If there are too many threads spawned, this might slow down the\nsystem, rather than speeding up the operations. Solutions include design\npatterns such as [work\nqueues](https://docs.rs/work-queue/latest/work_queue/), where the caller\nadds a task into a queue, and a defined number of worker threads pick up the\ntasks for asynchronous execution.\n\n\nRust also provides data synchronisation between threads, so-called\n[channels](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/std_misc/channels.html).\nTo ensure concurrent data access,\n[mutexes](https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/sync/struct.Mutex.html) are\navailable to provide safe locks.\n\n\n### CI/CD with Rust caching\n\nAdd the following CI/CD configuration into the `.gitlab-ci.yml` file. The\n`run-latest` job calls `cargo run` with RSS feed URL examples, and measures\nthe execution time continuously.\n\n\n```\n\nstages:\n  - build\n  - test\n  - run\n\ndefault:\n  image: rust:latest\n  cache:\n    key: ${CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG}\n    paths:\n      - .cargo/bin\n      - .cargo/registry/index\n      - .cargo/registry/cache\n      - target/debug/deps\n      - target/debug/build\n    policy: pull-push\n\n# Cargo data needs to be in the project directory for being cached.\n\nvariables:\n  CARGO_HOME: ${CI_PROJECT_DIR}/.cargo\n\nbuild-latest:\n  stage: build\n  script:\n    - cargo build --verbose\n\ntest-latest:\n  stage: build\n  script:\n    - cargo test --verbose\n\nrun-latest:\n  stage: run\n  script:\n    - time cargo run -- \"GitLab Blog,https://about.gitlab.com/atom.xml\" \"CNCF,https://www.cncf.io/feed/\"\n```\n\n\n![GitLab CI/CD pipelines for Rust, cargo run\noutput](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-advanced-programming/gitlab_cicd_pipeline_rust_cargo_run_output.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\n## What is next\n\nThis blog post was challenging to create, with both learning advanced Rust\nprogramming techniques myself, and finding a good learning curve with Code\nSuggestions. The latter greatly helps with quickly generating code, not just\nboilerplate snippets – it understands the local context, and better\nunderstands the purpose and scope of the algorithm, the more code you write.\nAfter reading this blog post, you know of a few challenges and turnarounds.\nThe example solution code for the reader app is available in [the\nlearn-rust-ai-app-reader\nproject](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/ai/learn-with-ai/learn-rust-ai-app-reader).\n\n\nParsing RSS feeds is challenging since it involves data structures, with\nexternal HTTP requests and parallel optimizations. As an experienced Rust\nuser, you might have wondered: `Why not use the std::rss crate?` -- It is\noptimized for advanced asynchronous execution, and does not allow to show\nand explain the different Rust functionalities, explained in this blog post.\nAs an async exercise, try to rewrite the code using the [`rss`\ncrate](https://docs.rs/rss/latest/rss/).\n\n\n### Async learning exercises\n\nThe lessons learned in this blog post also lay the foundation for future\nexploration with persistent storage and presenting the data. Here are a few\nideas where you can continue learning Rust and optimize the reader app:\n\n\n1. Data storage: Use a database like sqlite, and RSS feed update tracking.\n\n2. Notifications: Spawn child processes to trigger notifications into\nTelegram, etc.\n\n3. Functionality: Extend the reader types to REST APIs\n\n4. Configuration: Add support for configuration files for RSS feeds, APIs,\netc.\n\n5. Efficiency: Add support for filters, and subscribed tags.\n\n6. Deployments: Use a webserver, collect Prometheus metrics, and deploy to\nKubernetes.\n\n\nIn a future blog post, we will discuss some of these ideas, and how to\nimplement them. Dive into existing RSS feed implementations, and learn how\nyou can refactor the existing code into leveraging more Rust libraries\n(`crates`).\n\n\n### Share your feedback\n\nWhen you use [GitLab Duo](/gitlab-duo/) Code Suggestions, please [share your\nthoughts in the feedback\nissue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/405152).\n","ai-ml",[758,9,965,1690,1691],"workflow","AI/ML",{"slug":1693,"featured":6,"template":698},"learn-advanced-rust-programming-with-a-little-help-from-ai-code-suggestions","content:en-us:blog:learn-advanced-rust-programming-with-a-little-help-from-ai-code-suggestions.yml","Learn Advanced Rust Programming With A Little Help From Ai Code Suggestions","en-us/blog/learn-advanced-rust-programming-with-a-little-help-from-ai-code-suggestions.yml","en-us/blog/learn-advanced-rust-programming-with-a-little-help-from-ai-code-suggestions",{"_path":1699,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1700,"content":1705,"config":1710,"_id":1712,"_type":13,"title":1713,"_source":15,"_file":1714,"_stem":1715,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-1",{"title":1701,"description":1702,"ogTitle":1701,"ogDescription":1702,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":956,"ogUrl":1703,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1703,"schema":1704},"Learn Python with Pj! Part 1 - Getting started","Follow along as our education evangelist Pj Metz learns Python, and shares his experiences in the first of a multi-part series.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-1","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Learn Python with Pj! Part 1 - Getting started\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"PJ Metz\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-02-08\",\n      }",{"title":1701,"description":1702,"authors":1706,"heroImage":956,"date":1707,"body":1708,"category":820,"tags":1709},[713],"2022-02-08","\n\n_Hello World!_ \n\nMy name is Pj Metz and I’m the education evangelist at GitLab. My day job involves working with universities across the globe to help faculty and students learn to use GitLab for educational or research purposes. Currently, my code experience is limited to C# and JavaScript, with some HTML and CSS in there for good measure. However, one of the most popular languages in the education community is Python, so I decided to jump in and teach myself Python to better connect with my community members. \n\nI’ll be learning on [Codecademy](https://www.codecademy.com), an online interactive learning platform that offers a variety of languages and career path curriculums, both free and paid. It’s where I started learning to code back in 2020 so I’m already comfortable with it’s format and curriculum style. \n\nEvery few weeks you’ll see what I’ve learned and how I’ve applied that new knowledge. I’ll discuss the basics of writing in Python and show off some of what I’ve done. I’m still relatively new to writing code in general, so expect to see this through the eyes of a beginner — not just a Python beginner, but coding in general. I might even make a mistake in my descriptions/explanations. Let’s jump in! 🐍\n\n## First lessons\n\nThe first few lessons involved writing a “hello world” and changing the value of a premade variable.\n\n![codecademy screen showing instructions on the left, the IDE in the middle, and the output on the right](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/helloworld.png)\n\nI moved on to writing my own variables and experimenting with several different types, including ints, strings, and floats. I learned that you can change a variable after defining it, similar to many languages, and that you can even change the type; the most recently defined type will be the one used at run time. Concatenation works similarly to other languages: using a plus sign to combine variables. I did some reading ahead and learned about [f-strings](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/formatted-string-literals-f-strings-python/) as an easy method of concatenating strings. I’m used to doing something similar in JavaScript for my [Twitter bots,](https://gitlab.com/MetzinAround/DivasLive) so this felt important to know. \n\nI also learned how to do some control flow through `if`, `elif`, and `else`. The logic remains the same, but conventions are a bit different. I’m used to writing an if statement like this in JavScript. \n\n```javascript\nif(partyRock === 'in the house tonight') {\n  everybody = 'have a good time'\n  console.log(`Party rock ${partyRock} everybody just ${everybody}`)\n} else {\n  everybody = 'sad party rock noises'\n  console.log(everybody)\n}\n\n```\nIn Python, there are no curly braces. Rather, a colon and indent takes care of that work. \n\n```python\nif partyRock == 'in the house tonight':\n   everybody = 'have a good time'\n   print(f\"Party Rock is {partyRock} everybody just {everybody}\")\nelse:\n  everybody = 'sad party rock noises'\n  print(everybody)\n```\n\n## Initial thoughts\n\nI like the readability of Python. It’s a little less cluttered, but I remember being very excited about curly braces when I first learned them. Using them for functions and methods and the like always made me feel like a “real programmer” when I was first starting. That being said, Python syntax is coming along naturally for me. \n\nSomething that’s different for me is the way Python has you initialize variables. C# is a statically typed language, meaning that part of defining a variable is saying what type of variable it is (int, string, float, etc.). Python does not require you to define the type, it will simply know at run-time. This is similar to JavaScript, but it does still throw me since I started learning with C#. Additionally, in JavaScript you have to use `let`, `var`, or `const`. In Python you just … name it and give it a value. Felt strange at first, but has become more natural as I progressed. Not having to define the type always strikes me as “weird,” but that’s personal preference, not anything actually verifiably wrong. \n\nAdditionally, the naming convention of variables is different as well. Python convention dictates underscores as spaces, while C# and JavaScript both prefer camel case, which is where each new word is capitalized. \n\n``` cs\n int minLength = 8\n```\n```javascript\nminLength = 8\n```\n\n``` python\nmin_length = 8\n```\n\nThe [naming conventions of Python](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/#naming-conventions) have certain rules for when to use underscores and how, especially double underscores which behave differently in Python depending on where they appear in the name. I only know what I’ve seen so far in Codecademy, but they’ve named all their variables with underscores instead of spaces. \n\n### Favorite new knowledge\n\nI really like being able to create multiple line strings simply by using three quotes, similar to using three backticks for a code block in markdown. Formatting the output has always been frustrating for me; having to remind myself that `\\n` exists and then looking up how exactly I’m supposed to use it is something I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of time on. And likely will do until the day I hang up my keyboard for good. \n\n![a code block showing a multi line sentence and the terminal output after showing correct format as dictated by the code](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/pythonmultilinestring.png)\n\nThis is nice in that how it looks in the code is how it looks in the output. I love that! \n\nThis is the first installment in the Learn Python with Pj! series. Make sure to read:\n- [Part 2 - Lists and loops](/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-2/)\n- [Part 3 - Functions and strings](/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-3/)\n- [Part 4 - Dictionaries and Files](/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-4-dictionaries-and-files/)\n- [Part 5 - Build a hashtag tracker with the Twitter API](/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-5-building-something-with-the-twitter-api/)\n\n",[9,694,986],{"slug":1711,"featured":6,"template":698},"learn-python-with-pj-part-1","content:en-us:blog:learn-python-with-pj-part-1.yml","Learn Python With Pj Part 1","en-us/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-1.yml","en-us/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-1",{"_path":1717,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1718,"content":1723,"config":1727,"_id":1729,"_type":13,"title":1730,"_source":15,"_file":1731,"_stem":1732,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-2",{"title":1719,"description":1720,"ogTitle":1719,"ogDescription":1720,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":956,"ogUrl":1721,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1721,"schema":1722},"Learn Python with Pj! Part 2 - Lists and loops","Follow along as our education evangelist Pj Metz learns about lists and loops in the second of this multipart series.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-2","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Learn Python with Pj! Part 2 - Lists and loops\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"PJ Metz\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-03-01\",\n      }",{"title":1719,"description":1720,"authors":1724,"heroImage":956,"date":1605,"body":1725,"category":1046,"tags":1726},[713],"\nWe’re back with another article about my journey to learn Python. Check out the [first article](/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-1/) if you want to see what I’ve already learned. Today we’re talking about lists and loops, two important parts of all programming languages. Let’s check them out. \n\n## Lists\n\nLists are a way to store information that can be accessed later. They are similar to arrays in other languages. A list is a named collection of other elements inside brackets that can be accessed by an index number. \n\n``` python\n#I will be using this list for all our examples, and, yes, these are some of my favorite musical acts pulled directly from my Spotify 2021 wrapped. \nfavorite_music = ['The Midnight', 'Night Tempo', 'St. Lucia'] \n```\n\nIn this list, each element of the list can be accessed by an index number. Like many other languages, python is zero-indexed, meaning the first element is at index 0. So favorite_music[0] is “The Midnight”, favorite_music[1] is “Night Tempo”, and so on. \n\nSomething interesting about lists in Python is that a negative 1 index number will give you the last element in the list. Negative 2 will give you the second to last, and so on. As far as I can tell, this isn’t possible in other languages: Negative 1 indices will return errors or `undefined` in arrays or lists in other languages. I imagine a scenario where we’ve just added something to a list and need to access it immediately. We could use the negative index number to access the most recently added element. \n\nPython comes with several built-in methods to be used with lists. Some of them have the list passed in as an argument, some are added to the list with a `.` so it can be used. These methods will change the list or return some kind of information about the list. Below are a few I found useful, but a more complete explanation of available methods is [available here](https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/datastructures.html). \n\n### .pop()\n\nPop allows you to remove a specific element in a list as well as return it at the same time, meaning this can be set to a variable. To specify the element, use the desired index number inside the parentheses to remove it. \n\n```python\nbest_synthwave = favorite_music.pop(0)\n\n#returns ‘['Night Tempo', 'St. Lucia']’\nprint(favorite_music)\n\n#returns 'The Midnight'\nprint(best_synthwave)\n```\n### .append() and .insert()\n\nAppend allows you to add an element to a list. Put the element in the parenthesis. The element is added to the end of the list. Insert allows you to say exactly where you would like the element inserted. The first argument is the index you would like to replace, and the second argument is the element to insert. \n\n```python\nfavorite_music.append('Turnstile') \n\n#This will print ['The Midnight', 'Night Tempo', 'St. Lucia', 'Turnstile']\nprint(favorite_music)\n\nfavorite_music.insert(1, 'Kendrick Lamar')\n#This will print 'The Midnight', 'Kendrick Lamar', 'Night Tempo', 'St. Lucia', 'Turnstile'] \n#Turnstile is still there since we appended it before. \nprint(favorite_music)\n```\n\n### len()\n\nLen gets the length of the object passed into it. This is important since you can know exactly how many elements are in a list, which is useful for control flow as well as loops. \n\n```python\nlength_of_music = len(favorite_music)\n\n#working with the original list will print “3”\nprint(length_of_music)\n```\nNotice that it prints how many elements are in the list, not how many indices. I have to work to make sure to keep those two ideas separate. So there are three elements in the list, but the indices are [0], [1], and [2]. \n\n\n## Loops\n\nLoops work very much the same way they do in other languages, but like I’ve seen with the rest of Python, the syntax is more readable and the code just looks a bit cleaner. The two main ways to use loops with Python are `for` and `while`. \n\n### for\n\nFor is used when you want to iterate through each element in an object. The syntax you use here creates a kind of one-time use variable that is then used in the code block in a variety of ways. Let’s say you want to print each band from the favorite_music list from before. \n\n```python\nfor band in favorite_music:\n  print(band)\n```\n\nThis would print each band on its own line. If you call print() on favorite_music, it would print the array inside of brackets. You can perform logic inside of for loops to only return certain items. Say you want to only print bands that have “night” in the name:\n\n```python\nfor band in favorite_music:\n    lower_case_band = band.lower()\n    if lower_case_band.__contains__('night'):\n      print(band)\n```\n\nNote: I put all the strings into lower case so we could match cases. Also, I found the contains method on the internet and the example had two underscores on either side. It made my code work whereas without the underscores it did not work. Like I said in the first article, I’m new here and don’t know why it did that.\n\n**EDIT March 7, 2022:** According to commenter \"Glen666\" in the comments, the easier way to check if something is contained in another object is to use the `in` operator. It would look like this: \n\n```python\nfor band in favorite_music:\n  lower_case_band = band.lower()\n  if \"night\" in lower_case_band:\n    print(band)\n```\nThanks for catching this. I hadn't learned `in` yet so this makes it a bit easier! \n\n### while\n\nWhile creates a loop that goes as long as certain criteria are being satisfied, usually a logic expression. If you want some code to run six times, you could use a while loop. \n\n```python\ni = 0\n#This prints the string below 6 times. \nwhile i \u003C 7:\n  print('The Midnight is my favorite band of all time.')\n  i += 1\n```\n\nThis is useful if you want code to run the whole time some circumstance is true, whether it’s a date, another process is running, or anything of the sort. \n\n**EDIT March 7, 2022:** Thanks to user \"magicolf\" in the comments! They let me know that there's an error here where it prints 7 times instead of 6. Because i is declared as `0` first, the loop will actually print seven times. It's easy to make mistakes like this all the time, so I appreciate you letting me know, magicolf! \n\nLoops are some of my favorite things to write so far. It’s like a little puzzle to figure out when you need to iterate through a list or string to make something happen at a specific time. The hardest part about loops is getting used to the logic of it. Python made this easier for me in that loops feel very natural to read. On top of that, I’m getting used to the indentation that I felt was so strange last time. I’ve spent about 30 or so hours working on it so far, and It’s starting to feel very natural. Hopefully, I can keep this up as we move on to the [next learning modules](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-3/)! \n\n",[9,694,986],{"slug":1728,"featured":6,"template":698},"learn-python-with-pj-part-2","content:en-us:blog:learn-python-with-pj-part-2.yml","Learn Python With Pj Part 2","en-us/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-2.yml","en-us/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-2",{"_path":1734,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1735,"content":1740,"config":1744,"_id":1746,"_type":13,"title":1747,"_source":15,"_file":1748,"_stem":1749,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-3",{"title":1736,"description":1737,"ogTitle":1736,"ogDescription":1737,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":956,"ogUrl":1738,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1738,"schema":1739},"Learn Python with Pj! Part 3 - Functions and strings","Pj shares his experiences learning how to program functions and strings.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-3","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Learn Python with Pj! Part 3 - Functions and strings\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"PJ Metz\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-04-04\",\n      }",{"title":1736,"description":1737,"authors":1741,"heroImage":956,"date":797,"body":1742,"category":1046,"tags":1743},[713],"\n\n_This is the third installment in the Learn Python with Pj! series. Make sure to read [Part 1](/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-1/) and [Part 2](/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-2/)._\n\n\nIn learning Python, I’m happy to have found a language with a straightforward syntax that just seems to make sense. I don’t have to define a type; Python just knows. I don’t have to worry about `let` or `const` or `var` for different use cases; I just make the variable. I’m very glad I learned C# and JavaScript first, as those feel important to understanding exactly what is happening when I write code. In turn, I think it’s made Python easier for me, which is usually true when learning another programming language: Your second and third are easier to learn since your brain understands “programming logic” better now than when you made your first “Hello World”. This week we’re going to talk about what I’ve learned in functions and strings. \n\n## Functions\n\nFunctions are the backbone of any app you write. It’s an important step in learning any language to learn how to put a series of actions inside a single function that can be called later in the code. Python does this simply compared to other languages I’ve learned. \n\n```python\ndef my_first_function(arg1, arg2):\n  print(f”Your input was {arg1} and {arg2}.”)\n\n#prints “Your input was hilarious and unnecessary”\nmy_first_function(“hilarious”, “unnecessary”)\n```\nUsing the keyword `def` lets Python know that you’re about to write a function. Inside the parentheses, you put any parameters that must be included when calling the function. Some people use argument and parameter interchangeably, but technically, when defining a function, it’s a parameter, and when calling a function, it’s an argument. Either way, when defining the function, include some variables that you’ll expect when the function is called later. Finally, put a colon and then move to the next line. All the code for the function to run is indented. Inside the function, you can run loops, logic, or even other functions. Let’s check out a slightly more complex use. \n\n```python\ndef halloween_horror_nights(days, link,):\n    named = input(\"What is your name?\")\n    name = named.capitalize()\n    if isinstance(days, int):\n        if days == 0:\n            print(f\" Hello, {name}. We're ready to see you at HHN. {link}\")\n        elif days \u003C= 30:\n            print(f\"{name}, You have {days} days until the terror is home. {link}\")\n        elif days \u003C= 60:\n            print(f\"{name}, The horror comes home in {days} days. Join us in the dark. {link}\")\n        elif days \u003C 365 and days > 60:\n            print(f\"{name}, Patience is a virtue. You're {days} days away from the top rated Halloween event in the world.{link}\")\n        else:\n            print(f\"{name}, it can't be more than a year away. It's closer than you think... {link}\")\n    else:\n        print(\"Days must be an int\")\n    \n    \n#This will print “{Name input by user}, The horror comes home in 56 days. Join us in the dark. https://orlando.halloweenhorrornights.com/site\"\nhalloween_horror_nights(56, \"https://orlando.halloweenhorrornights.com/site\")\n```\n\nFor context, Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando is my favorite event of the year. This function takes in a number of days and a link (meant to be days until the event and a link to the HHN web page) and outputs a string that says how many days are left until the event. The string also includes a link to the web page and asks for user input to personalize each string. The function `isinstance()` checks if `days` is an int to make sure the sentence makes sense and returns `True` if the first argument is the type of the second argument. \n\nI really found functions in Python to be a lot easier than in other languages, though I still miss the curly brackets of C# and JavaScript. Additionally, the simplicity of `def` followed by the function name and any required parameters is really straightforward and makes reading the code easier. And since code is read more than it’s written, that makes Python pretty awesome in my book. \n\nI also used the f-string format for these print statements, and it’s still one of my favorite ways to concatenate. It feels easier than a lot of the other ways of inserting variables into a string in Python, and a little easier than the way it’s done in JavaScript, at least to me. I use a different method of including variables in a string called `.format()`. \n\nMaking your own functions is important, but there are a bunch of built-in functions in Python. There are also methods, which are similar to functions but are associated with the objects in a class they’re assigned to. Let’s talk about some strings and some methods that come with them.\n\n## Strings\n\nI thought it was strange that I had a whole section on strings in my Codecademy Python curriculum, but I soon realized that it was giving me a lot of very useful methods to use on strings that seemed very versatile. The most interesting thing to me is that strings are an object and act like a list of characters. I’m not entirely sure how strings are treated in other languages, but this really struck me as a cool idea. You can even call specific characters using the same syntax you would for a list. \n\n```python\nspooky = “Halloween Horror Nights is my favorite thing about Autumn.”\n\n#the following prints “l” since it’s the 3rd char in the string `spooky`. \nprint(spooky[2]) \n```\n\nOr you can use a for loop on a string.\n\n```python\n#This prints each letter on a new line and capitalizes it. The message now reads vertical in the output.\nfor letter in spooky:\n  print(letter.upper())\n```\n\n### String methods\t\n\nA few built-in methods exist for strings in Python, like `capitalize()` and `upper()`, two I used in the above examples. In addition to those, there are many more that can do things like remove the whitespace or noise from the beginning and end of a string, tell you the index of the first appearance of something, or join a list of strings into a single string. There are lots of great included methods. Here’s an exercise I took from Codecademy and changed the content to fit this article's theme. \n\n```python\n#given a string that contains a ton of information separated by semicolons and commas. Each part is a haunted house name, Universal Studios location, and the year the house appeared at the event.\nhhn_houses_location_year = \"Chucky;Japan;2016, Run;Orlando;2001, The Orfanage: Ashes to Ashes;Orlando;2010, The Real: Haunted Village;Japan;2021, The Undertaker: No Mercy;Hollywood;2000, Welcome to Silent Hill;Hollywood;2012, American Werewolf in London;Orlando;2013\"   \n\n#this splits the string up into a list where each element of the list is the section separated by a comma.\nhhn_houses_list = hhn_houses_location_year.split(\",\")\n\n#empty list for the next step\nhhn_houses_stripped = []\n\n#this strips any whitespace from the element in the list and adds it to the empty list from before\nfor house in hhn_houses_list:\n    hhn_houses_stripped.append(house.strip())\n\n#empty list for next step\nhhn_house_details = []\n\n#the next few lines split the details into their own list. \n#first, each house, with the details, is split along the semicolons to make a list of lists, with each house being its own element in the larger list\n#next, empty lists are made for each detail\n#finally, using index numbers, each detail is placed in it’s own list so all the houses, locations, and years are separated. \nfor info in hhn_houses_stripped:\n    hhn_house_details.append(info.split(\";\"))\n\nhouse = []\nlocation = []\nyear = []\n\nfor stuff in hhn_house_details:\n    house.append(stuff[0])\n    location.append(stuff[1])\n    year.append(stuff[2])\n\n#loops through and using .format() prints a sentence that tells about each house. \nfor num in range(0, len(house)):\n  print(\"{} was located in {} for the {} event\".format(house[num], location[num], year[num]))\n```\n\nAs you can see, I am obsessed with Halloween horror nights… er, wait, not the point of the article. As you can see, Python’s built-in methods for strings can be pretty useful, especially if you end up with a bunch of data sitting around in unformatted strings. Next time, we’re going to talk about Dictionaries and how they are used in Python! \n",[9,986,965],{"slug":1745,"featured":6,"template":698},"learn-python-with-pj-part-3","content:en-us:blog:learn-python-with-pj-part-3.yml","Learn Python With Pj Part 3","en-us/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-3.yml","en-us/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-3",{"_path":1751,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1752,"content":1757,"config":1762,"_id":1764,"_type":13,"title":1765,"_source":15,"_file":1766,"_stem":1767,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-4-dictionaries-and-files",{"title":1753,"description":1754,"ogTitle":1753,"ogDescription":1754,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":956,"ogUrl":1755,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1755,"schema":1756},"Learn Python with Pj! Part 4 - Dictionaries and Files","Our education evangelist Pj Metz continues his journey to learn how to code in Python.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-4-dictionaries-and-files","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Learn Python with Pj! Part 4 - Dictionaries and Files\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"PJ Metz\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-05-05\",\n      }",{"title":1753,"description":1754,"authors":1758,"heroImage":956,"date":1759,"body":1760,"category":9,"tags":1761},[713],"2022-05-05","This is the fourth installment in the Learn Python with Pj! series. Make\nsure to read:\n\n- [Part 1 - Getting started](/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-1/)\n\n- [Part 2 - Lists and loops](/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-2/)\n\n- [Part 3 - Functions and\nstrings](/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-3/)\n\n- [Part 5 - Build a hashtag tracker with the Twitter\nAPI](/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-5-building-something-with-the-twitter-api/)\n\n\nI’ve learned a lot with Python so far, but when I learned dictionaries\n(sometimes shortened to dicts), I was really excited about what could be\ndone. A dictionary in Python is a series of keys and values stored inside a\nsingle object. This is kind of like a super array; one that allows you to\nconnect keys and values together in a single easily accessible source.\nCreating dictionaries from arrays can actually be very simple, too.\n\n\nIn this blog, I'll dig into how to create dictionaries and how to read and\nwrite files in the code.\n\n\n## Dictionaries\n\n\nDictionaries in Python are indicated by using curly braces, or as I like to\ncall them, mustaches. `{ }` indicates that the list you’re looking at isn’t\na list at all, but a dictionary. \n\n\n```python\n\nshows_and _characters = {\n    \"Bojack Horseman\": \"Todd\",\n    \"My Hero Academia\": \"Midoriya\"\n    \"Ozark\": \"Ruth\"\n    \"Arrested Development\": \"Tobias\",\n    \"Derry Girls\": \"Sister Michael\",\n    \"Tuca & Bertie\": \"Bertie\"\n    }\n```\n\n\nThis is a dictionary of my favorite TV shows and my favorite characters in\nthat show. In this example, the key is on the left and the value is on the\nright. To access dictionaries, you use a similar call like you would for a\nlist, except instead of an element number, you would put the key.\n`print(shows_and_characters[“Ozark”])` would print `Ruth` to the console.\nAdditionally, both the key and value in this example are strings, but that’s\nnot a requirement. Keys can be any immutable type, like strings, ints,\nfloats, and tuples. Values don’t have this same restriction, therefore\nvalues can be a nested dictionary or a list, in addition to the types\nmentioned for keys. For instance, the following dictionary is a valid\ndictionary.\n\n\n```python\n\nshows_with_lists = {\n    \"Bojack Horseman\": [\"Todd\", \"Princess Carolyn\", \"Judah\", \"Diane\"],\n    \"My Hero Academia\": [\"Midoriya\", \"Shoto\", \"All Might\", \"Bakugo\", \"Kirishima\"],\n    \"Ozark\": [\"Ruth\", \"Jonah\", \"Wyatt\"],\n    \"Arrested Development\": [\"Tobias\", \"Gob\", \"Anne\", \"Maeby\"],\n    \"Derry Girls\": [\"Sister Michael\", \"Orla\", \"Erin\", \"Claire\", \"James\"],\n    \"Tuca & Bertie\": [\"Bertie\", \"Speckle\", \"Tuca\", \"Dakota\"]\n    }\n```\n\nIn this example, each value is a list. So if we tried to print the value for\nthe key `”Derry Girls”`, we would see `[“Sister Michael”, “Orla”, “Erin”,\n“Claire”, “James”]` printed to the console. However, if we wanted the last\nelement in the value list, we’d write `shows_with_lists[“Derry Girls”]\n[-1]`. This would print the last element in the list, which in this case is\n`James`. \n\n\nDictionaries can be written manually, or, if you have two lists, you can\ncombine the `dict()` and `zip()` methods to make the lists into a\ndictionary. \n\n\n```python\n\nlist_of_shows = [\"Bojack Horseman\",\n                 \"My Hero Academia\",\n                 \"Ozark\",\n                 \"Arrested Development\",\n                 \"Derry Girls\",\n                 \"Tuca & Bertie\"]\nlist_of_characters = [[\"Todd\", \"Princess Carolyn\", \"Judah\", \"Diane\"],\n                      [\"Midoriya\", \"Shoto\", \"All Might\", \"Bakugo\", \"Kirishima\"],\n                      [\"Ruth\", \"Jonah\", \"Wyatt\"],\n                      [\"Tobias\", \"Gob\", \"Anne\", \"Maeby\"],\n                      [\"Sister Michael\", \"Orla\", \"Erin\", \"Claire\", \"James\"],\n                      [\"Bertie\", \"Speckle\", \"Tuca\", \"Dakota\"]]\n\ncombined_shows_characters = dict(zip(list_of_shows, list_of_characters))\n\n\nprint(combined_shows_characters)\n\n```\n\n\nThis is one way to create a dictionary. Another is called Dictionary\nComprehension. This one is a little more work, but can be used in a variety\nof different ways, including using a bit of logic on a single list to\ngenerate a dictionary using that original list. Here’s how with two\nexamples: one based on the above lists, and one with a single list and some\nlogic. \n\n\n```python\n\nimport math\n\n\n#This is doing the same work as the above example, but using Dict\nComprehension instead. \n\ncomprehension_shows_characters = { shows:characters for shows, characters in\nzip(list_of_shows, list_of_characters)  }\n\n\nhip_to_be_square = [4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49]\n\n\nno_longer_hip_to_be_square = { key:math.sqrt(key) for key in\nhip_to_be_square }\n\n\nprint(no_longer_hip_to_be_square)\n\n```\n\n\nIn the `no_longer_hip_to_be_square` dictionary, the key is found in the\n`hip_to_be_square` list. The value for each key is its own square root,\nbrought in with the import math function. There are plenty more useful\nmethods for dealing with dictionaries\n[here](https://realpython.com/python-dicts/). \n\n\n## Reading and writing files\n\n\nThis one is a pretty cool part of Python: reading and writing other files\nright in the code. With Python, you’re able to take the contents of certain\ntypes of files and use it in your code, or even create a new file based on\nsome input. This is useful for data handling and can be used with a  variety\nof file types. The two I’ll be covering here are .csv and .txt.\n\n\n### Reading from a file\n\n\nImagine a .txt file named `best-ever.txt` containing the line `My favorite\ntv show is Derry Girls`. We can use Python to take that line and turn it\ninto a variable. Running the following code would print the contents of the\n.txt file to the terminal. \n\n\n```python\n\nwith open(\"best-ever.txt\") as text_file:\n  text_data = text_file.read()\n\n#This will print the contents of the .txt file. \n\nprint(text_data)\n\n```\n\n\nBy using `with open(NAME OF FILE) as VARIABLE_NAME:`, we can examine the\ncontents of files as a single string. If the document has multiple lines,\nyou can even separate those by iterating over them by using a for loop and\nthe `.readlines()` method. Using an imaginary .txt document called\n`buncha-lines` we could use the following to print out each line\nindividually.\n\n\n```python\n\nwith open(\"buncha-lines.txt\") as lines_doc:\n  for line in lines_doc.readlines():\n    print(line)\n``` \n\n### Writing a new file\n\n\nCreating a new file is also easy with Python. The `open()` function can take\nan additional argument in order to create a new file. In fact, there’s a\ndefault argument that’s been being passed each time without us knowing! `r`\nis the default argument for `open()` and puts it in read mode. To turn on\nwrite mode, pass in a `w` as the second argument. The following code will\nwrite a brand-new file called `best_tv_character.txt` with the contents\n`Peggy Olson from Mad Men`. \n\n\n```python\n\nwith open(\"best_tv_character.txt\", \"w\") as best_character:\n  best_character.write(\"Peggy Olson from Mad Men\")\n```\n\n### Working with .csv files\n\n\nYou can read a .csv file with Python by using `import csv` at the beginning\nof the file, and then using some of its built-in methods in the code.\nHowever, even though .csv files are plain text, treating a .csv file the\nsame as you treat .txt files can lead to difficult to read outputs; after\nall, the point of a spreadsheet is to table information. Without that table,\nthe output can be chaotic. A way around this is to use the `dictreader()`\nmethod. This method allows you to map the information in each row to a\ndictionary with field names you can create. The default field names are\ncollected from the first row of the .csv if no field names are given.\nImagine a .csv file with columns labeled, “Network”, “Show name”, “Seasons”.\nMaybe we just want to print the number of seasons from this .csv. \n\n\n```python\n\nimport csv \n\n\nwith open(\"shows.csv\") as shows_csv:\n  shows_dict = csv.DictReader(shows_csv)\n  for row in shows_dict:\n    print(row[\"Seasons\"])\n```\n\n\nThis would print to the console, on a new line, the number of seasons for\neach row that exists in the .csv. \n\n\nJust like with .txt files, you can also create .csv files with Python. It’s\na bit more complicated since you need to define the headers, or column\nnames, but it is still a quick process. This can be used to take lists and\nturn them into .csv files. Let’s check out the following example:\n\n\n```python\n\nimport csv\n\n\nworking_list = [{\"Network\": \"Netflix\", \"Show Name\":\"Bojack Horseman\",\n\"Seasons\":6}, {\"Network\":\"Channel 4\",\"Show Name\":\"Derry Girls\", \"Seasons\":\n3}, {\"Network\":\"HBO Max\", \"Show Name\":\"Our Flag Means Death\", \"Seasons\": 1}]\n\n\n\nwith open(\"shows.csv\", \"w\") as shows_csv:\n    fields = [\"Network\", \"Show Name\", \"Seasons\"]\n    shows_w = csv.DictWriter(shows_csv, fieldnames = fields)\n\n    shows_w.writeheader()\n    for item in working_list:\n        shows_w.writerow(item)\n```\n\n\nThis previous code block creates a brand-new csv file by using the `”w”`\nparameter in `open()`. We manually name the fields in the order they appear\nin a separate list, then pass that list into the `DictWriter` parameter\n`fieldnames`. Finally, we use the `writeheader()` and a for loop with the\n`writerow()` methods to create a header row and to iterate over the\n`working_list` and turn each entry into a row in the .csv. \n\n\nThese are only a few ways to work with .csv and .txt files; Python is very\nversatile and more information [can be found\nhere](https://realpython.com/working-with-files-in-python/).\n",[9,965,986],{"slug":1763,"featured":6,"template":698},"learn-python-with-pj-part-4-dictionaries-and-files","content:en-us:blog:learn-python-with-pj-part-4-dictionaries-and-files.yml","Learn Python With Pj Part 4 Dictionaries And Files","en-us/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-4-dictionaries-and-files.yml","en-us/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-4-dictionaries-and-files",{"_path":1769,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1770,"content":1775,"config":1780,"_id":1782,"_type":13,"title":1783,"_source":15,"_file":1784,"_stem":1785,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-5-building-something-with-the-twitter-api",{"title":1771,"description":1772,"ogTitle":1771,"ogDescription":1772,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":956,"ogUrl":1773,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1773,"schema":1774},"Learn Python with Pj! Part 5 - Build a hashtag tracker with the Twitter API","Our Education Evangelist Pj Metz wraps up his five-part series with this penultimate tutorial.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-5-building-something-with-the-twitter-api","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Learn Python with Pj! Part 5 - Build a hashtag tracker with the Twitter API\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"PJ Metz\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-06-01\",\n      }",{"title":1771,"description":1772,"authors":1776,"heroImage":956,"date":1777,"body":1778,"category":9,"tags":1779},[713],"2022-06-01","\nThis is the fifth and final installment in the Learn Python with Pj! series. Make sure to read:\n- [Part 1 - Getting started](/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-1/)\n- [Part 2 - Lists and loops](/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-2/)\n- [Part 3 - Functions and strings](/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-3/)\n- [Part 4 - Dictionaries and Files](/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-4-dictionaries-and-files/)\n\n## Putting it all together\nI’ve completed my Python course on [Codecademy](https://codecademy.com/), and am excited to put the skills I learned into building something practical. I’ve worked with the Twitter API before; I wrote a few bots in Node.js to make them tweet and respond to tweets they’re tagged in. I thought it’d be fun to work with the API again, but this time do it in Python. I didn’t just want to make another bot, so I had to figure out something else. In this case, I made a bot that can track hashtags being used in real time on Twitter.\n\nHere’s [my repo](https://gitlab.com/MetzinAround/python-hashtagger) containing a few different files, but `live_tweets.py` is what we’ll focus on for this blog. Let’s talk about how I built it and what it does. \n\n```python\nimport tweepy\nimport config\n\nauth = tweepy.OAuth1UserHandler(config.consumer_key, config.consumer_secret, config.access_token, config.access_token_secret\n)\n\napi = tweepy.API(auth) \n\n#prints the text of the tweet using hashtag designated in stream.filter(track=[])\nclass LogTweets(tweepy.Stream):\n        def on_status(self, status):\n                date = status.created_at\n                username = status.user.screen_name\n                \n                try:\n                        tweet = status.extended_tweet[\"full_text\"]\n                except AttributeError:\n                        tweet = status.text\n\n                print(\"**Tweet info**\")\n                print(f\"Date: {date}\")\n                print(f\"Username: {username}\")\n                print(f\"Tweet: {tweet}\")\n                print(\"*********\")\n                print(\"********* \\n\")\n              \n\nif __name__ == \"__main__\":         \n        #creates instance of LogTweets with authentication\n        stream = LogTweets(config.consumer_key, config.consumer_secret, config.access_token, config.access_token_secret)\n\n\n        #hashtags as str in list will be watched live on twitter. \n        hashtags = []\n        print(\"Looking for Hashtags...\")\n        stream.filter(track=hashtags)\n\n\n```\n\nHere’s how this all works. First, we import two modules: [Tweepy](https://www.tweepy.org/) and config. Tweepy is a wrapper that makes using the Twitter API very easy. Config allows us to use config files and keep our secrets safe. This is important since using the Twitter API involves four keys that are specific to your Twitter developer account. Getting these keys is covered in this Twitter [documentation](https://developer.twitter.com/en/docs/twitter-api/getting-started/getting-access-to-the-twitter-api). We’ll talk about what’s in the config file and how it works later. \n\nThe next line defines the variable `auth` using tweepy’s built in authorization handler. Normally, you’d put in the keys directly here, but since we’re trying to keep secrets safe, we handle those through the config file. In order to call those variables hosted in the config file, we type `config.variable_name`. Finally, in order to access the tweepy api, we create the variable `api` with the auth variable from the line above passed into `tweepy.API()`. Now, the variable `api` will give us access to all the features in Tweepy’s Twitter API library. \n\n> You’re invited! Join us on June 23rd for the [GitLab 15 launch event](https://page.gitlab.com/fifteen) with DevOps guru Gene Kim and several GitLab leaders. They’ll show you what they see for the future of DevOps and The One DevOps Platform.\n\nFor our purposes, we want to find a hashtag being used, then collect the tweet that used it and print some information about the tweet to the console. To make this happen, we’ve created a class called `LogTweets` that takes an input `tweepy.Stream`. Stream is a Twitter API term that refers to all of the tweets being posted on Twitter at any given moment. Think of it as opening a window looking out onto every single tweet as it’s posted. We have to make this open connection in order to be able to find tweets that are using our hashtag. Inside `LogTweets`, we define a function called `on_status` with the parameters `self` and `status`. `On_status` will be called when a status is detected in the stream. `Self` is required as the first parameter in any class function, and `status` in this function will be referring to the status posted by a Twitter user, often called a tweet.\n\nIn our case, we’re going with status because `tweet` will represent the text of the status itself. We define `date` and `username` using Tweepy documentation: `created_at` is the date and `user.screen_name` is the username of the person who posted the status.\n\nNext is a `try/except` block. Try/except is a concept that works similarly to an if statement, but it allows for error handling a little bit better. It essentially says, “Try this, but if there’s a problem, do this instead.” In this case, we try to define the variable `tweet` as `.extended_tweet[“full_text”]`. This checks if the status we’re working with has the `extended_tweet` attribute. Twitter used to be limited to 140 characters, and when they increased the limit to 280, the `extended_tweet` became necessary.\n\nNow, if you want to capture the full tweet, you need the `extended_tweet` attribute. Inside of that attribute is the key `full_text`. Longer tweets will need that full_text or it will cut off at the 140 character limit. This `try` command checks if that key exists; if it does, `tweet` is equal to that full text.\n\nHowever, if an `AttributeError` happens, we just grab the regular text and set it equal to the variable `tweet`. Next, we print some info to the terminal. Whenever this function is called, the six lines will print to the console with the variables created above replaced by whatever status info was passed in. This makes it easier to keep track of what we’re looking at in the terminal. \n\nNext, we have an important if statement: `if __name__ == \"__main__\":`. This is used to indicate what happens when the file is run. Basically, files in Python receive a property called `__name__` from the compiler. The file that is called to be run directly is called `__main__`. Other files not run are given names equal to the file name. Therefore, anything under this if statement will only run if the file is being called directly by the compiler. \n\nNext, we create an instance of `LogTweets` called `stream`. We pass in the authentication information from the config file just like we did for the `auth` variable in the beginning of the code. This “opens up” the stream and we are now looking at all the tweets being sent in real time. In order to narrow our search, we need something to look for. The variable `hashtags` is an empty list that must be populated with strings of the hashtags we’re looking to track. This list will be put into the keyword `track` in a few lines. \n\n`Track` is an important keyword for the stream. It tells the instance what word we are looking for, input as a list of strings. These words can show up in any form, so it’s very broad.  If we didn’t put the hashtag in front of it, it would simply look for that word no matter where it showed up, so we might have too many results. By looking for hashtags, we narrow our search only to people using that specific hashtag, not just the word wherever it is. To search for terms, you have to put them into the list as a string before running the code. \n\nWhen the code is run by typing `python3 live_tweets.py` into the terminal, this is what the output looks like in the terminal.\n\n![Output in terminal](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/pythonwithpj5.png){: .shadow}\n\n\nThat’s it! That’s how the bot works, but we still need to talk about `config.py` and why we used it before. Here’s the contents of the file: \n\n```python\nimport os\nfrom dotenv import load_dotenv\n\nload_dotenv()\nconsumer_key = os.getenv(\"consumer_key\")\nconsumer_secret = os.getenv(\"consumer_secret\")\naccess_token = os.getenv(\"access_token\")\naccess_token_secret = os.getenv(\"access_token_secret\")\n```\n\nI tricked you! This doesn’t have the keys there either! Using `import os` and `import dotenv import load_dotenv` gives us access to something very important to keep secret keys safe: environmental variables. An environmental variable can be set in many different places, but in this case, our local repo has a file called `.env` that holds the actual keys.\n\nThis is there so I can test the app and run it on my machine. To use it somewhere else, you’d have to have environmental variables set up to hold the keys for the Twitter API. When I run my bots on Heroku, I keep the keys in the settings so it has access to the keys it needs to run. I use a `.gitignore` file that keeps my `.env` file from being committed to GitLab. \n\nAs you can see, the variables in `config.py` are set to `os.getenv(“name_of_key”)`. When we import `config.py` as `import config`, we gain access to these variables by calling `config.name_of_variable` in our main file. \n\nSo, for now, that’s what I built! It’s not much and I pieced it together using a lot of documentation from Twitter and Tweepy as well as a few tutorials and plenty of Stackoverflow, but it got built and it works the way I want it to!\n\nI’ve really enjoyed learning Python online and writing about it for everyone who has been reading it. I encourage anyone learning a new language or skill to write about it; it has really helped solidify my learning, and who knows, maybe I’ve helped someone else understand something in Python as well. \n\n",[9,965,986],{"slug":1781,"featured":6,"template":698},"learn-python-with-pj-part-5-building-something-with-the-twitter-api","content:en-us:blog:learn-python-with-pj-part-5-building-something-with-the-twitter-api.yml","Learn Python With Pj Part 5 Building Something With The Twitter Api","en-us/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-5-building-something-with-the-twitter-api.yml","en-us/blog/learn-python-with-pj-part-5-building-something-with-the-twitter-api",{"_path":1787,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1788,"content":1794,"config":1799,"_id":1801,"_type":13,"title":1802,"_source":15,"_file":1803,"_stem":1804,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/learning-rust-with-a-little-help-from-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started",{"title":1789,"description":1790,"ogTitle":1789,"ogDescription":1790,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1791,"ogUrl":1792,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1792,"schema":1793},"Learning Rust with a little help from AI","Use this guided tutorial, along with GitLab Duo Code Suggestions, to learn a new programming language.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749663918/Blog/Hero%20Images/aipower.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/learning-rust-with-a-little-help-from-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Learning Rust with a little help from AI\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Michael Friedrich\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-08-10\",\n      }",{"title":1789,"description":1790,"authors":1795,"heroImage":1791,"date":1796,"body":1797,"category":1688,"tags":1798},[1685],"2023-08-10","Learning a new programming language can help broaden your software\ndevelopment expertise, open career opportunities, or create fun challenges.\nHowever, it can be difficult to decide on one specific approach to learning\na new language. Artificial intelligence (AI) can help. In this tutorial,\nyou'll learn how to leverage AI-powered GitLab Duo Code Suggestions for a\nguided experience in learning the Rust programming language.\n\n\n- [Preparations](#preparations)\n  - [VS Code](#vs-code)\n  - [Code Suggestions](#code-suggestions)\n- [Learning a new programming language:\nRust](#learning-a-new-programming-language-rust)\n    - [Development environment for Rust](#development-environment-for-rust)\n    - [Hello, World](#hello-world)\n- [Cargo: Bringing structure into Rust](#cargo-bringing-structure-into-rust)\n\n- [Automation: Configure CI/CD pipeline for\nRust](#automation-configure-cicd-pipeline-for-rust)\n\n- [Continue learning Rust](#continue-learning-rust)\n    - [Define variables and print them](#define-variables-and-print-them)\n    - [Explore variable types](#explore-variable-types)\n    - [Flow control: Conditions and loops](#flow-control-conditions-and-loops)\n    - [Functions](#functions)\n    - [Testing](#testing)\n- [What is next](#what-is-next)\n    - [Async learning exercises](#async-learning-exercises)\n    - [Share your feedback](#share-your-feedback)\n\n## Preparations \n\nChoose your [preferred and supported\nIDE](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/repository/code_suggestions.html#enable-code-suggestions-in-other-ides-and-editors),\nand follow the documentation to enable code suggestions for [GitLab.com\nSaaS](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/repository/code_suggestions.html#enable-code-suggestions-on-gitlab-saas)\nor [GitLab self-managed\ninstances](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/repository/code_suggestions.html#enable-code-suggestions-on-self-managed-gitlab).\n\n\nProgramming languages can require an install of the language interpreter\ncommand-line tools or compilers that generate binaries from source code to\nbuild and run the application.\n\n\nTip: You can also use [GitLab Remote Development\nworkspaces](/blog/quick-start-guide-for-gitlab-workspaces/) to\ncreate your own cloud development environments, instead of local development\nenvironments. This blog post focuses on using VS Code and the GitLab Web\nIDE. \n\n\n### VS Code\n\nOn macOS, you can [install VS Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/download)\nas a Homebrew cask or manually download and install it. \n\n\n```shell\n\nbrew install --cask visual-studio-code \n\n```\n\n\nNavigate to the `Extensions` menu and search for `gitlab workflow`. Install\nthe [GitLab workflow extension for VS\nCode](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=GitLab.gitlab-workflow). \n\n\nTip: VS Code will also detect the programming languages, and offer to\ninstall additional plugins for syntax highlighting and development\nexperience. \n\n\n### Code Suggestions\n\nIt can help to familiarize yourself with suggestions before actually\nverifying the suggestions. GitLab Code Suggestions are provided as you type,\nso you do not need use specific keyboard shortcuts. To accept a code\nsuggestion, press the `tab` key. Also note that writing new code works more\nreliably than refactoring existing code. AI is non-deterministic, which\nmeans that the same suggestion may not be repeated after deleting the code\nsuggestion. While Code Suggestions is in Beta, we are working on improving\nthe accuracy of generated content overall. Please review the [known\nlimitations](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/repository/code_suggestions.html#known-limitations),\nas this could affect your learning experience. \n\n\n## Learning a new programming language: Rust \n\nNow, let's dig into learning Rust, which is one of the [supported languages\nin Code\nSuggestions](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/repository/code_suggestions.html#supported-languages). \n\n\n[Rust by Example](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/) provides a\ngreat tutorial for beginners, together with the official [Rust\nbook](https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/). The [Hands-on Rust\nbook](https://hands-on-rust.com/) shows how to build a 2D game as a more\npractical approach. More examples are shared in [this Rust book\nlist](https://github.com/sger/RustBooks). \n\n\nBefore diving into the source code, make sure to set up your development\nenvironment.\n\n\n### Development environment for Rust\n\n1) Create a new project `learn-rust-ai` in GitLab, and clone the project\ninto your development environment. All code snippets are available in [this\n\"Learn Rust with AI\"\nproject](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/ai/learn-with-ai/learn-rust-ai).\n\n\n```shell\n\ngit clone https://gitlab.com/NAMESPACE/learn-rust-ai.git\n\n\ncd learn-rust-ai\n\n\ngit status\n\n```\n\n\n2) Install Rust and the build toolchain. Fortunately, this is\nstraightforward [following the Rust install\ndocumentation](https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install).\n\n\nTip for using the generic installer: Download the script and run it after\nreview. \n\n\n```\n\n# Download and print the script before running it\n\ncurl -Lvs https://sh.rustup.rs -o rustup-init.sh\n\n\n# Run the Rust installer script\n\nsh rustup-init.sh \n\n```\n\n\nExample on macOS using Homebrew:\n\n\n```\n\nbrew install rust\n\n```\n\n\n1) Optional: Install the [rust-analyzer VS Code\nextension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=rust-lang.rust-analyzer).\n\n\n2) Each exercise will invite you to compile the code with the [`rustc`\ncommand](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rustc/what-is-rustc.html), and later\nusing [`cargo` as build tool and package\nmanager](https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/index.html).\n\n\nYou are all set to learn Rust! \n\n\n### Hello, World\n\nWe will start with [Rust by\nExample](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/), and follow the [Hello,\nWorld exercise](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/hello.html).\n\n\nCreate a new file `hello.rs` in the root directory of the project and start\nwith a comment saying `// Hello world`. Next, start writing the `main`\nfunction, and verify the code suggestion.\n\n\n![VS Code hello.rs Rust code suggestion, asking to\naccept](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/learn_rust_ai_gitlab_code_suggestions_hello_world_suggested.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\nAccept the suggestion by pressing the `tab` key and save the file (keyboard\nshortcut: cmd s). \n\n\n```\n\n// Hello world\n\n\nfn main() {\n    println!(\"Hello, world!\");\n}\n\n```\n\n\n![VS Code hello.rs Rust code suggestion,\naccepted](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/learn_rust_ai_gitlab_code_suggestions_hello_world_accepted.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\nCommit the change to the Git repository. In VS Code, use the keyboard\nshortcut `ctrl shift G`, add a commit message, and hit `cmd enter` to\nsubmit. \n\n\nUse the command palette (`cmd shift p`) and search for `create terminal` to\nopen a new terminal. \n\n\nBuild and run the code.\n\n\n```shell\n\nrustc hello.rs\n\n\n./hello\n\n```\n\n\n![hello.rs Rust code suggestion, accepted, compiled,\nrun](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/learn_rust_ai_gitlab_code_suggestions_hello_world_cli_build.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\nTip: Adding [code comments in Rust\n(`//`)](https://doc.rust-lang.org/reference/comments.html) before you start\nwriting a function or algorithm will help Code Suggestions with more context\nto provide better suggestions. In the example above, we did that with `//\nHello world`, and will continue doing so in the next exercises. \n\n\n## Cargo: Bringing structure into Rust\n\n[Cargo](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/cargo.html) is the\nofficial Rust package management tool. It is more than that - you can run\nbuild and test commands because Cargo understands them as well. \n\n\nYou can initialize a new Cargo configuration in the current directory tree\nwith the following command:\n\n\n```shell\n\ncargo init\n\n```\n\n\nThe directory tree invites you to add the source code into the `src/`\ndirectory, while `Cargo.toml` manages the dependencies and used compiler\nversions. The `.gitignore` file is also added including best practices. \n\n\n```shell\n\ntree\n\n.\n\n├── Cargo.toml\n\n├── README.md\n\n├── hello\n\n├── hello.rs\n\n└── src\n    └── main.rs\n```\n\n\nTry building the code and running it using `cargo`.\n\n\n```shell\n\ncargo build\n\n\ncargo run\n\n```\n\n\nCommit all changes and push them to your GitLab project.\n\n\n```shell\n\ngit commit -avm \"Initialize Cargo\"\n\n\ngit push\n\n```\n\n\nAfter exploring Cargo, let's make sure that our code is continuously tested\nwhile learning Rust. The next section explains how to set up [GitLab\nCI/CD](https://about.gitlab.com/topics/ci-cd/) for Rust. \n\n\n## Automation: Configure CI/CD pipeline for Rust\n\nThe [CI/CD pipeline](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/) should run two jobs in\ntwo stages: Build and test the code. The default container\n[image](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/yaml/#image), `rust:latest`, works in\nthe first iteration. In order to save resources, the CI/CD configuration\nalso supports [caching](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/caching/) for\ndownloaded dependencies and build objects. The `CARGO_HOME` variable is set\nto the CI/CD job home directory to ensure everything gets appropriately\ncached.\n\n\n```yaml\n\nstages:\n  - build\n  - test \n\ndefault:\n  image: rust:latest\n  cache:\n    key: ${CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG}\n    paths:                      \n      - .cargo/bin\n      - .cargo/registry/index\n      - .cargo/registry/cache\n      - target/debug/deps\n      - target/debug/build\n    policy: pull-push\n\n# Cargo data needs to be in the project directory to be cached. \n\nvariables:\n  CARGO_HOME: ${CI_PROJECT_DIR}/.cargo      \n```\n\n\nThe CI/CD jobs inherit the\n[`default`](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/yaml/#default) values, and specify\nthe cargo commands in the [`script`\nsection](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/yaml/#script).\n\n\n```yaml\n\nbuild-latest:\n  stage: build\n  script:\n    - cargo build --verbose\n\ntest-latest:\n  stage: build\n  script:\n    - cargo test --verbose\n```\n\n\nYou can see an example in [this\nMR](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/ai/learn-with-ai/learn-rust-ai/-/merge_requests/1/diffs).\n\n\n## Continue learning Rust \n\nMake sure to add new source code into the `src/` directory. \n\n\n### Define variables and print them\n\nPractice adding a few more\n[print](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/hello/print.html)\nstatements into `src/main.rs`, and then build and run the code again.\n\n\n1) Define a variable called `name` and assign your name as string value.\n\n\n2) Print the name, including a string prefix saying `Hello, `. \n\n\n![VS Code main.rs Rust code suggestion, first step in\nprint](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/learn_rust_ai_gitlab_code_suggestions_print_variable_first.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\n![VS Code main.rs Rust code suggestion, second step in\nprint](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/learn_rust_ai_gitlab_code_suggestions_print_variable_second.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\n1) Open a new terminal in VS Code using the command palette (keyboard\nshortcut `cmd + shift + p`) and search for `terminal`.\n\n\n2) Build and run the code with the `cargo build` and `cargo run` commands. \n\n\n![VS Code terminal with cargo build and run\noutput](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/learn_rust_ai_gitlab_code_suggestions_print_variable_cargo_build_run_terminal.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\nAn example solution can be found\n[here](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/ai/learn-with-ai/learn-rust-ai/-/blob/main/solutions/variable_print.rs). \n\n\n### Explore variable types \n\nDefine different variable value types\n([primitives](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/primitives.html))\nand embed them into the `print` statements. Maybe they feel familiar with\nother programming languages?\n\n\nTip: Use code comments to see which code suggestions can be useful to learn.\nStart with typing `// Integer addition` and see what code suggestions you\ncan add.\n\n\n![VS Code main.rs Rust code suggestion, primitive types with literals and\nexpressions](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/learn_rust_ai_gitlab_code_suggestions_primitive_types_literals_operators.png)\n\n\nExperiment with GitLab Duo Code Suggestions. The shown examples are\nnon-deterministic, but you may be able to add additions, subscriptions,\nmultiplications, etc., and the corresponding `println` statements just by\naccepting code suggestions and continuing the flow with `enter` or\ncompleting the code statements. This workflow can create a chain of code\nsuggestions that can help you learn the Rust language. \n\n\n![Literals and expressions, first\nsuggestion](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/learn_rust_ai_gitlab_code_suggestions_literals_expressions_01.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n![Literals and expressions, second\nsuggestion](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/learn_rust_ai_gitlab_code_suggestions_literals_expressions_02.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n![Literals and expressions, third\nsuggestion](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/learn_rust_ai_gitlab_code_suggestions_literals_expressions_03.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\nAn example solution can be found\n[here](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/ai/learn-with-ai/learn-rust-ai/-/blob/main/solutions/literals_expressions.rs). \n\n\nThe code suggestions are not perfect. Sometimes there are errors that\nrequire you to fix the problems. When writing this blog post, I had to fix\ntwo missing semicolons at the end of the code lines. The great thing about\nthe Rust compiler is that the error messages tell you exactly where the\nproblem happens with suggestions to fix them. Code Suggestions and the\nRust-provided build chain make writing Rust code more efficient. \n\n\n```rust\n\nprintln!(\"Hello, {}!\", name)\n\n\n// Integer subtraction\n\nlet y = 9 - 4\n\n```\n\n\n![Terminal build, errors, Rust compiler\nhelp](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/learn_rust_ai_gitlab_code_suggestions_terminal_errors_rust_help.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\nYou can try to provoke the same error by removing a semicolon at the end of\na statement and then running `cargo build` in the terminal again. The Rust\ncompiler will also warn you about unused variables to help with better code\nquality. The screenshot shows warnings for variable definitions, and also a\nCLI command to fix them. \n\n\n![Terminal build, warnings, Rust compiler\nhelp](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/learn_rust_ai_gitlab_code_suggestions_terminal_warnings_rust_help.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\n### Flow control: Conditions and loops \n\nNext, let's focus on [flow\ncontrol](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/flow_control.html) with\nconditions, loops, etc., and how to implement them.\n\n\n1) Start typing `// Flow control` and see which suggestions are provided.\n\n\n2) Experiment with the code, and continue defining a boolean variable `v`\nwhich is set to true. \n\n\n```rust\n  // Flow control\n  let v = true;\n\n```\n\n\n![Conditions, boolean\nvariable](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/learn_rust_ai_gitlab_code_suggestions_flow_control_conditions_01.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n![Conditions, boolean variable, if\ncondition](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/learn_rust_ai_gitlab_code_suggestions_flow_control_conditions_02.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\n1) Start typing `// Loops` and experiment with the code suggestions. \n\n\nLet's assume the loop looks the like following snippet. It does not have a\nloop counter which gets printed on every loop execution.\n\n\n```rust\n\n// Loops\n\nlet mut count = 0;\n\n\nloop {\n    count += 1;\n\n    if count == 10 {\n        break;\n    }\n}\n\n```\n\n\n2) Start typing `println!` and see which code suggestions are provided, for\nexample `println!(\"Count: {}\", count);`. \n\n\n![Loops, loop counter print\nsuggestion](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/learn_rust_ai_gitlab_code_suggestions_flow_control_loops_print_counter.png)\n\n\n3) Apply the suggestions, and execute `cargo build && cargo run` on the\nterminal again. \n\n\nLet's learn more: Rust supports different loop types, for example [while\nloops](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/flow_control/while.html),\n[for\nloops](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/flow_control/for.html),\netc. \n\n\n1) Type `// While loop` and verify the code suggestions. Repeat the same for\n`// For loop`.\n\n\n```rust\n\n// While loops\n\nlet mut count = 0;\n\n\nwhile count \u003C 10 {\n    count += 1;\n    println!(\"Count: {}\", count);\n}\n\n\n// For loops\n\nlet a = [10, 2, 3, 4, 5];\n\n\nfor element in a {\n    println!(\"Element: {}\", element);\n}\n\n```\n\n\nThere is more to learn with loops and conditions: Iterate over arrays,\nlists, maps, slices. Practice with writing comments for `// Maps and sets`\nand `// Vectors and strings`. \n\n\n![Vectors,\nstrings](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/learn_rust_ai_gitlab_code_suggestions_flow_control_vectors_strings.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\n```rust\n  // Maps and sets\n  let mut scores = HashMap::new();\n\n  scores.insert(String::from(\"Blue\"), 10);\n  scores.insert(String::from(\"Yellow\"), 50);\n\n  for (key, value ) in &scores {\n      println!(\"{}: {}\", key, value);\n  }\n\n  // Vectors and strings\n  let mut v = Vec::new();\n\n  v.push(1);\n  v.push(2);\n\n  for element in &v {\n      println!(\"Element: {}\", element);\n  }  \n```\n\n\nThis snippet will fail because the `HashMap` type needs to be imported from\n`std::collections::HashMap`. Add the following line on top before the main\nfunction definition: \n\n\n```rust\n\nuse std::collections::HashMap;\n\n``` \n\n\n2) Build and run the code with `cargo build && cargo run`. \n\n\nAn example solution is provided\n[here](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/ai/learn-with-ai/learn-rust-ai/-/blob/main/solutions/flow_control.rs).\n\n\n**Async exercise**: \n\n\n1) Modify the input values for the different data types, and build and run\nthe code again.\n\n\n2) Add a condition into the loops that print the items only when a specific\ncondition is met (for example, the number is odd or even). \n\n\n### Functions \n\n\n[Functions](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/fn.html) help increase\ncode readability and testability with unit tests. Practice creating\nfunctions with the following steps: \n\n\n1) Two functions `isEven` and `isOdd` to evaluate whether a number is even\nor odd.\n\n\n```rust\n\nfn isEven(x: i32) -> bool {\n    x % 2 == 0\n}\n\n\nfn isOdd(x: i32) -> bool {\n    x % 2 != 0\n}\n\n```\n\n\n2) `isPrime` function to check whether a given integer value is a prime\nnumber.\n\n\n```rust\n\nfn isPrime(x: i32) -> bool {\n    let mut i = 2;\n\n    while i * i \u003C= x {\n        if x % i == 0 {\n            return false;\n        } else {\n            i += 1;\n        }\n    } \n\n    return true\n}\n\n```\n\n\n3) Create an array of integer values, loop over it, and call the functions.\nLet GitLab Code Suggestions guide you with the implementation by starting to\ntype the if conditions followed by the function name. \n\n\n```rust\n  // Functions\n  let mut integers = vec![1, 2, 3, 4, 5];\n\n  for i in integers.iter() {\n\n      if (isEven(i)) {\n          println!(\"{} is even\", i);\n      }\n\n      if (isOdd(i)) { \n          println!(\"{} is odd\", i);\n      }\n\n      if (isPrime(i)) { \n          println!(\"{} is prime\", i);\n      }\n\n      println!(\"{}\", i);\n  }\n```\n\n\nNote that passing a reference value to a function may result in an error\nfrom the Rust compiler. Follow the suggestions and build the code again. \n\n\n```shell\n\n$ cargo build && cargo run \n\n\nerror[E0308]: mismatched types\n   --> src/main.rs:112:21\n    |\n112 |         if (isPrime(i)) { \n    |             ------- ^ expected `i32`, found `&{integer}`\n    |             |\n    |             arguments to this function are incorrect\n    |    \nnote: function defined here\n   --> src/main.rs:136:4\n    |\n136 | fn isPrime(x: i32) -> bool {\n    |    ^^^^^^^ ------\nhelp: consider dereferencing the borrow\n    |\n112 |         if (isPrime(*i)) { \n    |                     +\n```\n\n\nAn example solution is provided\n[here](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/ai/learn-with-ai/learn-rust-ai/-/blob/main/solutions/functions.rs).\n\n\n**Async exercise**: Create a function `containsString` and test it with an\narray of string values, and a string to search for, in a loop. The\nscreenshot shows a potential implementation. \n\n\n![containsString function, and vector with string elements to test,\nsuggesting its usage in the main\nfunction](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/learn_rust_ai_gitlab_code_suggestions_function_implemented_then_suggested_in_main.png){:\n.shadow}\n\n\n### Testing \n\nWhile learning programming, adopt\n[testing](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/testing.html) into your\nprocess. This can be unit tests for functions, documentation testing, and\nintegration testing. Practice with testing the previously created functions\n`isEven`, `isOdd`, and `isPrime`. Starty by typing `mod tests {` followed by\na new line with `use super::*` to implement the example from the [Rust\ndocumentation for unit\ntests](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/testing/unit_testing.html).\n\n\n```rust\n\nmod tests {\n    use super::*;\n\n    #[test]\n    fn test_is_even() {\n        assert!(isEven(2)); \n        assert!(!isEven(3));\n    }\n\n    #[test] \n    fn test_is_odd() {\n        assert!(!isOdd(2));\n        assert!(isOdd(3));\n    }\n\n    #[test]\n    fn test_is_prime() { \n        assert!(isPrime(2));\n        assert!(!isPrime(3));\n    }\n}\n\n```\n\n\nRun `cargo test` to run the unit tests. Modify the test values to experiment\nwith the results. \n\n\n```shell\n\ncargo test\n\n```\n\n\n![Function unit tests, cargo test output in the VS Code\nterminal](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learn-rust-with-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started/learn_rust_ai_gitlab_code_suggestions_function_unit_tests_terminal_run.png)\n\n\nCreate unit tests that fail, and commit and push the changes to GitLab. The\nCI/CD pipelines will fail in this simulated breakage. The example above\nneeds a fix for the `test_is_prime` test. Commit and push the change to\nverify that the pipeline passes again. \n\n\n```diff\n\n-        assert!(!isPrime(3));\n\n+        assert!(!isPrime(4));\n\n```\n\n\n## What is next \n\nIn an upcoming blog, we will look into advanced learning examples with\nasynchronous operations, services and external API communication in future\nblog posts. Until then, here are a few recommendations for practicing async.\n\n\n### Async learning exercises\n\n- [`std misc`](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/std_misc.html)\nprovides asynchronous operations with threads, channels and file I/O\n\n- Book: [Hands-on Rust: Effective Learning through 2D Game Development and\nPlay](https://pragprog.com/titles/hwrust/hands-on-rust/)\n\n- Tutorial: [Are we game yet?](https://arewegameyet.rs/resources/tutorials/)\n\n- Use case: [Web server with\nrocket.rs](https://rocket.rs/v0.5-rc/guide/quickstart/#running-examples)\n\n\nHere are a few more exercises and ideas for additional learning:\n\n1) The Rust compiler might have created warnings that need to be addressed.\nFollow the instructions from the `cargo build` commands and check the Git\ndiff. \n\n\n```\n\ncargo fix --bin \"learn-rust-ai\"\n\n\ngit diff \n\n```\n\n\n2) [Error handling](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/error.html) is\nrequired when failure is detected, and the caller should know. Some errors\ncan be recovered from within the application, others require program\ntermination. \n\n\n3) The [`std` library](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/std.html)\nextends primitive types and makes programming more efficient. \n\n\n### Share your feedback\n\nWhich programming language are you learning or considering learning? Start a\nnew topic on our [community](/community/) forum or Discord and share your\nexperience.  \n\n\nIf you are using Code Suggestions Beta with [GitLab Duo](/gitlab-duo/)\nalready, please share your thoughts and feedback [in this\nissue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/405152).\n",[758,9,965,1690,1691],{"slug":1800,"featured":6,"template":698},"learning-rust-with-a-little-help-from-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started","content:en-us:blog:learning-rust-with-a-little-help-from-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started.yml","Learning Rust With A Little Help From Ai Code Suggestions Getting Started","en-us/blog/learning-rust-with-a-little-help-from-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started.yml","en-us/blog/learning-rust-with-a-little-help-from-ai-code-suggestions-getting-started",{"_path":1806,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1807,"content":1813,"config":1819,"_id":1821,"_type":13,"title":1822,"_source":15,"_file":1823,"_stem":1824,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/living-for-more-than-the-weekend",{"title":1808,"description":1809,"ogTitle":1808,"ogDescription":1809,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1810,"ogUrl":1811,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1811,"schema":1812},"My remote story: Living for more than the weekend","A quick look into what drove me to choose an organization that lives and breathes it's core values and allowed me the flexibility to be a full time member of my family","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749664102/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-values-cover.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/living-for-more-than-the-weekend","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"My remote story: Living for more than the weekend\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"JD Alex\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-04-30\",\n      }",{"title":1808,"description":1809,"authors":1814,"heroImage":1810,"date":1816,"body":1817,"category":1388,"tags":1818},[1815],"JD Alex","2020-04-30","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\nWhat exactly does it mean to be remote? For some, it looks the same as working in a traditional office space, 9-5, glued to your computer, albeit in a different location. Maybe it is from your home office, your living room, or a co-working space. To me, working remotely means something much more. It is an opportunity to live my life how I see fit.\n\u003Cbr>\n\nI grew up with a single mother. She was and still is a nurse, subject to schedules that can be quite hectic. There were many days where I found myself heating up food my mother prepped for me before she went to work, and at times I would go with her and spend the night in the doctor’s lounge at the hospital. I don’t regret or wish anything different about those times — I loved them — but I want something different for my family, and for my son.\n\u003Cbr>\n\nI previously worked in the Bay Area for a corporate wellness company and the grind was real. I never turned off. I was attached to my phone answering calls and texts from our CEO at all hours of the day. I commuted roughly 12 miles and it could take me up to an hour to get home from work (for 2 years that is 21.75 days PER YEAR spent commuting). After a couple of years, my wife and I decided a change was needed. Fast forward to my time at my next position in Denver, Colorado where I had a shorter commute (on most days), though I still sat in an office for 50 hours a week. Sure, free food,coffee and ping pong tables were great perks, but it all changed once my son was born. There were days I would spend 20-30 minutes in the morning with him before leaving for the office, only to get home from work and get barely another hour with him at night. For me, that was unacceptable.\n\u003Cbr>\n\nI couldn’t shake the feeling that I had to make a change — I had to do better — for my own sanity, but more importantly for my son to know me. So... I quit. Before doing so, I asked to be given some flexibility. I used my track record as one of the company’s top performers, having never previously used a sick day and never taken a holiday. It was in vain. I was told I would never be allowed to work remotely. I was told it couldn’t be done successfully, culture happened in the office, and so on.\n\u003Cbr>\n\nIn the back of my mind was a startup, GitLab, that was shown to me by a friend and former co-worker. I read the [Handbook](/handbook/#introduction), I read the [values](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#credit), and I didn’t believe any of it for a minute. It was too good to be true. I was in the midst of wrapping up my last few weeks at a company that was rated as a front runner of Best Places to Work, Best Company Culture, and Happiest Employees. How could this place be any different? Well, I was wrong! I read everything I could find from current employees talking about GitLab and what it has done for them, what the values mean to the company, and how [Sid (CEO)](/company/team/#sytses) promoted work-life integration and mental health first by focusing on results over input. I interviewed and, long story short, was offered a position.\n\u003Cbr>\n\nFast forward 17 months to today and life looks a lot different. My family and I moved back to where we wanted to live, we have a house we love, and I have had breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day with my wife and son as a family. In 17 months, I have been given the opportunity, the gift, of sitting down with my family for every single meal. I have  enjoyed more meals with my son in these last 17 months than some get to enjoy with their kids in 17 years.\n\u003Cbr>\n\nGitLab works asynchronously and employees are valued based on their results, not their input.GitLab understands as an organization that people need time off to gather their thoughts, re-center themselves, go for a bike ride or walk, take care of household activities, or pick kids up from school or your pets from doggy day care. Giving each and every employee the tools they need and the trust they deserve to work from anywhere that Wi-Fi allows.\n\u003Cbr>\n\nSo why do I choose remote? For me, it’s simple. I have a life, and my career is a part of that life. It is a part that I truly enjoy and also that provides for my family. A part that I do not take for granted, but it is still only a part of my life. It is not who I am, and it is not what I will be remembered for by my son. I wish to live my life every single day, and not just for the weekends. I want to be present for my family, my friends, and for myself. I want to see the world and I want to see what's in my backyard. I am able to do this because of what GitLab and remote work has offered.\n\n![Family photo](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/unfilteredblogpostmyremotestory.png){: .shadow}\n\nThe Alex's.\n{: .note.text-center}\n",[9,268,801],{"slug":1820,"featured":6,"template":698},"living-for-more-than-the-weekend","content:en-us:blog:living-for-more-than-the-weekend.yml","Living For More Than The Weekend","en-us/blog/living-for-more-than-the-weekend.yml","en-us/blog/living-for-more-than-the-weekend",{"_path":1826,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1827,"content":1833,"config":1839,"_id":1841,"_type":13,"title":1842,"_source":15,"_file":1843,"_stem":1844,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/making-remote-internships-successful",{"title":1828,"description":1829,"ogTitle":1828,"ogDescription":1829,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1830,"ogUrl":1831,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1831,"schema":1832},"How to make remote internships successful","Support Engineering Manager Lee Matos talks about pitfalls and successes in making remote internships work.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749678875/Blog/Hero%20Images/support-series-cover.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/making-remote-internships-successful","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How to make remote internships successful\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Lee Matos\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-08-16\",\n      }",{"title":1828,"description":1829,"authors":1834,"heroImage":1830,"date":1836,"body":1837,"category":300,"tags":1838},[1835],"Lee Matos","2018-08-16","\nBack in December I introduced you to [Support Engineering at GitLab](/blog/support-engineering-at-gitlab/). Now I'm excited to talk about my experiences – good and bad – with remote internships. I think remote internships can be a great thing but not without pitfalls. Let's dive in.\n\nAs I started to lead the GitLab Support team, [Collen](/company/team/#collenkriel), our first Support Engineering intern, was wrapping up his internship. We started to spend some time together when I realized Collen was doing great work, but we didn't have a clear definition of what it took to transition out of “intern” to “Junior.” This was not due to lack of management, it was because Collen was the first. We had never even thought about what it would look like to graduate! Lesson number 1:\n\n## 1. Clearly define success\n\nInternships are challenging when you don't know what you want the internship to be about, or what you want it to accomplish. I think it's vital that everyone involved knows what success is, and how close they are to it. It took a lot of time and effort for me and Collen to figure out what we'd mark as success. That made it even more stressful as we were both scrambling to make clear and actionable markers of success as his internship came to a close. It was a sign of Collen's skill and grace that we managed to define and execute those things with a ticking clock counting down. Once we knew what success was, Collen knocked it out of the park. Now, success is different for every team and person. Keep that in mind as you define it here for yourself, and your intern.\n\n### A second chance\n\nA few months later, we had an opportunity to hire [Chenje](/company/team/#ckatanda) as an intern and my number one goal was to improve that experience. For Chenje, he had a lot of drive and a few technical projects under his belt, but lacked experience with working in technical teams. We settled on three tasks as the definition of success for Chenje's internship:\n\n+ Deploy Omnibus HA and improve Documentation\n+ Pair on 25 ticket sessions\n+ Gain expertise in one or two expert subjects\n\nFor Chenje, success was defined as completing two of the three defined tasks. This gave him some freedom to plan and schedule, and even room to fail in the face of challenging tasks. This was important because it was meaningful work, but it was also important as a manager that I can understand how team members approach problems big and small.\n\n## 2. Set expectations\n\nSome of this advice is good for any internship – not just a remote one. But one of the unique challenges of a remote internship is the lack of facetime and potential delays in communication. Both Collen and Chenje are six hours ahead of me, so the time difference was definitely a factor here. With remote work, a lot of the inefficiencies of communication and workflow that are just accepted as part of office life are exposed. There's nowhere to hide.\n\n>With remote work, a lot of the inefficiencies of communication and workflow that are just accepted as part of office life are exposed\n\nIn addition to other internship challenges, we now add the element of time coordination, and knowing that your reports can't just walk over to your desk with a question. We have to be very explicit about connecting to make meaningful change happen. There's a tendency to want that to happen synchronously, but we have to figure out alternatives.\n\nI think setting the expectation that the intern should be ready and willing to ask questions was important. Instead of waiting for you to come rescue them, they'll also need to take initiative to snag time on your calendar if they're blocked, and on your end you need to make that time to help them out. With remote work you have to be willing to step forward; you can't wait on someone else to give you tasks or to check in if everything is going smoothly. It won't work at GitLab, and probably won't fly at other remote companies either.\n\n## 3. Avoid busywork\n\nI also made it clear to Chenje that I would not be giving him busywork and that he'd be able to make real contributions. One of the advantages of a remote internship is that there's no coffee to fetch, so busywork possibilities are limited. If you're managing an intern properly, you should consider them to be 1.5x an ordinary report. I thought about the things that I wanted to do but couldn't focus on and offered those to Chenje. I wanted to give him challenges that would result in work he could be proud of. If you're considering an intern to deal with the things you don't want to do, then you should reconsider. That's a recipe for a bad internship, and your intern won't want to work with your team afterwards.\n\n>If you're managing an intern properly, you should consider them to be 1.5x an ordinary report\n\nYour intern should be someone who you believe to be capable and competent, just missing experience. The dream of an internship is that you're developing somebody who will end up working for your organization. If you're not doing it for that reason, then what's the point?\n\n## 4. But don't throw them in the deep end either\n\nWe didn't push either Collen or Chenje to jump into interacting with customers straight away, to give them time to build up their comfort level, experience, and confidence. The initial goal was that the internship is skill-building period – a safe space. You don't want to overwhelm your intern by making them do everything. They're an intern for a reason.\n\n>The initial goal was that the internship is skill-building period – a safe space\n\n## 5. Give clear feedback on progress\n\nAs an intern, Chenje had full access to the team and myself as a lead. We have weekly 1:1s and we'd review his progress. Now, Collen, our first intern, had regular 1:1s with me, but because we didn't have a clear structure of the internship, we weren't using this time to its full potential. Being able to use our 1:1 time to understand and help Chenje overcome blockers and organize made his internship incredibly smooth. We knew what success was, we regularly tracked it, and we learned how to communicate it to each other.\n\nI'm extremely proud of the work that Collen and Chenje have done on our team and how they continue to excel in the face of two very different internship experiences. If you are running a remote team, or considering interns, these things helped me turn something that started out stressful into a recipe for success.\n",[9,801,844],{"slug":1840,"featured":6,"template":698},"making-remote-internships-successful","content:en-us:blog:making-remote-internships-successful.yml","Making Remote Internships Successful","en-us/blog/making-remote-internships-successful.yml","en-us/blog/making-remote-internships-successful",{"_path":1846,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1847,"content":1852,"config":1859,"_id":1861,"_type":13,"title":1862,"_source":15,"_file":1863,"_stem":1864,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/managers-more-optimistic-than-developers",{"title":1848,"description":1849,"ogTitle":1848,"ogDescription":1849,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1600,"ogUrl":1850,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1850,"schema":1851},"How do developers and managers feel about their jobs?","How do you assess job satisfaction? Here's a look inside the findings and methods of our Global Developer Report.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/managers-more-optimistic-than-developers","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How do developers and managers feel about their jobs?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Emily von Hoffmann\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-03-20\",\n      }",{"title":1848,"description":1849,"authors":1853,"heroImage":1600,"date":1855,"body":1856,"category":820,"tags":1857},[1854],"Emily von Hoffmann","2018-03-20","\n_Our [2022 Global DevSecOps Survey](/developer-survey/) is out now! Learn the latest in DevOps insights from over 5,000 DevOps professionals._\n\nOne of the goals of our [2018 developer survey](/developer-survey/previous/2018/) was to establish a benchmark for how satisfied software professionals generally are in their jobs. Using the detailed demographic information we captured at the beginning, we were able to sort and compare the opinions of different groups within our sample of over 5,000 respondents. One of our key findings was that, for all their differences, developers and managers agree with each other on a lot of things, but managers tend to have a slightly rosier outlook when their views diverge.\n\n\u003C!-- more -->\n\n### How we determined overall satisfaction\n\nSurveys are tricky, and humans are trickier, so we had to brainstorm a bit on what exactly we were interested in learning, and [how](http://www.pewresearch.org/methodology/u-s-survey-research/questionnaire-design/) we could coax out this information without introducing our own biases. We used a series of [likert scales](https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/likert-scale/) to get at these groups’ perceptions of their autonomy, team dynamics, support, and other fuzzy things that we think can really drive happiness in a role (we also asked about details on tooling and workflow [later on](/developer-survey/previous/2018/) in the survey). We’ve [published before](https://medium.com/@gitlab/invite-your-engineers-to-talk-business-heres-why-485ce02c4d18) on what happens when your business and engineering teams are out of sync, and we wanted to ask about other symptoms of that same problem. Here are some of the questions, along with the raw data that we used to compare satisfaction between developers and management.\n\n\u003Cstyle type=\"text/css\">\n.tg  {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;}\n.tg td{font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;padding:10px 5px;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;overflow:hidden;word-break:normal;}\n.tg th{font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:normal;padding:10px 5px;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;overflow:hidden;word-break:normal;}\n.tg .tg-9hbo{font-weight:bold;vertical-align:top}\n.tg .tg-yw4l{vertical-align:top}\n\u003C/style>\n\u003Ctable class=\"tg\">\n  \u003Ctr>\n    \u003Cth class=\"tg-9hbo\">Managers\u003C/th>\n    \u003Cth class=\"tg-9hbo\">%\u003C/th>\n    \u003Cth class=\"tg-9hbo\">Developers\u003C/th>\n    \u003Cth class=\"tg-9hbo\">%\u003C/th>\n  \u003C/tr>\n  \u003Ctr>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">My team is set up to succeed\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">84\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">I feel set up to succeed\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">75\u003C/td>\n  \u003C/tr>\n  \u003Ctr>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">My team is given realistic deadlines\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">68\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">I’m given realistic deadlines\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">65\u003C/td>\n  \u003C/tr>\n  \u003Ctr>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">Project expectations are set up front\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">60\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">Project expectations are set up front\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">50\u003C/td>\n  \u003C/tr>\n  \u003Ctr>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">My team rarely needs to sacrifice quality to meet a deadline\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">53\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">I rarely need to sacrifice quality to meet a deadline\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">50\u003C/td>\n  \u003C/tr>\n  \u003Ctr>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">My team is able to make decisions about their work\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">91\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">It’s important to me to be able to make decisions about my work\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">96\u003C/td>\n  \u003C/tr>\n  \u003Ctr>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">My team has the authority to make decisions\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">88\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">I have the authority to make decisions about my work\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">83\u003C/td>\n  \u003C/tr>\n  \u003Ctr>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">My team's ideas and opinions are valued\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">93\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">My ideas and opinions are valued\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">84\u003C/td>\n  \u003C/tr>\n  \u003Ctr>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">My team has access to the best development tools\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">81\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">I have access to the best development tools\u003C/td>\n    \u003Ctd class=\"tg-yw4l\">74\u003C/td>\n  \u003C/tr>\n\u003C/table>\n\n\n### Tying individual attitudes to culture\n\nWhat are some other things that might contribute to a frustrating or dysfunctional culture? To try to hint at big, sometimes implicit things like psychological safety, bureaucracy, and whether their team is more democratic or autocratic, we had to come up with a list of concrete indicators, which you can see below:\n\n\u003Ccenter>\u003Cimg src=\"/images/blogimages/biggest-challenges-chart.png\" alt=\"biggest challenges to adopting new tools and practices\" class= \"shadow\" style=\"width: 700px;\"/>\u003C/center>\n\nWhen we asked about the biggest challenges teams face when adopting new processes or tools, the top three responses were replacing ingrained practices, resistance to change, and cross-team communication. Developers and managers are in agreement here almost exactly, although developers are slightly more likely to name resistance to chance (51 percent) than managers (46 percent).\n\nWe saw this echoed in other ways, with the greatest number of developers (42 percent) naming unclear direction as their top challenge to getting work done. Relatedly, just 57 percent of developers say they have visibility into what their team members in operations, security, and product are working on. Managers feel slightly better off in this regard, with 69 percent reporting that they have visibility (we also found some differences in how remote versus in-office teams view the issue, which you can read more about [here](/developer-survey/previous/2018/)).\n\n### What we want to learn next\n\nCommunication, and structures or habits that might enable or impede it, is a theme that we’re interested in learning more about. It’s a predictable problem with no easy fix, so we ran a Twitter poll to get some input on how teams have wrestled with communication issues in the past.\n\nOne suggestion for how to overcome the cultural barriers to adopting DevOps is to embed team members to improve cross-team collaboration, but that doesn’t always seem doable because it’s an organizational change, requiring buy-in from many more people than just the developers involved. It wasn’t surprising, then, that this option was chosen the least. Regular social activities and working sessions seem like much cheaper options, but were barely more popular. The greatest number of people simply chose our equivalent of ¯\\\\\\_(ツ)_/¯.\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We heard from developers that miscommunication is a major challenge to getting work done \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/Cvqwnf5tVH\">https://t.co/Cvqwnf5tVH\u003C/a>. \u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>What's the best way to improve communication issues between teams in your engineering organization?\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/973648916536205312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 13, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\nWe heard from a few devs about solutions that didn’t make our short list, and they’re rarely about just talking to each other more. Tellingly, the responses we got were much more likely tying communication to big, pervasive cultural things, like compensation incentives and respect for others’ work.\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Mutual respect and interest in the work of others. Especially between different but collaborating professions like design and development but also within a group of the same type.\u003C/p>— ᴄɪᴛɪᴢᴇɴ ᴅʀᴀɪɴ (@Citizen_Drain) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Citizen_Drain/status/973671170808696832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 13, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Writing documentation, and planning. Old skool and works.\u003C/p>— Peter Bowyer (@peterbowyer) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/peterbowyer/status/973650507930664966?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 13, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\nWhen we [asked](https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/974023284953006080) Netflix engineer Randall Koutnik for more details on his tweet (below) he [wrote a post](https://rkoutnik.com/2018/03/17/incentivize-teams-not-people.html) with examples of how dev teams can be undermined by policies tying financial incentives and promotion criteria to individual performance goals, rather than company performance.\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Too many companies financially incentivize against teamwork. If my bonus is determined by me hitting my objectives, then it's counterproductive to help others instead of focusing in on my own work.\u003C/p>— Randall Koutnik (@rkoutnik) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/rkoutnik/status/973689841870229507?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 13, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\nWhy is this predictable problem so stubborn? What has your team tried? Tweet us [@gitlab](https://twitter.com/gitlab).\n\nPhoto by [Dylan Gillis](https://unsplash.com/photos/KdeqA3aTnBY) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/)\n{: .note}\n",[1858,9,694],"developer survey",{"slug":1860,"featured":6,"template":698},"managers-more-optimistic-than-developers","content:en-us:blog:managers-more-optimistic-than-developers.yml","Managers More Optimistic Than Developers","en-us/blog/managers-more-optimistic-than-developers.yml","en-us/blog/managers-more-optimistic-than-developers",{"_path":1866,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1867,"content":1873,"config":1877,"_id":1879,"_type":13,"title":1880,"_source":15,"_file":1881,"_stem":1882,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/new-year-new-programming-language",{"title":1868,"description":1869,"ogTitle":1868,"ogDescription":1869,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1870,"ogUrl":1871,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1871,"schema":1872},"New year, new programming language","Use the calendar turnover as an excuse to spark your curiosity and learn one of the hottest programming languages.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749668524/Blog/Hero%20Images/closeup-photo-of-black-and-blue-keyboard-1194713.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/new-year-new-programming-language","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"New year, new programming language\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Valerie Silverthorne\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-01-13\",\n      }",{"title":1868,"description":1869,"authors":1874,"heroImage":1870,"date":1545,"body":1875,"category":716,"tags":1876},[734],"\nIt’s 2022, time to learn something new. So how about studying a new programming language? Keeping your [dev skills sharpened](/blog/the-top-skills-you-need-to-get-your-devops-dream-job/) and gaining fluency in more than one language is ideal for DevOps pros, according to DevOps Institute’s [2021 Upskilling Report](https://info.devopsinstitute.com/2021-upskilling-report-download).\n\nBut with all the new programming languages around, it can be tricky to know where to begin. [Stack Overflow’s 2021 Survey](https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2021) found devs were most interested in learning Python, JavaScript, and Go. JavaScript is a fairly ubiquitous language, so let’s look instead at tutorials and advice for some up-and-coming languages, including Python, Go, Rust, Groovy, and Kotlin.\n\n## The promise of Python\n\nPython is a very popular second or third language for websites, analytics, and all things DevOps. It’s also very easy to [start learning](/blog/beginner-guide-python-programming/). Python.org offers [a free tutorial](https://www.python.org/about/gettingstarted/). There is also an [interactive option](https://www.learnpython.org).\n\n## Go for the gold\n\nAnother language to consider is Go because its proponents say it’s incredibly easy to learn and use. Go is so interesting that GitLab Staff Developer Evangelist [Brendan O’Leary](/company/team/#brendan) is going to learn it this year [and plans to share the journey on his blog](https://boleary.dev/blog/2022-01-10-new-year-new-language.html). Learn the [basics of Go](https://go.dev/doc/tutorial/getting-started) and then consider diving into [Go by Example](https://gobyexample.com).\n\nOnce you’re done hitting the books, tackle a real-world challenge, like [using Go for CI](/blog/go-tools-and-gitlab-how-to-do-continuous-integration-like-a-boss/).\n\n## All about Rust\n\nIt’s safe to say the devs who know and use Rust _love_ Rust. But, to be fair, it’s not necessarily the easiest language to learn. That said, if the goal is secure code, [Rust is a solid choice](/blog/secure-rust-development-with-gitlab/). To try Rust on for size, devs can either [read The Rust Programming Language book](https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/) or try [the Rustlings course](https://github.com/rust-lang/rustlings/). Overachievers might want to [learn how to fuzz Rust code](/blog/how-to-fuzz-rust-code/). \n\n## Feeling Groovy\n\nGroovy is all about scripting and, as such, is ideal for those wanting to learn automation. Also, Groovy works side-by-side with Java, meaning it’s going to be a language that comes easily to those devs. [Get started with Groovy](https://www.guru99.com/groovy-tutorial.html). For a deeper dive, here’s [a list of books about Groovy](https://groovy-lang.org/learn.html).\n\n## Create with Kotlin\n\nApparently Kotlin is a programming language that [makes developers happier](https://kotlinlang.org) and is ideal for data science projects and Android apps. If you want to be a happier developer, too, [here’s how to get started with Kotlin](https://www.codecademy.com/learn/learn-kotlin/modules/learn-kotlin-introduction-to-kotlin). Google also offers a [bootcamp for Kotlin developers](https://www.udacity.com/course/kotlin-bootcamp-for-programmers--ud9011).\n\n## Bonus round: Use Python and Rust together\n\nBecause there is no point in learning a new programming language unless you can use it, here’s a step-by-step guide to bringing your application idea to production [using Python, Rust, and GitLab CI](/blog/python-rust-and-gitlab-ci/).\n",[694,9],{"slug":1878,"featured":6,"template":698},"new-year-new-programming-language","content:en-us:blog:new-year-new-programming-language.yml","New Year New Programming Language","en-us/blog/new-year-new-programming-language.yml","en-us/blog/new-year-new-programming-language",{"_path":1884,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1885,"content":1891,"config":1897,"_id":1899,"_type":13,"title":1900,"_source":15,"_file":1901,"_stem":1902,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/on-calliday-unsucking-your-on-call-experience",{"title":1886,"description":1887,"ogTitle":1886,"ogDescription":1887,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1888,"ogUrl":1889,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1889,"schema":1890},"On-Calliday: A guide to unsucking your on-call experience","Being on-call can be rough because you're likely losing sleep, which can impact your personal and professional life. Here are some tips on how to make on-call shifts less painful for your team and company.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749680447/Blog/Hero%20Images/on-calliday.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/on-calliday-unsucking-your-on-call-experience","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"On-Calliday: A guide to unsucking your on-call experience\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Amanda Folson\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2017-06-14\",\n      }",{"title":1886,"description":1887,"authors":1892,"heroImage":1888,"date":1894,"body":1895,"category":799,"tags":1896},[1893],"Amanda Folson","2017-06-14","\nIn spirit of the rapidly approaching summer-vacation season, here are some tips on how to prevent burnout when scheduling on-call rotations. Although I'm currently a developer advocate, I've been a career developer and worked in DevOps roles, and I'm no stranger to the on-call life.  Here I'll discuss burnout, the pros and cons of different shift lengths, and how to make on-call rotations a little less painful.\n\n\u003C!-- more -->\n\n## Four phases of burnout\n\nFirst, let's talk about burnout, because this is what we’re trying to prevent.\nEspecially in tech, people may respond to the demands of their job by staying late to get stuff done, or forgoing vacation days because even the prospect of catching up upon return is daunting. It's worth remembering that work can actually kill you, and there's a lot of stigma around this kind of stress, so it's important to talk about.\n\nThese four stages are for employees and employers alike to keep tabs on yourself and your team.\n\n### Caution\nYou feel like you’re not providing value so you try to prove yourself by working more. You might feel down on yourself.\n\n### Warning\nYou start to ignore your own needs in favor of working. Sleep, family, and hobbies become secondary priorities to you. You might panic. You work all the time and sleep like crap.\n\n### Danger\nThis is the point where you need to REALLY start seeking help. Your behavior starts to change at this stage. You might become aggressive or withdraw from serious commitments and social functions, or start engaging in risky behavior. You might be so anxious about all of the work you have to do that you end up not doing anything at all.\n\n### Emergency  \nIf you’re in this zone you need to seek help immediately. In this stage you might feel empty and engage in even riskier behaviors. Many people are depressed at this stage, and it’s not uncommon for people to have suicidal thoughts.\n\n## How can we make on-call shifts better?\n\nTeam members can protect themselves from burnout by making sure everything is in order before their shift. For example, make sure to pay important bills, run errands you’ve been putting off, and do anything else you can to simplify your work week. In terms of making your team work better as a whole, here are some additional best practices you can consider enforcing:\n\n### Don't make the pain in vain\nA chance of being woken up in the middle of the night is never going to be amazing. You can do a lot to decrease the likelihood of it. If you have to be woken up, make it worth the pain and make the time count.\n\n### Make the data count\nMany companies rely on their on-call employees being woken up, and the buck stops there. They have basic monitoring set up but don’t do anything with the data. You should be auditing the information collected during on-call shifts: do root cause analyses, talk about issues, and look for patterns. If you notice that something happens at 2am every few days, you can dig in and fix that.\n\n### Find the best tool for the job\nMany tools exist to help you manage complex scheduling and data aggregation. There are plenty of alternatives, so definitely find one that works for you. Every single one of them is designed to tell you when people are getting woken up and what’s waking them up.\n\n### Keep your staff sharp\nRun drills where you knock things over in a controlled environment and practice putting out those fires.\n\n### Learn how to do incident response\nYou can learn a lot from actual firefighters. I learned a lot from 3 guys at Blackrock, who were actual firefighters turned ops guys who go around teaching ops orgs how to handle incidents better. When there’s a fire, there’s an incident commander, who is in charge of directing everyone else. Rank isn't important here; this person does not have to be manager, they should just be responsible for checking in on everyone for status updates. This person also assigns a scribe to take notes if necessary, although it's better to record calls if you can for better learnings later.\n\n### Implement \"you write it, you wear it\"\nIf you do nothing else in this list, do this. The people who are writing the code, deploying the infrastructure, or touching the guts should be involved in the on-call rotation somehow. These are the best people to fix issues - they’re the ones that know it inside and out. If you don’t have these people on-call, I’m going to boldly say you’re doing it wrong.\n\n### Set better schedules\nTry to start and end your on-call rotations in the middle of the day to give staff an opportunity to go over any problems or questions they experienced on shift. Starting and ending your shifts mid-week is also ideal, since it avoids many bank holidays. Try never to start or end a shift on a holiday, and if you have to have someone on-call on a holiday, it's important to share the load across the team if you can so that one person isn’t on-call the whole day.\n\n### Make people take vacation (!!!)\nOn a related note, employers should keep track of how many people are taking vacation and when. Force people to actually take vacation if you need to - this will make the team as a whole healthier and better when on their shift.\n\n## Which shift length is right?\n\nThere’s no one-size-fits-all solution to scheduling, but I typically tell people to not do weekly rotations unless they have mature monitoring in place. It’s better to proactively monitor and adjust schedules as needed. Think of schedules as a living calendar that’s flexible and open to improvement, rather than using the “set it and forget it” approach. People are dynamic and their needs change, so your schedule should reflect that. Here are a few examples of common shift length:\n\n### 8 hours\nThis is great for people who are covering a business day. The shift might start when someone comes in and end when they leave - or up to 3 hours after leaving - before another team takes over. Extend by 3 hours after they leave so that work they did during the day has time to settle. This length is useful for people who are doing deploys during the day as they’re around to fix issues that arise without anyone else getting paged for it.\n\n### 12 hours\nThis shift length is ideal for people who are covering an overnight. Try \"follow-the-sun\" rotations, which means exactly what you'd expect: Everyone is on-call during their local business hours. Someone starts at 9am, someone starts at 9pm - this still allows for a hand-off and isn’t in the middle of the night.\n\n### 24 hours\nA 24-hour shift is really common and relatively low stress if you have several people on a team. This prevents anyone from having a “rough week” - there's equal opportunity for everyone to have a rough night. The shift is over before you know it.\n\n### 1 week\nThis is typical for small and large teams, and is great if you want to have longer periods of rest between shifts. If you have 4 people, this schedule means each team member is \"off-call\" for 3 weeks at a time. However, having a week long shift feels really long, particularly if stuff is on fire multiple nights. This is the schedule most likely to lead to burnout.\n\nAs you look at your team's summer schedule, I hope this guide helps ameliorate any dread you have about being on-call. Have any questions I didn't address here? Comment here or tweet me [@AmbassadorAwsum](https://twitter.com/ambassadorawsum).\n",[1690,844,9],{"slug":1898,"featured":6,"template":698},"on-calliday-unsucking-your-on-call-experience","content:en-us:blog:on-calliday-unsucking-your-on-call-experience.yml","On Calliday Unsucking Your On Call Experience","en-us/blog/on-calliday-unsucking-your-on-call-experience.yml","en-us/blog/on-calliday-unsucking-your-on-call-experience",{"_path":1904,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1905,"content":1911,"config":1916,"_id":1918,"_type":13,"title":1919,"_source":15,"_file":1920,"_stem":1921,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/power-of-iteration",{"title":1906,"description":1907,"ogTitle":1906,"ogDescription":1907,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1908,"ogUrl":1909,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1909,"schema":1910},"How iteration helps build our product and improve our work lives","One of GitLab’s core values, iteration permeates everything we do from UX design to product development. And when it comes to our work lives, iteration is a game changer.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749681060/Blog/Hero%20Images/iteration.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/power-of-iteration","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How iteration helps build our product and improve our work lives\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Valerie Silverthorne\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-02-04\",\n      }",{"title":1906,"description":1907,"authors":1912,"heroImage":1908,"date":1913,"body":1914,"category":799,"tags":1915},[734],"2020-02-04","\n\n*it-er-a-tion*\n\n_/ˌidəˈrāSH(ə)n/_\n\n_noun_\n\n_the repetition of a process or utterance._\n\n_repetition of a mathematical or computational procedure applied to the result of a previous application, typically as a means of obtaining successively closer approximations to the solution of a problem._ – Oxford Dictionary via Lexico\n\nAt GitLab iteration is simply what we do – with everything. CEO [Sid Sijbrandij](/company/team/#sytses) explains that even in the very early stages of GitLab, when the company was in the [Y Combinator](https://www.ycombinator.com) \"incubator,” he knew iteration was the right choice because even though it seems contradictory, you can go faster by breaking things down into smaller pieces. \"There were people, even at the time, who suggested that we should slow down. The response from GitLab has always been, 'No, we'll get the most we can get done. The smaller we split things up, the smaller the steps we take, the faster we can go.'\"\n\nIt’s not surprising that iteration is one of GitLab’s [six core values](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/), and you don’t have to look too closely to see how it steers our product development. When we wanted to make our [error tracking feature](/blog/iteration-on-error-tracking/) stronger, we \"scoped” the project down and made small changes more quickly.\n\nOur user experience team took the same approach when [trying to improve usability](/blog/how-ux-research-impacts-product-decisions/), and [when we migrated](/blog/gitlab-journey-from-azure-to-gcp/) from Microsoft’s Azure to the Google Cloud Platform we used iteration to guide our process.\n\nBut perhaps where iteration shines brightest at GitLab is at the individual level where the ability to take small steps frees employees to take risks and be creative. This is something that’s obvious even if you’re a [brand new employee](/blog/agile-iteration-unique-onboarding-experience/).\n\nWe asked six team members to explain the impact of iteration on their work lives.\n\n[Heather Simpson](/company/team/#hsimpson), senior external communications analyst:\n\"Honestly, the ability to throw something out there without being judged because it’s not completely formed and polished is new and refreshing for me.  I know I’ve got teammates ready to collaborate and help me strengthen my ideas and the end result.”\n\n[Ashish Kuthiala](/company/team/#kuthiala), senior director of Product Marketing:\n\"It helps us create a culture and organization that learns very fast and creates a self-learning and always improving organization.  We cannot and do not always get things right but we learn and improve really rapidly.”\n\n[Emily Kyle](/company/team/#Emily), manager, Corporate Events and Branding:\n\"It allows me to be a bit bolder and braver in coming up with out of the box solutions and in my decision making. Small steps make change so much easier to achieve.”\n\n[Tina Sturgis](/company/team/#TinaS), manager, Partner and Channel Marketing:\n\"Iteration for me is a game changer at GitLab. Gone are the days of getting everyone's buy-in prior to rolling out messaging. Put it out there and people will iterate on it making it better. If my messaging was off, no worries – iterate on what it is NOT and keep driving to results.\"\n\n[Lorie Whitaker](/company/team/#loriewhitaker), senior UX researcher: \"To a UX researcher iteration means something different to me than other people. The value of iteration should encourage people to change directions when they find answers to their questions. Iteration should be a stop-gap measure to say ‘This is not the right solution. We will stop and reassess and rethink what is the right solution to this problem.’”\n\n[Lee Matos](/company/team/#lbot), Support engineering manager:\n\"Iteration is hard because at first it feels unnatural, but once you learn how to really iterate, it's liberating. You can keep being nimble which is huge.\"\n\nCover image by Eryk on [Unsplash](https://www.unsplash.com)\n{: .note}\n",[695,801,9],{"slug":1917,"featured":6,"template":698},"power-of-iteration","content:en-us:blog:power-of-iteration.yml","Power Of Iteration","en-us/blog/power-of-iteration.yml","en-us/blog/power-of-iteration",{"_path":1923,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1924,"content":1930,"config":1934,"_id":1936,"_type":13,"title":1937,"_source":15,"_file":1938,"_stem":1939,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/preventing-burnout-a-managers-toolkit",{"title":1925,"description":1926,"ogTitle":1925,"ogDescription":1926,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1927,"ogUrl":1928,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1928,"schema":1929},"Preventing burnout: A manager's toolkit","GitLab CEO Sid Sijbrandij shares 12 steps that managers can take to help employees avoid burnout.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749664472/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlabflatlogomap.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/preventing-burnout-a-managers-toolkit","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Preventing burnout: A manager's toolkit\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"GitLab\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-05-03\",\n      }",{"title":1925,"description":1926,"authors":1931,"heroImage":1927,"date":1466,"body":1932,"category":799,"tags":1933},[961],"Working at a startup is demanding. GitLab team members are often under a lot of pressure. From mental health awareness to our posts on [identifying burnout](/blog/preventing-burnout/), GitLab wants to ensure our team members are working efficiently without feeling overwhelmed. Recently, GitLab co-founder and CEO Sid Sijbrandij and Michelle Hodges, vice president of Global Channels, discussed how managers can support their team members and help prevent burnout.\n\nSid and Michelle emphasized that the earlier a manager can identify burnout the better. Identifying burnout in a remote environment is more difficult than in a co-located workplace, but looking for early hallmarks such as exhaustion and reduced enthusiasm can help managers get ahead of the problem. \n\nSid shared the following 12 strategies managers can utilize to support their team and prevent burnout:  \n\n1. **Encourage time off.** Even taking a half day can help. Managers can take an active role in encouraging team members to take time off by telling their team members about their own upcoming vacations. Managers can ask team members when their next vacation is and, if they don’t have one, encourage them to plan one.\n\n1. **Lower the pressure.** When a manager senses that someone on their team may be getting close to burnout, they can lower the pressure of goals and [objectives and key results (OKRs)](/company/okrs/) and also ask about goals less frequently.\n\n1. **Be more positive.** Frankly, managers can be a significant source of stress, so try to be more positive about the team member and their reports. \n\n1. **Increase headcount.** Most of the time, there’s too much work for too few people, so managers can explore options to increase headcount. This can be temporary, such as borrowing time from someone on another team or hiring a consultant. \n\n1. **Offer team members coaching.** External coaching can help team members open up about their struggles, including working with their manager. \n\n1. **Remind employees of mental health care resources.** Point employees toward the company's mental health benefits and services. GitLab provides support to all team members through [ModernHealth](/handbook/total-rewards/benefits/modern-health/).\n\n1. **Express gratitude.** Send team members gifts to their home to show gratitude and an investment in your personal relationship. \n\n1. **Celebrate progress.** Burnout is often caused by a feeling of stagnation. Seeing the progress you’re making day-to-day is hard. Managers should create space to celebrate small wins and reflect on the mountains you’ve climbed. \n\n1. **Sympathize.** The work is tough. Have conversations about it. \n\n1. **Lead by example.** Managers should set and maintain working hours. For instance, Sid says he waits until the next working day to respond to Slack messages that happen after 6 p.m. \n\n    Help team members to be more effective by: \n    - Reviewing recurring meetings and [identifying what can be done async](/company/culture/all-remote/meetings/#2-cancel-unnecessary-meetings)\n    - Talking about what they're working on and helping them identify what work isn’t as important\n    - Identifying work that can be delegated to other team members, and empowering them to do so\n\n    Managers can also encourage team members to name things they won’t do. \n\n1. **Reduce the number of hours worked by agreeing to reduce effort.** Managers can ask team members to identify things that are likely to fail. Taking time to reflect on results can be very insightful and can allow team members to reduce their effort without compromising quality.\n\n1. **Share burnout concerns with others.** Using judgement or with permission, managers can give context and ask others to take it easy on specific team members when necessary.\n\nWatch the full conversation below.\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/9VO0H28QEz8\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n",[801,844,9],{"slug":1935,"featured":6,"template":698},"preventing-burnout-a-managers-toolkit","content:en-us:blog:preventing-burnout-a-managers-toolkit.yml","Preventing Burnout A Managers Toolkit","en-us/blog/preventing-burnout-a-managers-toolkit.yml","en-us/blog/preventing-burnout-a-managers-toolkit",{"_path":1941,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1942,"content":1948,"config":1954,"_id":1956,"_type":13,"title":1957,"_source":15,"_file":1958,"_stem":1959,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/preventing-burnout",{"title":1943,"description":1944,"ogTitle":1943,"ogDescription":1944,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1945,"ogUrl":1946,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1946,"schema":1947},"GitLab team members share how to recognize burnout (and how to prevent it)","Burning out is a common feeling at startups – here's what we're doing to address it at GitLab.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749680178/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlabbers-share-how-to-recognize-burnout.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/preventing-burnout","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab team members share how to recognize burnout (and how to prevent it)\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Clement Ho\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-03-08\",\n      }",{"title":1943,"description":1944,"authors":1949,"heroImage":1945,"date":1951,"body":1952,"category":799,"tags":1953},[1950],"Clement Ho","2018-03-08","\n\nThe feeling of [burning out][mayo-clinic] is common for people working at startups. Oftentimes, if you are feeling burned out, you aren't the only one feeling that way. I chatted to some GitLab team members about how they knew they were burned out, and how they get back on track.\n\n\u003C!-- more -->\n\nIt's easy to burn out when you work remotely. It's easy to work straight through lunch, and feel like you must put in extra hours to help finish a big project. With monthly releases, many features feel extra important and necessary to put in extra time. This isn't ideal because pacing yourself actually works out cheaper in the long run, as burning out takes extra time for recovery.\n\nDuring the last [summit](/events/gitlab-contribute/), [Marin][marin] led a session about preventing burnout, thanks Marin! A lot of GitLab team members attended that session and many had similar feelings of either being burned out or feeling like they are on their way towards it. Some even mentioned that they were starting to experience those physical signs of feeling burned out (e.g. frequent headaches). After the summit, we as a team added more resources to the handbook and created some tools on how we as a team can recognize and prevent burnout.\n\n## How to recognize if you're burned out, according to GitLab team members\n\n### You're constantly tired\n\n>For me, the greatest signal of burnout is struggling to get out of bed in the morning. I tend to stick to pretty standard working hours so when I work late in the evening, multiple nights in a row, I start to struggle to get up in the morning or even lose track of what day it is. I recognize this as burnout because usually it isn't hard for me to get up and get my day started. In fact, I'm usually up long before I start work so I can make breakfast, walk my dog, do some creative writing. But when I'm burned out, I will wait until 8 or 8:30 to get up and go straight to the computer like a zombie. - Erica Lindberg, former manager, Global Content\n\n>I didn't realize I was burned out until I finally took a vacation. I experienced many symptoms but was not aware of it and since I was experiencing them for so long, I thought it was normal. I was extremely tired all the time and whenever I decided to take a break during the day, I would often fall asleep with my laptop on my lap. - Anonymous GitLab team member\n\n### You no longer enjoy things\n\n> I started losing my general feelings of enjoyment in life. Even the fun activities I had planned, weren't activities I looked forward to. - Anonymous GitLab team member\n\n### Your job performance suffers\n\n>I would put in extra hours to make up for my productivity but it still didn't seem to measure up with my past performance. - [Jacob Schatz, Frontend Lead](/company/team/#jakecodes)\n\n### Your relationships are strained\n\n>I would also have a hard time remembering information, so much so that my friends began noticing the difference in me. I found myself being agitated and angry towards the people around me but couldn't figure out the reason. - Anonymous GitLab team member\n\n## How to prevent burnout, according to GitLab team members\n\n### Set clear boundaries between work and home\n\n>I'm trying to limit how many days I allow myself to work over eight hours by either scheduling other activities in the evening with friends or my partner (it works better when you've committed to someone so they can help hold you accountable. These things can be anything from rock climbing to dinner or watching a movie) or simply blocking out my calendar and setting reminders for when it's time to shut off. And when it is time to shut off I'm come up with a \"ritual\" of shutting down my computer, turning off my keyboard, monitor, and light in my office – this makes it harder to come back to \"just finish up one last thing\" - [Erica Lindberg, Content Marketing Manager](/company/team/#EricaLindberg_)\n\n>In order for me to prevent myself from burning out, I follow several rules. I make sure I only work seven hours a day and spend two additional hours learning. I dedicate at least seven hours of sleep every day, and I make sure I go to the gym and eat healthy regularly as part of my daily routine. - Anonymous GitLab team-member\n\n### Take vacation\n\n>After my vacation, where I did absolutely nothing except enjoying nature, I came home feeling much more energized. I am now a happier person. I am less sleepy and agitated and have found myself much more productive than ever before. That week of vacation gave me years of my life back that I would have never gotten if I didn't truly disconnect from work. - [Jacob Schatz, Frontend Lead](/company/team/#jakecodes)\n\n### Know when to take a break\n\n>Last week, I was feeling really tired and emotional (upset and stressed) about certain things. When I noticed that, I cancelled my last meeting of the day last minute, even though it was with [Sid](/company/team/#sytses). I wouldn’t have been productive and able to deal with the stress. So I took off the rest of the day. I was 10x better equipped to handle things the next day. - Job van der Voort, former VP of Product\n\n### Switch off when you're away from work\n\n>I try to stop thinking about work over the weekends or in the evenings. I practice meditation, mindfulness, and deep breathing. - [Suri Patel, Content Marketing Associate](/company/team/#suripatel)\n\n### Don't suffer in silence\n\n>I experienced burnout at my previous company. If it were to happen again, I would speak to my manager and openly discuss my situation, telling him or her that the pace is not sustainable and that something needs to change. It might be a scary topic to discuss, but burnout doesn't just affect my professional life – it has an impact on my personal life, most importantly on my health, so having these transparent conversations is a necessity. I would speak to my manager as soon as I started feeling overwhelmed over a prolonged period of time. There will always be phases when we have to work more than usual, but if long hours become a norm, then it's something that needs to be addressed right away. - Anonymous GitLab team member\n\n### Other good habits to prevent burnout:\n\n- Don't go straight to work after you wake up. Try not to start working within 30 minutes of waking up\n- Remove Slack from your smartphone or at the very least, turn off notifications for it\n- Keep each other accountable. When you notice someone in a different time zone should be asleep, tell them\n- Use your Slack status to share a message with the team that you are unavailable\n- Schedule [random coffee breaks][random-coffee-breaks]\n\n## Changes we added to the handbook\n- [Encourage team members to communicate with their manager when they recognize burnout][handbook-burnout]\n- [Encourage team members to notice signs of burnout in their peers and direct reports][handbook-burnout]\n- [Added tips to avoid burnout][handbook-burnout]\n\nWhat are some strategies you have to prevent yourself from burning out? Please comment below. We'd love to continue being proactive against burning out.\n\n[Photo](https://unsplash.com/photos/MAGAXAYq_NE) by [Victoria Heath](https://unsplash.com/@vheath) on Unsplash\n{: .note}\n\n[mayo-clinic]: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642\n[random-coffee-breaks]: /handbook/communication/#random-room\n[handbook-burnout]: /handbook/paid-time-off/#recognizing-burnout\n[marin]: https://gitlab.com/marin\n[unsplash-photo]: https://unsplash.com/photos/_k31aFqnmTM\n[unsplash-credit]: https://unsplash.com/photos/_k31aFqnmTM?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText\n[unsplash]: https://unsplash.com/@rikkichan89?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText\n",[844,9,801],{"slug":1955,"featured":6,"template":698},"preventing-burnout","content:en-us:blog:preventing-burnout.yml","Preventing Burnout","en-us/blog/preventing-burnout.yml","en-us/blog/preventing-burnout",{"_path":1961,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1962,"content":1967,"config":1973,"_id":1975,"_type":13,"title":1976,"_source":15,"_file":1977,"_stem":1978,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/recruiting-tactics-and-strategies-to-build-a-more-diverse-team",{"title":1963,"description":1964,"ogTitle":1963,"ogDescription":1964,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1810,"ogUrl":1965,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1965,"schema":1966},"recruiting tactics and strategies to build a more diverse team","An overview of the Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging-related tactics and strategies our recruiting team is experimenting with","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/recruiting-tactics-and-strategies-to-build-a-more-diverse-team","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"recruiting tactics and strategies to build a more diverse team\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Rupert Douglas\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-09-28\",\n      }",{"title":1963,"description":1964,"authors":1968,"heroImage":1810,"date":1970,"body":1971,"category":799,"tags":1972},[1969],"Rupert Douglas","2020-09-28","\nAt GitLab, [one of our objectives and key results (OKRs)](/company/okrs/fy21-q3/#3-ceo-great-team) for Q3 is for more than 95% of our recruiting outreach to be directed at candidates who identify with an underrepresented group.\n\nAs recruiters and hiring managers know, outreach is only one part of the recruiting puzzle. If we’re going to build a more diverse team, we need to ensure our entire hiring process sets each and every candidate up for success.\n\nIn the spirit of transparency and iteration, we’d like to share a few tactics our recruiting team is experimenting with across different parts of the hiring process. Each tactic aims to increase the diversity of the team and ensure candidates feel like they belong at GitLab.\n\n### [Outbound only](/handbook/hiring/candidate/faq/)\n\nThe first and most important step we took was adopting an outbound-only recruiting model. With this model, we’re able to focus our recruiting team’s time on sourcing candidates who will both add to our team’s diversity and raise the bar once they’re on board.\n\nWe saw an average of 40,000 applications per month with our previous inbound model, and 99% of these applicants were rejected. Many hours were lost reviewing unqualified candidates and imbalances of representation in our funnel made it difficult to add to the team’s diversity.\n\nWe’ve been utilizing this outbound-only model since March 2020 and we’ve already seen a positive impact. Two stand-out examples come from August. We saw 60% of Sales candidates identity as non-male and 28% of Engineering candidates identify as Black. We’re encouraged by the signals we’re seeing so far and the outbound approach is here to stay.\n\n### [Inclusive language review for our job families](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/people-group/peopleops-eng/people-operations-engineering/-/issues/72)\n\nMoving to an outbound-only approach meant we no longer needed our traditional job adverts. It also gave us an opportunity to iterate on our job family pages. At GitLab, job families simply outlined a role’s responsibilities. Now, we’ve repurposed those pages to be more of a marketing tool for the role and work at GitLab.\n\nOne of our top priorities in iterating on these job family pages was to improve the inclusivity of the language we use. We’re incredibly fortunate to have our People Ops Engineer, [Lien](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/people-group/peopleops-eng/people-operations-engineering/-/issues/72), who built a tool to help us do this.\n\n[Using GitLab CI](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/people-group/peopleops-eng/people-operations-engineering/-/issues/72) (our Continuous Integration tool), each job family was assessed for its use of gendered language, misused words, and bias towards growth-mindset rather than fixed-mindset terms. The results were published in a YML file that gave us a starting point to improve upon.\n\nUtilizing the CLI and [UI version of the inclusive check tool](https://inclusiveness-check.herokuapp.com/) (that you can use, too!), we’ve made incremental improvements to the language we use to describe our roles. The tool also allows us to notify our team members if they’re proposing a change that will have a negative impact on the language used. It’s a win/win.\n\n### [Dedicated time to source candidates from underrepresented groups](/company/culture/inclusion/talent-acquisition-initiatives/)\n\nWe also spend time collaborating together to source candidates for our four highest priority roles as part of our Sourcing for Underrepresented Groups (SURG) initiative.\n\nThe SURG initiative increases the understanding of priority positions, enables team members to source candidates from underrepresented groups for functions they usually do not contribute to, and creates opportunities for recruiting team members to collaborate outside of the usual Recruiter: Sourcer partnership. On average we contact 100 prospective candidates from underrepresented groups each month through the initiative.\n\nWe’ve made some incredible hires and, selfishly, I’ve loved collaborating with different team members, too.\n\n### [Utilizing team member feedback to improve messaging response rates](/company/culture/inclusion/talent-acquisition-initiatives/)\n\nWhen sourcing for a Software Engineer in Test position, we noticed our response rates were lower than we’d expect.\n\nWe decided to gather feedback on four different messaging styles, assembled the different options into a GitLab issue, and shared the options in our #women and #diversity\n_inclusion_and_belonging Slack channels.\n\nThe feedback was clear: The original messaging received a resounding rebuff from the women on our team.\n\nThe themes and insights from this feedback outlined the importance of emphasizing our approach to asynchronous work as this enables our team members to balance work and personal lives.\n\nIt was also made clear we needed to make the prospective candidate feel something. The original messaging failed to do this. Fortunately, our values, culture, product, and professional growth opportunities provided a foundation for us to do this.\n\nThe good news? We saw response rates rise to 50% after incorporating this feedback.\n\n### [TMRG conversation at end of the hiring process](/company/culture/inclusion/talent-acquisition-initiatives/)\n\nAny candidate nearing the end of the recruiting process is offered a call with a team member outside of the interview panel who is part of a Team Member Resource Group (TMRG).\n\nWe recently brought in this change. There are two primary goals. The first is to provide the candidate with a unique perspective on GitLab that interview processes may not offer. We also hope these conversations can foster a relationship with someone on the team prior to them even signing a contract with us. We can’t thank the TMRG members enough for their willingness to take part in these conversations!\n\n### An environment where everyone can thrive!\n\nWe’ve been able to deliver and iterate on these tactics because of the leadership of our Diversity Inclusion and Belonging Manager, [Candace](https://gitlab.com/cwilliams3), the commitment from so many team members who ensure this is an [environment where everyone can thrive](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#diversity-inclusion), and our values of collaboration and iteration.\n\nI’m excited to see the impact our recruiting team can have in playing a part in our wider [Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging strategy](/company/culture/inclusion/) while we all look forward to making the GitLab team even closer to a full representation of society.\n",[9],{"slug":1974,"featured":6,"template":698},"recruiting-tactics-and-strategies-to-build-a-more-diverse-team","content:en-us:blog:recruiting-tactics-and-strategies-to-build-a-more-diverse-team.yml","Recruiting Tactics And Strategies To Build A More Diverse Team","en-us/blog/recruiting-tactics-and-strategies-to-build-a-more-diverse-team.yml","en-us/blog/recruiting-tactics-and-strategies-to-build-a-more-diverse-team",{"_path":1980,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1981,"content":1987,"config":1993,"_id":1995,"_type":13,"title":1996,"_source":15,"_file":1997,"_stem":1998,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/remote-kids-part-four",{"title":1982,"description":1983,"ogTitle":1982,"ogDescription":1983,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1984,"ogUrl":1985,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":1985,"schema":1986},"5 Things to keep in mind while working remotely with kids","A flex schedule, realistic expectations, and a positive attitude will make it easier to work with kids around.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749680690/Blog/Hero%20Images/working-at-home-with-kids.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/remote-kids-part-four","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"5 Things to keep in mind while working remotely with kids\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sean McGivern\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-08-08\",\n      }",{"title":1982,"description":1983,"authors":1988,"heroImage":1984,"date":1990,"body":1991,"category":799,"tags":1992},[1989],"Sean McGivern","2019-08-08","\n\n_This is the fourth and final blog post in our series on working remotely with children of all ages. In part one we looked at [maternity/paternity leave policies around the world](/blog/how-is-it-being-a-new-mom-working-for-gitlab/); in part two Jarka Košanová shared her experience [working at GitLab with a newborn](/blog/balancing-career-and-baby/); and in part three GitLab team members had good advice to [make the most of workspace shared with children](/blog/working-remotely-with-children-at-home/)._\n\nDuring [GitLab Contribute 2019](/blog/contribute-wrap-up/) in\nNew Orleans, facilitators [Lyle Kozloff][lyle] and myself, [Sean McGivern][smcgivern], hosted\nfour unconference sessions about\nworking remotely with children at home. GitLab team members had helpful and practical\nadvice on everything from flexibility to time with a partner.\n\n## 1. Embrace a flexible schedule\n\n> My son started playschool (recently) and it's only two hours. I don't go home\nbecause it's a waste of time so I work from there – no coding, no\ndeep work, just going through mentions and stuff. – [_Heinrich Lee Yu, backend engineer_][engwan]\n\n> My daughter has always been a great sleeper, so my husband\nand I wake up around 5:00 each morning (he also works remotely)\nto get a head start on work. We are usually able to get a couple\nhours of work in before she even wakes up, freeing up our afternoon\nto spend time with her. – [_Annabel Dunstone Gray, product designer_][annabeldunstone]\n\nBy [working asynchronously](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/communication/#introduction) we can arrange our time to match our own schedules. (This doesn't only apply to parents, of course; anyone can do this.) Different roles have different expectations, of course. If you work in Support you’ll need to provide timezone coverage, but even within that, there\nis a lot of scope to arrange your work schedule to match your childcare,\nrather than the other way around.\n\n## 2. Be more disciplined with that schedule\n\n> I had to get a lot more disciplined with my time. When I was young and\nsingle I could just get behind and pull an all-nighter, but I can't do\n that any more. I'm more efficient. There's a switching cost, but\n you'll be better in the long run. – [_Eric Johnson, VP of Engineering_][edjdev]\n\n> Having kids will make you develop this efficiency, I have to pick my\n son up from kindergarten at four and sometimes no one else can do that, so I need\n to schedule my work around that. - [_Grzegorz Bizon, staff backend engineer_][grzesiek]\n\nBeing flexible doesn't mean being undisciplined. With children at home,\nthere are a lot of competing demands on your time. For many people, this\nmeans that they become more efficient out of necessity. It’s hard to partly work and partly do something and then make up for it with extra hours at the keyboard, because there are no more spare hours.\n\n## 3. The role of relationships\n\n> My wife and I made an agreement that we're not going to let kids stop\nus doing sports. We play on the same teams, and we just bring our\nkids. There's normally enough people around to help keep an eye on\nthem while we're playing. It's hard when my wife's working one night,\nthough. – [_Chris Maurer – manager, Customer Success, Public Sector_][cdmaurer13]\n\n> When we had the first kid, we were doing everything as a couple:\nwhatever it was, we were together. Then, with the arrival of our\nsecond kid, we felt like we had to care for one kid each. With time,\nthe fear of ending up alone with both kids had taken root. We had to\nchange something: we simply had to let go. One person can care for both\nkids for the night, and the other one is free to go out and do\nwhatever they want. Turns out this actually totally removed the fear\nof being alone. We both let each other go out to do something social to\nreinvigorate a bit. We even started bouldering, but we never go on\nthe same night. – [_Micaël Bergeron, backend engineer_][mbergeron]\n\nIt's important to keep doing things you enjoy when you have children. It\nsets a good model for your children, and will make you happier which\nwill help you be a better parent.\n\n## 4. Set expectations\n\n> It took us an entire child to realise that while co-suffering feels\nlike the right thing to do, it's less efficient – you both end up tired\nand exhausted. – [_Lyle Kozloff, Support engineering manager_][lyle]\n\n> Don't keep count of the things that you and your partner are doing,\njust do everything you can. I did the majority of the raising the\nbabies, but my husband would take night things. – [_Karlia Kue,\nBusiness Systems Analyst_][kxkue]\n\nThis relates to every other point here. The worst thing that can happen\nis that people get resentful or stressed, and that is more likely to\nhappen when it's not clear whose responsibility it is.\n\nOn a personal note, and although it sounds a little goofy: The concept\nof [directly responsible individuals](/handbook/people-group/directly-responsible-individuals/) we use at GitLab also helped my partner and I manage the way we think about who's responsible for our\nson at any point.\n\n## 5. Enjoy it\n\n> My daughter is my best friend, and I am so blessed to be able to see her\ngrow into her own little person while still accomplishing my professional goals.\nSeeing her interact (\"Hi!\" for everyone) with all of my GitLab teammates at\nContribute was also very special. – [_Brittany Rohde, Compensation & Benefits Manager_][brittanyr]\n\nI really appreciate the amount of time I can spend with my son. I see\nhim for several hours every single day. Coming to New Orleans for\nContribute was hard!\n\nHaving a child has been the best part of my life so far. A big part of\nthat was having a job that meant I could spend a good amount of time\nwith him every day without feeling like I was doing something wrong or\nnot being productive.\n\n## Remote work makes it easier\n\nWorking remotely doesn't change the fact that being a parent is\nchallenging, but it does help provide time and space to navigate those\nchallenges.\n\nWhat tips have you stumbled across while working remotely with kids at\nhome? Let us know in the comments or tweet us [@gitlab](https://twitter.com/gitlab).\n\nPhoto by [Baby Natur](https://unsplash.com/@babynatur?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/search/photos/kids-toys?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)\n{: .note}\n\n[annabeldunstone]: /company/team/#annabeldunstone\n[brittanyr]: /company/team/#brittanyr\n[cdmaurer13]: /company/team/#mauichief\n[edjdev]: /company/team/#edjdev\n[engwan]: /company/team/#engwan\n[grzesiek]: /company/team/#GrzegorzBizon\n[kxkue]: /company/team/#karliakue\n[lyle]: /company/team/#lkozloff\n[mbergeron]: /company/team/#micaelbergeron\n[smcgivern]: /company/team/#mcgivernsa\n",[844,9,801],{"slug":1994,"featured":6,"template":698},"remote-kids-part-four","content:en-us:blog:remote-kids-part-four.yml","Remote Kids Part Four","en-us/blog/remote-kids-part-four.yml","en-us/blog/remote-kids-part-four",{"_path":2000,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2001,"content":2007,"config":2012,"_id":2014,"_type":13,"title":2015,"_source":15,"_file":2016,"_stem":2017,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/security-strengthened-by-interation-and-transparency",{"title":2002,"description":2003,"ogTitle":2002,"ogDescription":2003,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2004,"ogUrl":2005,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2005,"schema":2006},"Security strengthened by iteration, and transparency","Iteration is a core value at GitLab. How do you keep things protected when change is a constant?","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749670837/Blog/Hero%20Images/two-brown-trees.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/security-strengthened-by-interation-and-transparency","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Security strengthened by iteration, and transparency\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Heather Simpson\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-05-18\",\n      }",{"title":2002,"description":2003,"authors":2008,"heroImage":2004,"date":2009,"body":2010,"category":1388,"tags":2011},[861],"2020-05-18","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\n\n***We sat down with senior application security engineer, Dominic Couture to talk about the challenges of working in AppSec, why the principle of least privilege works, and why our level of transparency makes our product more, not less, secure.***\n\n---\n\n![Dominic Couture Headshot](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/dcouture.png){: .small.right.wrap-text} **Name:** Dominic Couture\n\n**Title:** Senior security engineer, [Application Security](/topics/devsecops/)\n\n**How long have you been at GitLab?** I started in November 2019\n\n**GitLab handle:** [@dcouture](https://gitlab.com/dcouture)\n{: #tanuki-orange}\n\n**Connect with Dominic:** [LinkedIn](https://ca.linkedin.com/in/dominic-couture)/[Twitter](https://twitter.com/dee__see)\n\n\n\n#### Tell us what you do here at GitLab:\nI read a lot of GitLab code! I look for vulnerabilities or simply code improvements before it is shipped, as part of defense in depth. I also review issues when they’re in the planning stage for potential vulnerabilities, help maintain our [secure coding guidelines](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/secure_coding_guidelines.html), write new tests and automation to support team workflows, and triage bugs that come through our bug bounty program.\n\n#### What’s the most challenging or rewarding aspect of your role?\nThe most challenging thing is trying to keep an eye on everything. There are tons of new features being worked on at all times and we know we can’t review every single one of them, so we prioritize and review what appears to be the most security critical. However, sometimes vulnerabilities will slip by in issues that didn’t seem to be security-sensitive at first. When this happens, we need to find ways to optimize our processes to ensure we catch potential issues  the next time we’re in a similar situation.\n\nThe most rewarding thing is when we do the above successfully! When we identify a common flaw in our code or process and we successfully put automation in place that eliminates it. It makes the product safer and the workload lighter so we can concentrate on new things.\n\n#### And, what are the top 2-3 initiatives you’re currently focused on?\nMany of the things we work on in the Application Security team are [not public](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#not-public) until they are finished so I can’t link to the detailed issues, but with that in mind…\n* I’m currently working on getting some automated testing in place to catch permission bugs in a specific part of our app. This will cover existing code and make it easy to test future code in that part of the application.\n* We’re also starting on a code review in another part of GitLab to find information leaks in APIs that might return more than the user asked for. We’re looking for issues similar to the leaks we’ve seen previously [through Elasticsearch results](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/29491).\n* I’m getting to know the teams and features in the [Verify](/stages-devops-lifecycle/verify/) and [Release](/stages-devops-lifecycle/release/) stages as I’m the [stable counterpart](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/security/security-engineering/application-security/stable-counterparts.html) for them. I’m developing an expertise in those specific areas so I can have more context and provide more insightful comments when those teams ask for application security reviews.\n\n#### What is the most significant piece of security advice you could provide to a colleague or friend?\nI think everyone on our security team [who’s been asked this question](/blog/the-sky-is-not-falling/) has answered to use a password manager and I completely agree. A password manager and a unique password (and [MFA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-factor_authentication)!) on every service you use is the difference between a relatively harmless leak on that small niche forum you participate in and a full identity theft due to a [credential stuffing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credential_stuffing) attack that pivots to your bank account.\n\nFor a more technical piece of advice, I think the [principle of least privilege](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_least_privilege) is something to keep in mind at all times. When applied to APIs, the idea is to have the strictest permission requirements as a default. This ensures that if the permissions aren’t verified properly in the code, the result would be a bug which wouldn’t allow access to an asset by a user who should have access rather than a security bug that results in a data breach.\n\n#### How did you get into security?\nHackers have always fascinated me. As a child I had the desire to understand how what they were doing was possible and it is what got me interested in computers in the first place. I was in my early teens when I got my first computer and I quickly taught myself how to build websites. When talking to people about my programming projects I was warned about things like SQL injection and other types of security vulnerabilities. That piqued my curiosity and while researching those topics I discovered that [wargames](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wargame_(hacking)) existed. Since then, “hacking for fun” has always been a hobby for me. I’ve been a software developer for most of my career and while security has always been a part of that job, it was only when I joined GitLab that I became a security professional and transformed my hobby into a career.\n\n#### What do you look forward to most in security in the next 5 years?\nWhile automation will never solve all the problems, it can certainly solve some of them! I’m both curious and excited about security scanners moving to the next level with more insightful analysis and fewer false positives. AI and machine learning are the usual buzzwords we hear around this topic but I mainly look forward to [SAST](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/sast/) tools having a better understanding of the code flow and being able to tell if my `os.Open(path)` call really involves user input and is indeed risky; instead of just flagging it for me to review *in case* it is.\n\n#### What mainstream or industry propagated security myth would you like to be better understood?\n[Virtual Private Networks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_network) (VPNs) are highly praised in online advertising lately and the claims around the safety they provide seem to be a bit exaggerated. In fact, [GitLab doesn’t even have a corporate VPN](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/security/#why-we-dont-have-a-corporate-vpn)! I really enjoy [Tom Scott’s video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVDQEoe6ZWY) about the subject. In brief: VPNs nowadays provide little more security than the near-ubiquitous https protocol already does in many of the everyday use cases, and that includes using your laptop at the coffee shop. Don’t get me wrong, VPNs are very relevant and there are many valid reasons to use one, I just feel like the advertising around them isn’t completely truthful and people with no technical knowledge might be led to buy things they don’t need.\n\n#### GitLab is very unique in that we strive to be incredibly transparent...about everything.  What sort of challenges or opportunities does that present to you as a security professional?\nTransparency is a part of everything we do here at GitLab and most things are [public by default](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#public-by-default). This transparency-driven approach can lead to some occasional share of things that should not be public. Keeping an eye on those things to catch them before someone else does is challenging. Luckily for us, we run a public bug bounty program and have reporters that are very skilled at finding those things before the “bad people” do, should something slip through our fingers. While we’d rather keep those bounty payments to a minimum, it’s still a better outcome for GitLab than if someone had abused the leaked information.\n\nWith our open-source code base, the [blog articles](/blog/how-to-exploit-parser-differentials/) the security research team publishes about their findings, and our disclosure of the [bugs that come in through our bug bounty program](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=opened&label_name[]=HackerOne) 30 days after being fixed, external researchers get an almost unparalleled level of insight and information about GitLab. This allows them to find and report much better vulnerabilities than if they were doing their testing in a black-box environment. The security risks associated with our level of transparency are usually the first thing to come to people’s mind, but in fact, our transparency makes our software more secure.\n\n> The security risks associated with our level of transparency are usually the first thing to come to people’s mind, but in fact, our transparency makes our software more secure.\n\n#### What sources make up your daily newsfeed to keep up to date in the industry?\nI try to use social media as little as possible, but I can’t deny that Twitter is the best place for security news. There are great blogs and websites to follow ([our GitLab Security blog](/blog/categories/security/), [PortSwigger’s research blog](https://portswigger.net/research) and [Google Project Zero](https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/) come to mind) but there are also tons of independent researchers that publish only once or twice a year and Twitter is the place to find out about all that good content.\n\n## Now, for the questions you *really* want to have answered:\n\n\n#### Favorite Linux distro?\nArch Linux! The installation process isn’t as hard as the memes pretend it is, the documentation is wonderful and you have a lot of power over what runs on your system. Arch uses systemd which has been a polarizing topic in recent years but if you don’t mind that it’s a great distro.\n\n#### What’s your favorite season?\nWinter. Luckily for me, I live in a place that’s covered in snow nearly 6 months a year so there’s a lot of winter to enjoy! There’s nothing like the freedom and fun of exploring the local forest and mountains on my nordic touring skis.\n\n#### When you’re not working, what do you enjoy doing?\nI run, bike, ski and hike a lot (always with my 2 australian shepherds by my side) and that serves as permanent training for the one or two ultramarathons I run each year. I love camping out in the forest with as little equipment as possible and basically just spending time in the forest. When inside, I like to hunt for security bugs on companies that run bug bounty programs (if it’s not on GitLab, it’s not work anymore, right?).\n\n#### Have a favorite quote?\n> The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.\n\nThe internet says it’s a Chinese proverb though there’s nothing to back that up. We could probably all point to things we could/should have done differently in life but all that time spent thinking about it is time that isn’t spent actually doing it and benefiting from the change. It’s not too late!\n\nCover image by [Johannes Plenio](https://www.pexels.com/@jplenio) on [Pexels](https://www.pexels.com/photo/two-brown-trees-1632790/)\n{: .note}\n",[9,801,864,864],{"slug":2013,"featured":6,"template":698},"security-strengthened-by-interation-and-transparency","content:en-us:blog:security-strengthened-by-interation-and-transparency.yml","Security Strengthened By Interation And Transparency","en-us/blog/security-strengthened-by-interation-and-transparency.yml","en-us/blog/security-strengthened-by-interation-and-transparency",{"_path":2019,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2020,"content":2026,"config":2032,"_id":2034,"_type":13,"title":2035,"_source":15,"_file":2036,"_stem":2037,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/set-up-infrastructure-for-cloud-development-environments",{"title":2021,"description":2022,"ogTitle":2021,"ogDescription":2022,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2023,"ogUrl":2024,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2024,"schema":2025},"Cloud infrastructure for on-demand development in GitLab","Learn how to set up the requirements, manage Kubernetes clusters in different clouds, create the first workspaces and custom images, and get tips and troubleshooting.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749659883/Blog/Hero%20Images/post-cover-image.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/set-up-infrastructure-for-cloud-development-environments","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Set up your infrastructure for on-demand, cloud-based development environments in GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Michael Friedrich\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-07-13\",\n      }",{"title":2027,"description":2022,"authors":2028,"heroImage":2023,"date":2029,"body":2030,"category":1046,"tags":2031},"Set up your infrastructure for on-demand, cloud-based development environments in GitLab",[1685],"2023-07-13","Cloud-based development environments enable a better developer onboarding experience and help make teams more efficient. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to ready your infrastructure for on-demand, cloud-based development environments. You'll also learn how to set up the requirements, manage Kubernetes clusters in different clouds, create your first workspaces and custom images, and get tips for troubleshooting.\n\nThe GitLab agent for Kubernetes, an OAuth GitLab app, and a proxy pod deployment make the setup reproducible in different Kubernetes cluster environments and follow cloud-native best practices. Bringing your infrastructure allows platform teams to store the workspace data securely, control resource usage, harden security, and troubleshoot the deployments in known ways.\n\nThis blog post is a long read so feel free to navigate to the sections of interest. However, if you want to follow the tutorial step by step, the sections depend on one another for the parts pertaining to infrastructure setup.\n\n- [Development environments on your infrastructure](#development-environments-on-your-infrastructure)\n- [Requirements](#requirements)\n    - [Workspaces domain](#workspaces-domain)\n    - [TLS certificates](#tls-certificates)\n- [GitLab OAuth application ](#gitlab-oauth-application)\n- [Kubernetes cluster setup](#kubernetes-cluster-setup)\n    - [Set up infrastructure with Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)](#set-up-infrastructure-with-google-kubernetes-engine=gke)\n    - [Set up infrastructure with Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS)](#set-up-infrastructure-with-amazon-elastic-kubernetes-service-eks)\n    - [Set up infrastructure with Azure Managed Kubernetes Service (AKS)](#set-up-infrastructure-with-azure-managed-kubernetes-service-aks)\n    - [Set up infrastructure with Civo Cloud Kubernetes](#set-up-infrastructure-with-civo-cloud-kubernetes)\n    - [Set up infrastructure with self-managed Kubernetes](#set-up-infrastructure-with-self-managed-kubernetes)\n- [Workspaces proxy installation into Kubernetes](#workspaces-proxy-installation-into-kubernetes)\n- [Agent for Kubernetes installation](#agent-for-kubernetes-installation)\n- [Workspaces creation](#workspaces-creation)\n    - [Create the first workspaces](#create-the-first-workspaces)\n    - [Custom workspace container images](#custom-workspace-container-images)\n- [Tips](#tips)\n    - [Certificate management](#certificate-management)\n    - [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)\n    - [Contribute](#contribute)\n- [Share your feedback](#share-your-feedback)\n\n## Development environments on your infrastructure\nSecure, on-demand, cloud-based development workspaces are [available in beta for public projects](/blog/introducing-workspaces-beta/) for Premium and Ultimate customers. The first iteration allows you to bring your own infrastructure as a Kubernetes cluster. GitLab already deeply integrates with Kubernetes through the GitLab agent for Kubernetes, setting the foundation for configuration and cluster management.\n\nUsers can define and use a development environment template in a project. Workspaces in GitLab support the [devfile specification](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/workspace/#devfile) as `.devfile.yaml` in the project repository root. The devfile attributes allow configuring of the workspace. For example, the `image` attribute specifies the container image to run and create the workspace in isolated container environments. The containers require a cluster orchestrator, such as Kubernetes, that manages resource usage and ensures data security and safety. Workspaces also need authorization: Project source code may contain sensitive intellectual property or otherwise confidential data in specific environments. The setup requires a GitLab OAuth application as the foundation here.\n\nThe following steps provide an in-depth setup guide for different cloud providers. If you prefer to set up your own environment, please follow the [documentation for workspace prerequisites](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/workspace/#prerequisites). In general, we will practice the following steps:\n0. (Optional) Register a workspaces domain, and create TLS certificates.\n1. Create a Kubernetes cluster and configure access and requirements.\n2. Install an Ingress controller.\n3. Set up the workspaces proxy with the domain, TLS certificates, and OAuth app.\n4. Create a new GitLab group with a GitLab agent project. The agent can be used for all projects in that group.\n5. Install the GitLab agent for Kubernetes using the UI provided Helm chart command.\n6. Create an example project with a devfile configuration for workspaces.\n\nSome commands do not use the terminal indicator (`$` or `#`) to support easier copy-paste of command blocks into terminals.\n\n## Requirements\nThe steps in this blog post require the following CLI tools:\n1. `kubectl` and `helm` for Kubernetes\n2. `certbot` for Let's Encrypt\n3. git, curl, dig, openssl, and sslscan for troubleshooting\n\n### Workspaces domain\nWorkspaces require a domain with DNS entries. Cloud providers, for example, Google Cloud, also provide domain services which integrate more easily. You can also register and manage domains with your preferred provider.\n\nThe required DNS entries will be:\n- Wildcard DNS (`*.remote-dev.dev`) and hostname (`remote-dev.dev`) A/AAAA records pointing to the external Kubernetes external IP: `kubectl get services -A`\n- (Optional, with Let's Encrypt) ACME DNS challenge entries as TXT records\n\nAfter acquiring a domain, wait until the Kubernetes setup is ready and extract the A/AAAA records for the DNS settings. The following example shows how `remote-dev.dev` is configured in the Google Cloud DNS service.\n\n![GitLab remote development workspaces, example DNS configuration for remote-dev.dev](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/infrastructure-cloud-development-environments/gitlab_remote_dev_workspaces_google_cloud_dns_remote-dev.dev-entries.png){: .shadow}\n\nExport shell variables that define the workspaces domains, and the email contact. These variables will be used in all setup steps below.\n\n```\nexport EMAIL=\"user@company.com\"\nexport GITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN=\"remote-dev.dev\"\nexport GITLAB_WORKSPACES_WILDCARD_DOMAIN=\"*.remote-dev.dev\"\n```\n\n**Note:** This blog post will show the example domain `remote-dev.dev` for better understanding with a working example. The domain `remote-dev.dev` is maintained by the [Developer Evangelism team at GitLab](/handbook/marketing/developer-relations/developer-evangelism/projects/). There are no public demo environments available at the time of writing this blog post.\n\n### TLS certificates\nTLS certificates can be managed with different methods. To get started quickly, it is recommended to follow the [documentation steps](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/workspace/#prerequisites) with Let's Encrypt and later consider production requirements with TLS certificates.\n\n```shell\ncertbot -d \"${GITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN}\" \\\n  -m \"${EMAIL}\" \\\n  --config-dir ~/.certbot/config \\\n  --logs-dir ~/.certbot/logs \\\n  --work-dir ~/.certbot/work \\\n  --manual \\\n  --preferred-challenges dns certonly\n\n  certbot -d \"${GITLAB_WORKSPACES_WILDCARD_DOMAIN}\" \\\n  -m \"${EMAIL}\" \\\n  --config-dir ~/.certbot/config \\\n  --logs-dir ~/.certbot/logs \\\n  --work-dir ~/.certbot/work \\\n  --manual \\\n  --preferred-challenges dns certonly\n```\n\nThe Let's Encrypt CLI prompts you for the ACME DNS challenge. This requires setting TXT records for the challenge session immediately. Add the DNS records and specify a low TTL (time-to-live) of 300 seconds to update the records during the first steps.\n\n```\n_acme-challenge TXT \u003Cstringfromletsencryptacmechallenge>\n```\n\nYou can verify the DNS records using the `dig` CLI command.\n\n```shell\n$ dig _acme-challenge.remote-dev.dev txt\n...\n;; ANSWER SECTION:\n_acme-challenge.remote-dev.dev.\t246 IN\tTXT\t\"TlGRM9JGdXHGVklPWgytflxWDF82Sv04nF--Wl9JFvg\"\n_acme-challenge.remote-dev.dev.\t246 IN\tTXT\t\"CqG_54w6I0heWF3wLMAmUAitPcUMs9qAU9b8QhBWFj8\"\n```\n\nOnce the Let's Encrypt routine is complete, note the TLS certificate location.\n\n```\nSuccessfully received certificate.\nCertificate is saved at: /Users/mfriedrich/.certbot/config/live/remote-dev.dev/fullchain.pem\nKey is saved at:         /Users/mfriedrich/.certbot/config/live/remote-dev.dev/privkey.pem\nThis certificate expires on 2023-08-15.\nThese files will be updated when the certificate renews.\n\nSuccessfully received certificate.\nCertificate is saved at: /Users/mfriedrich/.certbot/config/live/remote-dev.dev-0001/fullchain.pem\nKey is saved at:         /Users/mfriedrich/.certbot/config/live/remote-dev.dev-0001/privkey.pem\nThis certificate expires on 2023-08-15.\nThese files will be updated when the certificate renews.\n```\n\nExport the TLS certificate paths into environment variables for the following setup steps.\n\n```shell\nexport WORKSPACES_DOMAIN_CERT=\"${HOME}/.certbot/config/live/${GITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN}/fullchain.pem\"\nexport WORKSPACES_DOMAIN_KEY=\"${HOME}/.certbot/config/live/${GITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN}/privkey.pem\"\n\nexport WILDCARD_DOMAIN_CERT=\"${HOME}/.certbot/config/live/${GITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN}-0001/fullchain.pem\"\nexport WILDCARD_DOMAIN_KEY=\"${HOME}/.certbot/config/live/${GITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN}-0001/privkey.pem\"\n```\n\n**Note**: If you prefer to use your certificates, please copy the files into a safe location, and export the environment variables with the path details.\n\n## GitLab OAuth application\n_After preparing the requirements, continue with the components setup._\n\nCreate a [group-owned OAuth application](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/integration/oauth_provider.html) for the remote development workspaces group. Creating a centrally managed app with a service account or group with limited access is recommended for production use.\n\nNavigate into the group `Settings > Applications` and specify the following values:\n\n1. Name: `Remote Development workspaces by \u003Cresponsible team> - \u003Cdomain>`. Add the reponsible team that is trusted in your organization. For debugging, add the domain. There might be multiple authorization groups, this helps the identification which workspace domain is used.\n2. Redirect URI: `https://\u003CGITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN>/auth/callback`. Replace `GITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN` with the domain string value.\n3. Set the scopes to `api, read_user, openid, profile` .\n\n![GitLab remote development workspaces, OAuth application in the group settings](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/infrastructure-cloud-development-environments/gitlab_remote_dev_workspaces_oauth_app_create.png){: .shadow}\n\nStore the OAuth application details in your password vault, and export them as shell environment variables for the next setup steps.\n\nCreate a configuration secret for the proxy as a signing key (`SIGNING_KEY`), and store it in a safe place (for example, use a secrets vault like 1Password to create and store the key).\n\n```\nexport CLIENT_ID=\"XXXXXXXXX\" # Look into password vault and set\nexport CLIENT_SECRET=\"XXXXXXXXXX\" # Look into password vault and set\nexport REDIRECT_URI=\"https://${GITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN}/auth/callback\"\n\nexport GITLAB_URL=\"https://gitlab.com\" # Replace with your self-managed GitLab instance URL if not using GitLab.com SaaS\nexport SIGNING_KEY=\"a_random_key_consisting_of_letters_numbers_and_special_chars\" # Look into password vault and set\n```\n\n## Kubernetes cluster setup\nThe following sections describe how to set up a Kubernetes cluster in different cloud and on-premises environments and install an [ingress controller](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/services-networking/ingress-controllers/) for HTTP access. After completing the Kubernetes setup, you can continue with the workspaces proxy and agent setup steps.\n\n**Choose one method to create a Kubernetes cluster. Note: Use `amd64` as platform architecture [until multi-architecture support is available for running workspaces](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/10594).** Cloud environments with Arm support will not work yet, for example AWS EKS on Graviton EC2 instances.\n\nYou should have defined the following variables from the previous setup steps:\n\n```sh\nexport EMAIL=\"user@company.com\"\nexport GITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN=\"remote-dev.dev\"\nexport GITLAB_WORKSPACES_WILDCARD_DOMAIN=\"*.remote-dev.dev\"\n\nexport WORKSPACES_DOMAIN_CERT=\"${HOME}/.certbot/config/live/${GITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN}/fullchain.pem\"\nexport WORKSPACES_DOMAIN_KEY=\"${HOME}/.certbot/config/live/${GITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN}/privkey.pem\"\n\nexport WILDCARD_DOMAIN_CERT=\"${HOME}/.certbot/config/live/${GITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN}-0001/fullchain.pem\"\nexport WILDCARD_DOMAIN_KEY=\"${HOME}/.certbot/config/live/${GITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN}-0001/privkey.pem\"\n\nexport CLIENT_ID=\"XXXXXXXXX\" # Look into password vault and set\nexport CLIENT_SECRET=\"XXXXXXXXXX\" # Look into password vault and set\nexport REDIRECT_URI=\"https://${GITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN}/auth/callback\"\n\nexport GITLAB_URL=\"https://gitlab.com\" # Replace with your self-managed GitLab instance URL if not using GitLab.com SaaS\nexport SIGNING_KEY=\"XXXXXXXX\" # Look into password vault and set\n\n```\n\n### Set up infrastructure with Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)\n\n[Install and configure the Google Cloud SDK and `gcloud` CLI](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/install?hl=en), and install the `gke-gcloud-auth-plugin` plugin to authenticate against Google Cloud.\n\n```shell\nbrew install --cask google-cloud-sdk\n\ngcloud components install gke-gcloud-auth-plugin\n\ngcloud auth login\n```\n\nCreate a new GKE cluster using the `gcloud` command, or follow the steps in the Google Cloud Console.\n\n```shell\n\nexport GCLOUD_PROJECT=group-community\nexport GCLOUD_CLUSTER=de-remote-development-1\n\ngcloud config set project $GCLOUD_PROJECT\n\n# Create cluster (modify for your needs)\ngcloud container clusters create $GCLOUD_CLUSTER \\\n    --release-channel stable \\\n    --zone us-central1-c \\\n    --project $GCLOUD_PROJECT\n\n# Verify cluster\ngcloud container clusters list\n\nNAME                     LOCATION         MASTER_VERSION   MASTER_IP       MACHINE_TYPE  NODE_VERSION       NUM_NODES  STATUS\nde-remote-development-1  us-central1-c    1.26.3-gke.1000  34.136.33.199   e2-medium     1.26.3-gke.1000    3          RUNNING\n\ngcloud container clusters get-credentials $GCLOUD_CLUSTER --zone us-central1-c --project $GCLOUD_PROJECT\nFetching cluster endpoint and auth data.\nkubeconfig entry generated for de-remote-development-1.\n```\n\n1. The setup requires the [`Kubernetes Engine Admin` role in Google IAM](https://cloud.google.com/kubernetes-engine/docs/concepts/access-control?hl=en#recommendations) to create ClusterRoleBindings.\n2. Create a new Kubernetes cluster (do not use Autopilot).\n3. Ensure that [cluster autoscaling](https://cloud.google.com/kubernetes-engine/docs/concepts/cluster-autoscaler?hl=en) is enabled in the GKE cluster.\n4. Verify that a [default Storage Class](https://cloud.google.com/kubernetes-engine/docs/concepts/persistent-volumes?hl=en#storageclasses) has been defined.\n5. Install an Ingress controller, for example [ingress-nginx](https://kubernetes.github.io/ingress-nginx/deploy/#gce-gke). Follow the documentation and run the following commands to install `ingress-nginx` into the Kubernetes cluster.\n\n```shell\nkubectl create clusterrolebinding cluster-admin-binding \\\n  --clusterrole cluster-admin \\\n  --user $(gcloud config get-value account)\n\nkubectl apply -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx/controller-v1.7.1/deploy/static/provider/cloud/deploy.yaml\n```\n\nPrint the external IP for the DNS records, and update wildcard DNS (`*.remote-dev.dev`) and hostname (`remote-dev.dev`).\n\n```shell\ngcloud container clusters list\n\nkubectl get services -A\n```\n\n### Set up infrastructure with Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS)\nCreating an Amazon EKS cluster requires [cluster IAM roles](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/eks/latest/userguide/create-cluster.html). You can the [`eksctl` CLI for Amazon EKS](https://eksctl.io/), which automatically creates the roles. `eksctl` [requires the AWS IAM Authenticator for Kubernetes](https://github.com/weaveworks/eksctl/blob/main/README.md#prerequisite), which will get pulled with Homebrew automatically on macOS.\n\n```shell\nbrew install eksctl awscli aws-iam-authenticator\naws configure\n\neksctl create cluster --name remote-dev \\\n    --region us-west-2 \\\n    --node-type m5.xlarge \\\n    --nodes 3 \\\n    --nodes-min=1 \\\n    --nodes-max=4 \\\n    --version=1.26 \\\n    --asg-access\n```\n\nThe eksctl command uses the [`--asg-access`, `--nodes-min/max` parameters for auto-scaling](https://eksctl.io/usage/autoscaling/). The autoscaler requires [additional configuration steps](https://github.com/kubernetes/autoscaler/blob/master/cluster-autoscaler/cloudprovider/aws/README.md), alternatively [Karpenter is supported in Amazon EKS](https://karpenter.sh/docs/getting-started/getting-started-with-karpenter/). Review the [autoscaling documentation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/eks/latest/userguide/autoscaling.html), and [default Storage Class `gp2`](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/eks/latest/userguide/storage-classes.html) fulfilling the requirements. The Kubernetes configuration is automatically updated locally.\n\nInstall the [Nginx Ingress controller for EKS](https://kubernetes.github.io/ingress-nginx/deploy/#aws). Follow the documentation and run the following command to install `ingress-nginx` into the Kubernetes cluster.\n\n```shell\nkubectl apply -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx/controller-v1.8.0/deploy/static/provider/aws/deploy.yaml\n```\n\nPrint the external IP for the DNS records, and update wildcard DNS (`*.remote-dev.dev`) and hostname (`remote-dev.dev`).\n\n```shell\neksctl get cluster --region us-west-2 --name remote-dev\n\nkubectl get services -A\n```\n\n### Set up infrastructure with Azure Managed Kubernetes Service (AKS)\nInstall [Azure CLI](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/learn/quick-kubernetes-deploy-cli).\n\n```shell\nbrew install azure-cli\n\naz login\n```\n\nReview the documentation for the [cluster autoscaler in AKS](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/cluster-autoscaler) and the [default Storage Class being `managed-csi`](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/concepts-storage#storage-classes), create a new resource group, and create a new Kubernetes cluster. Download the Kubernetes configuration to continue with the `kubectl` commands.\n\n```shell\naz group create --name remote-dev-rg --location eastus\n\naz aks create \\\n--resource-group remote-dev-rg \\\n--name remote-dev \\\n--node-count 1 \\\n--vm-set-type VirtualMachineScaleSets \\\n--load-balancer-sku standard \\\n--enable-cluster-autoscaler \\\n--min-count 1 \\\n--max-count 3\n\naz aks get-credentials --resource-group remote-dev-rg --name remote-dev\n```\n\nInstall the [Nginx ingress controller in AKS](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/ingress-basic?tabs=azure-cli#basic-configuration). Follow the documentation and run the following commands to install `ingress-nginx` into the Kubernetes cluster.\n\n```shell\nNAMESPACE=ingress-basic\n\nhelm repo add ingress-nginx https://kubernetes.github.io/ingress-nginx\nhelm repo update\n\nhelm install ingress-nginx ingress-nginx/ingress-nginx \\\n  --create-namespace \\\n  --namespace $NAMESPACE \\\n  --set controller.service.annotations.\"service\\.beta\\.kubernetes\\.io/azure-load-balancer-health-probe-request-path\"=/healthz\n```\n\nPrint the external IP for the DNS records, and update wildcard DNS (`*.remote-dev.dev`) and hostname (`remote-dev.dev`).\n\n```shell\nkubectl get services --namespace ingress-basic -o wide -w ingress-nginx-controller\n\nkubectl get services -A\n```\n\n### Set up infrastructure with Civo Cloud Kubernetes\nInstall and configure the [Civo CLI](https://www.civo.com/docs/kubernetes/create-a-cluster#creating-a-cluster-using-civo-cli), and create a Kubernetes cluster using 2 nodes, 4 CPUs, 8 GB RAM.\n\n```shell\ncivo kubernetes create remote-dev -n 2 -s g4s.kube.large\n\ncivo kubernetes config remote-dev --save\nkubectl config use-context remote-dev\n```\n\nYou have full permissions on the cluster to create ClusterRoleBindings. The [default Storage Class](https://www.civo.com/docs/kubernetes/kubernetes-volumes#creating-a-persistent-volume-claim-pvc) is set to 'civo-volume'.\n\nInstall the [Nginx Ingress controller using Helm](https://kubernetes.github.io/ingress-nginx/deploy/#quick-start). Follow the documentation and run the following command to install `ingress-nginx` into the Kubernetes cluster.\n\n```shell\nhelm upgrade --install ingress-nginx ingress-nginx \\\n  --repo https://kubernetes.github.io/ingress-nginx \\\n  --namespace ingress-nginx --create-namespace\n\n```\n\nPrint the external IP for the DNS records, and update wildcard DNS (`*.remote-dev.dev`) and hostname (`remote-dev.dev`).\n\n```shell\ncivo kubernetes show remote-dev\n\nkubectl get services -A\n```\n\n### Set up infrastructure with self-managed Kubernetes\nThe process follows similar steps, requiring a user with permission to create `ClusterRoleBinding` resources. The [Nginx Ingress controller](https://kubernetes.github.io/ingress-nginx/deploy/#quick-start) is the fastest path forward. Once the cluster is ready, print the load balancer IP for the DNS records, and create/update A/AAAA record for wildcard DNS (`*.remote-dev.dev`) and hostname (`remote-dev.dev`) pointing to the load balancer IP.\n\n## Workspaces proxy installation into Kubernetes\n_After completing the Kubernetes cluster setup with one of your preferred providers, please continue with the next steps._\n\nAdd the Helm repository for the workspaces proxy (it is using the [Helm charts feature in the GitLab package registry](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/packages/helm_repository/)).\n\n```shell\nhelm repo add gitlab-workspaces-proxy \\\n  https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/gitlab-org%2fremote-development%2fgitlab-workspaces-proxy/packages/helm/devel\n```\n\nInstall the gitlab-workspaces-proxy, and optionally [specify the most current chart version](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/remote-development/gitlab-workspaces-proxy/-/blob/main/helm/Chart.yaml). If you are using a different ingress controller than Nginx, you need to change the `ingress.className` key. Re-run the command when new TLS certificates need to be installed.\n\n```shell\nhelm repo update\n\nhelm upgrade --install gitlab-workspaces-proxy \\\n  gitlab-workspaces-proxy/gitlab-workspaces-proxy \\\n  --version 0.1.6 \\\n  --namespace=gitlab-workspaces \\\n  --create-namespace \\\n  --set=\"auth.client_id=${CLIENT_ID}\" \\\n  --set=\"auth.client_secret=${CLIENT_SECRET}\" \\\n  --set=\"auth.host=${GITLAB_URL}\" \\\n  --set=\"auth.redirect_uri=${REDIRECT_URI}\" \\\n  --set=\"auth.signing_key=${SIGNING_KEY}\" \\\n  --set=\"ingress.host.workspaceDomain=${GITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN}\" \\\n  --set=\"ingress.host.wildcardDomain=${GITLAB_WORKSPACES_WILDCARD_DOMAIN}\" \\\n  --set=\"ingress.tls.workspaceDomainCert=$(cat ${WORKSPACES_DOMAIN_CERT})\" \\\n  --set=\"ingress.tls.workspaceDomainKey=$(cat ${WORKSPACES_DOMAIN_KEY})\" \\\n  --set=\"ingress.tls.wildcardDomainCert=$(cat ${WILDCARD_DOMAIN_CERT})\" \\\n  --set=\"ingress.tls.wildcardDomainKey=$(cat ${WILDCARD_DOMAIN_KEY})\" \\\n  --set=\"ingress.className=nginx\"\n```\n\nThe chart installs and configures the ingress automatically. You can verify the setup by getting the `Ingress` resource type:\n\n```shell\nkubectl get ingress -n gitlab-workspaces\n\nNAME                      CLASS   HOSTS                             ADDRESS   PORTS     AGE\ngitlab-workspaces-proxy   nginx   remote-dev.dev,*.remote-dev.dev             80, 443   9s\n```\n\n### Agent for Kubernetes installation\nCreate the agent configuration file in `.gitlab/agents/\u003Cagentname>/config.yaml`, add to git, and push it into the repository. The `remote_development` key specifies the `dns_zone`, which must be set to the workspaces domain. Additionally, the integration needs to be enabled. The `observability` key intentionally configures [debug logging](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/clusters/agent/work_with_agent.html#debug-the-agent) for the first setup to troubleshoot faster. You can adjust the `logging` levels for production usage.\n\n```shell\nexport GL_AGENT_K8S=remote-dev-dev\n\n$ mkdir agent-kubernetes && cd agent-kubernetes\n$ mkdir -p .gitlab/agents/${GL_AGENT_K8S}/\n\n$ cat \u003C\u003CEOF >.gitlab/agents/${GL_AGENT_K8S}/config.yaml\nremote_development:\n    enabled: true\n    dns_zone: \"${GITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN}\"\n\nobservability:\n  logging:\n    level: debug\n    grpc_level: warn\nEOF\n\n$ git add .gitlab/agents/${GL_AGENT_K8S}/config.yaml\n$ git commit -avm \"Add agent for Kubernetes configuration\"\n# adjust the URL to your GitLab server URL and project path\n$ git remote add origin https://gitlab.example.com/remote-dev-workspaces/agent-kubernetes.git\n# will create a private project when https/PAT is used\n$ git push\n```\n\nOpen the GitLab project in your browser, navigate into `Operate > Kubernetes Clusters`, and click the `Connect a new cluster (agent)` button. Select the agent from the configuration dropdown, and click `Register`. The form generates a ready-to-use Helm chart CLI command. Similar to the command below, replace `XXXXXXXXXXREPLACEME` with the actual token value.\n\n```shell\nhelm repo add gitlab https://charts.gitlab.io\nhelm repo update\nhelm upgrade --install remote-dev-dev gitlab/gitlab-agent \\\n    --namespace gitlab-agent-remote-dev-dev \\\n    --create-namespace \\\n    --set image.tag=v16.0.1 \\\n    --set config.token=XXXXXXXXXXREPLACEME \\\n    --set config.kasAddress=wss://kas.gitlab.com # Replace with your self-managed GitLab KAS instance URL if not using GitLab.com SaaS\n```\n\nRun the commands, and verify that the agent is connected in the `Operate > Kubernetes Clusters` overview. You can access the pod logs using the following command:\n\n```shell\n$ kubectl get ns\nNAME                          STATUS   AGE\ngitlab-agent-remote-dev-dev   Active   9d\ngitlab-workspaces             Active   22d\n...\n\n$ kubectl logs -f -l app.kubernetes.io/name=gitlab-agent -n gitlab-agent-$GL_AGENT_K8S\n```\n\n_Congrats! Your infrastructure setup for on-demand, cloud-based development environments is complete._\n\n## Workspaces creation\nAfter completing the infrastructure setup, you must verify that all components work together and users can create workspaces. You can fork or import the [`example-python-http-simple` project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/remote-development/example-python-http-simple) into your GitLab group with access to the GitLab agent for Kubernetes to try it immediately. The project provides a simple Python web app with Flask that provides different HTTP routes. Alternatively, start with a new project and create a `.devfile.yaml` with the [example configuration](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/workspace/#example-configurations).\n\nOptional: Inspect the [`.devfile.yaml`](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/workspace/#devfile) file to learn about the configuration format. We will look into the `image` key later.\n\n```yaml\nschemaVersion: 2.2.0\ncomponents:\n  - name: py\n    attributes:\n      gl/inject-editor: true\n    container:\n      # Use a custom image that supports arbitrary user IDs.\n      # NOTE: THIS IMAGE IS NOT ACTIVELY MAINTAINED. DEMO USE CASES ONLY, DO NOT USE IN PRODUCTION.\n      # Source: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/remote-development/container-images/python-remote-dev-workspaces-user-id\n      image: registry.gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/remote-development/container-images/python-remote-dev-workspaces-user-id:latest\n      memoryRequest: 1024M\n      memoryLimit: 2048M\n      cpuRequest: 500m\n      cpuLimit: 1000m\n      endpoints:\n        - name: http-python\n          targetPort: 8080\n```\n\n### Create the first workspaces\nNavigate to the `Your Work > Workspaces` menu and create a new workspace. Search for the project name, select the agent for Kubernetes, and create the workspace.\n\n![GitLab remote development workspaces, Python example](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/infrastructure-cloud-development-environments/gitlab_remote_dev_workspaces_python.png){: .shadow}\n\nOpen two terminals to follow the workspaces proxy and agent logs in the Kubernetes cluster.\n\n```shell\n$ kubectl logs -f -l app.kubernetes.io/name=gitlab-workspaces-proxy -n gitlab-workspaces\n\n{\"level\":\"info\",\"ts\":1686331102.886607,\"caller\":\"server/server.go:74\",\"msg\":\"Starting proxy server...\"}\n{\"level\":\"info\",\"ts\":1686331133.146862,\"caller\":\"upstream/tracker.go:47\",\"msg\":\"New upstream added\",\"host\":\"8080-workspace-62029-5534214-2vxdxq.remote-dev.dev\",\"backend\":\"workspace-62029-5534214-2vxdxq.gl-rd-ns-62029-5534214-2vxdxq\",\"backend_port\":8080}\n2023/06/09 17:21:10 getHostnameFromState state=https://60001-workspace-62029-5534214-2vxdxq.remote-dev.dev/folder=/projects/demo-python-http-simple\n```\n\n```shell\n$ kubectl logs -f -l app.kubernetes.io/name=gitlab-agent -n gitlab-agent-$GL_AGENT_K8S\n\n{\"level\":\"debug\",\"time\":\"2023-06-09T18:36:19.839Z\",\"msg\":\"Applied event\",\"mod_name\":\"remote_development\",\"apply_event\":\"WaitEvent{ GroupName: \\\"wait-0\\\", Status: \\\"Pending\\\", Identifier: \\\"gl-rd-ns-62029-5534214-k66cjy_workspace-62029-5534214-k66cjy-gl-workspace-data__PersistentVolumeClaim\\\" }\",\"agent_id\":62029}\n{\"level\":\"debug\",\"time\":\"2023-06-09T18:36:19.866Z\",\"msg\":\"Received update event\",\"mod_name\":\"remote_development\",\"workspace_namespace\":\"gl-rd-ns-62029-5534214-k66cjy\",\"workspace_name\":\"workspace-62029-5534214-k66cjy\",\"agent_id\":62029}\n{\"level\":\"debug\",\"time\":\"2023-06-09T18:36:43.627Z\",\"msg\":\"Applied event\",\"mod_name\":\"remote_development\",\"apply_event\":\"WaitEvent{ GroupName: \\\"wait-0\\\", Status: \\\"Successful\\\", Identifier: \\\"gl-rd-ns-62029-5534214-k66cjy_workspace-62029-5534214-k66cjy_apps_Deployment\\\" }\",\"agent_id\":62029}\n```\n\nWait until the workspace is provisioned successfully, and click to open the HTTP URL, example format `https://60001-workspace-62029-5534214-2vxdxq.remote-dev.dev/?folder=%2Fprojects%2Fexample-python-http-simple`. The GitLab OAuth application will ask you for authorization.\n\n![GitLab OAuth provider app, example with the Developer Evangelism demo environment](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/infrastructure-cloud-development-environments/gitlab_remote_dev_workspaces_oauth_app.png){: .shadow}\n\nYou can select the Web IDE menu, open a new terminal (`cmd shift p` and search for `terminal create`). More shortcuts and Web IDE usage are documented [here](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/web_ide/).\n\n![GitLab remote development workspaces, Python example, create terminal](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/infrastructure-cloud-development-environments/gitlab_remote_dev_workspaces_python_web_ide_create_terminal.png){: .shadow}\n\nUsing the Python example project, try to run the `hello.py` file with the Python interpreter after changing the terminal to `bash` to access auto-completion and shell history. Type `pyth`, press tab, type `hel`, press tab, enter.\n\n```shell\n$ bash\n\n$ python hello.py\n```\n\nThe command will fail because the Python requirements still need to be installed. Let us fix that by running the following command:\n\n```shell\n$ pip install -r requirements.txt\n```\n\n![GitLab remote development workspaces, Python example, install requirements in the terminal](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/infrastructure-cloud-development-environments/gitlab_remote_dev_workspaces_python_web_ide_terminal_install_pip.png){: .shadow}\n\n**Note**: This example is intentionally kept simple, and does not use best practices with `pyenv` for managing Python environments. We will explore development environment templates in future blog posts.\n\nRun the Python application `hello.py` again to start the web server on port 8080.\n\n```shell\n$ python hello.py\n```\n\nYou can access the exposed port by modifying the URL from the default port at the beginning of the URL to the exposed port `8080`. The `?folder` URL parameter can also be removed.\n\n```diff\n-https://60001-workspace-62029-5534214-kbtcmq.remote-dev.dev/?folder=/projects/example-python-http-simple\n+https://8080-workspace-62029-5534214-kbtcmq.remote-dev.dev/\n```\n\nThe URL is not publicly available and requires access through the GitLab OAuth session.\n\n![GitLab remote development workspaces, Python example, run webserver, access HTTP](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/infrastructure-cloud-development-environments/gitlab_remote_dev_workspaces_python_web_ide_terminal_run_webserver_access_http.png){: .shadow}\n\nModifying the workspace requires custom container images supporting to run with [arbitrary user IDs](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/workspace/#arbitrary-user-ids). The example project uses a custom image which allows to install Python dependencies and create build artifacts. It also allows to use the bash terminal shown above. Learn more about custom image creation in the next section.\n\n### Custom workspace container images\nCustom container images require support for [arbitrary user IDs](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/workspace/#arbitrary-user-ids). You can build custom container images with [GitLab CI/CD](/solutions/continuous-integration/) and use the [GitLab container registry](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/packages/container_registry/) to distribute the container images on the DevSecOps platform.\n\nWorkspaces run with arbitrary user IDs in the Kubernetes cluster containers and manage resource access with Linux group permissions. Existing container images may need to be changed, and imported as base image for new container images. The [following example](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/remote-development/container-images/python-remote-dev-workspaces-user-id/-/blob/main/Dockerfile) uses the `python:3.11-slim-bullseye` image from Docker Hub as a base container image in the `FROM` key. The next steps create and set a home directory in `/home/gitlab-workspaces`, and manage user and group access to specified directories. Additionally, you can install more convenience tools and configurations into the image, for example the `git` package.\n\n[`Dockerfile`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/remote-development/container-images/python-remote-dev-workspaces-user-id/-/blob/main/Dockerfile)\n```\n# Example demo for a Python-based container image.\n# NOTE: THIS IMAGE IS NOT ACTIVELY MAINTAINED. DEMO USE CASES ONLY, DO NOT USE IN PRODUCTION.\n\nFROM python:3.11-slim-bullseye\n\n# User id for build time. Runtime will be an arbitrary random ID.\nRUN useradd -l -u 33333 -G sudo -md /home/gitlab-workspaces -s /bin/bash -p gitlab-workspaces gitlab-workspaces\n\nENV HOME=/home/gitlab-workspaces\n\nWORKDIR $HOME\n\nRUN mkdir -p /home/gitlab-workspaces && chgrp -R 0 /home && chmod -R g=u /etc/passwd /etc/group /home\n\n# TODO: Add more convenience tools into the user home directory, i.e. enable color prompt for the terminal, install pyenv to manage Python environments, etc\nRUN apt update && \\\n    apt -y --no-install-recommends install git procps findutils htop vim curl wget && \\\n    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*\n\nUSER gitlab-workspaces\n```\n\n **As an exercise**, [fork the project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/remote-development/container-images/python-remote-dev-workspaces-user-id) and modify the package installation step in the `Dockerfile` file to install the `dnsutils` package on the Debian based image to get access to the `dig` command.\n\n[`Dockerfile`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/remote-development/container-images/python-remote-dev-workspaces-user-id/-/blob/main/Dockerfile)\n```diff\n-RUN apt update && \\\n-    apt -y --no-install-recommends install git procps findutils htop vim curl wget && \\\n-    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*\n+RUN apt update && \\\n+    apt -y --no-install-recommends install git procps findutils htop vim curl wget dnsutils && \\\n+    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*\n```\n\n[Build the container image](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/docker/using_docker_build.html) with your preferred CI/CD workflow. On GitLab.com SaaS, you can include the `Docker.gitlab-ci.yml` template which takes care of building the image.\n\n```yaml\ninclude:\n    - template: Docker.gitlab-ci.yml\n```\n\nWhen building the container images manually, use Linux and `amd64` as platform architecture [until multi-architecture support is available for running workspaces](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/10594). Also, review the [optimizing images guide in the documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/pipelines/pipeline_efficiency.html#optimize-docker-images) when creating custom container images to optimize size and build times.\n\nNavigate into `Deploy > Container Registry` in the GitLab UI and copy the image URL from the tagged image. Open the `.devfile.yaml` file in the forked GitLab project `example-python-http-simple`, and change the `image` path to the newly built image URL.\n\n[`.devfile.yaml`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/remote-development/example-python-http-simple/-/blob/main/.devfile.yaml)\n```diff\n-      image: registry.gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/remote-development/container-images/python-remote-dev-workspaces-user-id:latest\n+      image: registry.gitlab.example.com/remote-dev-workspaces/python-remote-dev-workspaces-user-id:latest\n```\n\nNavigate into `Your Work > Workspaces` and create a new workspace for the project, and try to execute the `dig` command to query the IPv6 address of GitLab.com (or any other internal domain).\n\n```shell\n$ dig +short gitlab.com AAAA\n```\n\nThe custom container image project is located [here](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/use-cases/remote-development/container-images/python-remote-dev-workspaces-user-id/).\n\n## Tips\nThis blog post's setup steps with environment variables are easy to follow. For production usage, use automation to manage your environment with Terraform, Ansible, etc.\n\n- Terraform: [Provision a GKE Cluster (Google Cloud)](https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/tutorials/kubernetes/gke), [Provision an EKS Cluster (AWS)](https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/tutorials/kubernetes/eks), [Provision an AKS Cluster (Azure)](https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/tutorials/kubernetes/aks), [Deploy Applications with the Helm Provider](https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/tutorials/kubernetes/helm-provider)\n- Ansible: [google.cloud.gcp_container_cluster module](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/collections/google/cloud/gcp_container_cluster_module.html), [community.aws.eks_cluster module](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/collections/community/aws/eks_cluster_module.html), [azure.azcollection.azure_rm_aks module](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/collections/azure/azcollection/azure_rm_aks_module.html), [kubernetes.core collection](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/collections/kubernetes/core/index.html#plugin-index)\n\n### Certificate management\nThe workspaces domain requires a valid TLS certificate. The examples above used certbot with Let's Encrypt, requiring a certificate renewal after three months. Depending on your corporate requirements, you may need to create TLS certificates signed by the corporate CA identity and manage the certificates. Alternatively, you can look into solutions like [cert-manager for Kubernetes](https://cert-manager.io/docs/getting-started/) that will help renew certificates automatically.\n\nDo not forget to add TLS certificate validity monitoring to avoid unforeseen errors. The [blackbox exporter for Prometheus](https://github.com/prometheus/blackbox_exporter) can help with monitoring TLS certificate expiry and send alerts.\n\n### Troubleshooting\nHere are a few tips for troubleshooting connections and inspecting the cluster resources.\n\n#### Verify the connections\nTry to connect to the workspaces domain to see whether the Kubernetes Ingress controller responds to HTTP requests.\n\n```shell\n$ curl -vL ${GITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN}\n```\n\nInspect the logs of the proxy deployment to follow connection requests. Since the proxy requires an authorization token sent via the OAuth app, an HTTP 400 error is expected for unauthenticated curl requests.\n\n```shell\n$ kubectl logs -f -l app.kubernetes.io/name=gitlab-workspaces-proxy -n gitlab-workspaces\n```\n\nCheck if the TLS certificate is valid. You can also use `sslcan` and other tools.\n\n```shell\n$ openssl s_client -connect ${GITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN}:443\n\n$ sslcan ${GITLAB_WORKSPACES_PROXY_DOMAIN}\n```\n\n[Debug the agent for Kubernetes](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/clusters/agent/work_with_agent.html#debug-the-agent) and inspect the pod logs.\n\n```shell\n$ kubectl get ns\n\n$ kubectl logs -f -l app.kubernetes.io/name=gitlab-agent -n gitlab-agent-\u003CNAMESPACENAME>\n```\n\n#### Workspaces cannot be created even if the agent is connected\nWhen the workspaces deployment is spinning and nothing happens, try restarting the workspaces proxy and agent for Kubernetes. This is a known problem and tracked [in this issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/414399#note_1426652421).\n\n```shell\n$ kubectl rollout restart deployment -n gitlab-workspaces\n\n$ kubectl rollout restart deployment -n gitlab-agent-$GL_AGENT_K8S\n```\n\nIf the agent for Kubernetes remains unresponsive, consider a complete reinstall. First, navigate into the GitLab UI into `Operate > Kubernetes Clusters` and [delete the agent](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/clusters/agent/work_with_agent.html#remove-an-agent-through-the-gitlab-ui). Next, use the following commands to delete the Helm release from the cluster, and run the installation command generated from the UI again.\n\n```shell\nkubectl get ns\nhelm list -A\n\nexport RELEASENAME=xxx\nexport NAMESPACENAME=xxx\nexport TOKEN=XXXXXXXXXXREPLACEME\nhelm uninstall ${RELEASENAME} -n gitlab-agent-${NAMESPACENAME}\n\nhelm repo add gitlab https://charts.gitlab.io\nhelm repo update\n\nhelm upgrade --install ${RELEASENAME} gitlab/gitlab-agent \\\n    --namespace gitlab-agent-${NAMESPACENAME} \\\n    --create-namespace \\\n    --set image.tag=v16.1.2 \\\n    --set config.token=${TOKEN} \\\n    --set config.kasAddress=wss://kas.gitlab.com # Replace with your self-managed GitLab KAS instance URL if not using GitLab.com SaaS\n```\n\nExample: `helm uninstall remote-dev-dev -n gitlab-agent-remote-dev-dev`\n\n#### Cannot modify workspace using custom images\nIf you cannot modify the workspace, open a new terminal and check the user id and their groups.\n\n```shell\n$ id\n```\n\nInspect the `.devfile.yaml` file in the project and extract the `image` attribute to test the used container image. You can use container CLI, for example `docker` that runs the container with a different user ID. Note: You can use any user ID to test the behavior.\n\nTip: Use grep and cut commands to extract the image attribute URL from the `.devfile.yaml`.\n\n```shell\n$ cat .devfile.yaml | grep image: | cut -f2 -d ':')\n```\n\nRun the following command to execute the `id` command in the container, and print the user information.\n\n```\n$ docker run -u 1234 -ti registry.gitlab.com/path/to/project/image:tagname id\n```\n\nTry to modify the workspace by running the command `echo 'Hi' >> ~/example.md`. This can fail with a permission error.\n\n```shell\n$ docker run -u 1234 -ti registry.gitlab.com/path/to/project/image:tagname echo 'Hi' >> ~/example.md\n```\n\nIf the above command failed, the Linux user group does not have enough permissions to modify the file. You can view the permissions using the `ls` command.\n\n```shell\n$ docker run -u 1234 -ti registry.gitlab.com/path/to/project/image:tagname ls -lart ~/\n```\n\n### Contribute\nThe [remote development developer documentation](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/remote-development/gitlab-remote-development-docs) provides insights into the [architecture blueprint](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/architecture/blueprints/remote_development/) and how to set up a local development environment to [start contributing](/community/contribute/). In the future, we will be able to use remote development workspaces to develop remote development workspaces.\n\n## Share your feedback\nIn this blog post, you have learned how to manage the infrastructure for remote development workspaces, create your first workspace, and more tips on custom workspace images and troubleshooting. Using the same development environment across organizations and communities, developers can focus on writing code and get fast preview feedback (i.e., by running a web server that can be accessed externally in the remote workspace). Providing the same reproducible environment also helps opensource contributors to reproduce bugs and provide feedback most efficiently. They can use the same best practices as upstream maintainers.\n\nDevelopers and DevOps engineers will be using the Web IDE in workspaces. Later, being able to [connect their desktop client to workspaces](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/10478), they can take advantage of even more efficiency with the [most comprehensive AI-powered DevSecOps platform](/gitlab-duo/): Code suggestions and more AI-powered workflows are just one fingertip away.\n\nWhat will your teams build with remote development workspaces? Please share your experiences in the [feedback issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/410031), blog about your setup, and join our [community forum](https://forum.gitlab.com/) for more discussions.\n\nCover image by [Nick Karvounis](https://unsplash.com/@nickkarvounis) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/SmIM3m8f3Pw)",[495,9,694,1690,1287],{"slug":2033,"featured":6,"template":698},"set-up-infrastructure-for-cloud-development-environments","content:en-us:blog:set-up-infrastructure-for-cloud-development-environments.yml","Set Up Infrastructure For Cloud Development Environments","en-us/blog/set-up-infrastructure-for-cloud-development-environments.yml","en-us/blog/set-up-infrastructure-for-cloud-development-environments",{"_path":2039,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2040,"content":2045,"config":2050,"_id":2052,"_type":13,"title":2041,"_source":15,"_file":2053,"_stem":2054,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/situational-leadership-strategy",{"title":2041,"description":2042,"ogTitle":2041,"ogDescription":2042,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1619,"ogUrl":2043,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2043,"schema":2044},"Situational Leadership Strategy","GitLab CEO Sid Sijbrandij shares how he incorporates situational leadership in his management style.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/situational-leadership-strategy","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Situational Leadership Strategy\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sid Sijbrandij\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-11-19\",\n      }",{"title":2041,"description":2042,"authors":2046,"heroImage":1619,"date":2047,"body":2048,"category":820,"tags":2049},[1043],"2021-11-19","\n \n[Situational Leadership Theory](https://situational.com/blog/the-four-leadership-styles-of-situational-leadership/) is a model created by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard in 1969. It describes  a leadership style that is adapted to a direct report depending on the unique individual or situation, with no\none style being better than another.\n \nHersey and Blanchard grouped leadership styles into four behaviors:\n \n* **Telling:** The report lacks the skills required to do the job, but is willing to work at it.\n* **Selling:** The report is capable of performing, but is unwilling to do the task.\n* **Participating:** The report is experienced in performing the task, but not confident.\n* **Delegating:** The report is experienced, confident, and takes ownership of the task.\n \nDepending on the individual and the task at hand, it’s necessary to adapt your leadership approach in order to be\nthe most effective leader possible.\n \nI have built on top of this model as I adapt my leadership style based on specific circumstances.\n \nThe following factors inform my approach to managing an individual in a specific situation:\n \n1. **Experience level**: What is the experience level of the report?\n1. **Skills required**: What skills are required to perform the task?\n1. **My own skill**: What skills do I have to perform the task? Should I delegate my weaknesses or strengths?\n1. **Task importance**: What is the importance and priority of the task?\n1. **Task urgency**: How quickly do we need to complete the task?\n1. **Opportunities to provide feedback**: What opportunities are there to provide feedback? Should the feedback be in a group setting or in a 1-1?\n1. **Learning opportunities**: Are others able to learn from doing the task? Does a group setting or live stream help others learn?\n1. **Reporting relationship**: Are they a direct or indirect report? Are they external to the company?\n1. **Time available**: How much time does the report have to perform the task? What is their capacity?\n1. **Time needed**: How much time would it take me to perform the task?\n1. **Current solution**: What is the shortfall of the current solution?\n1. **My emotion**: How much does the shortfall bother me?\n1. **Feedback effort**: How much effort do I need to invest in order to give the feedback?\n1. **Feedback allocation**: How much time is available to provide feedback?\n1. **Previous feedback**: What feedback have they already received regarding the task? Have I already given feedback?\n1. **Team member’s state of mind**: How is the report feeling?\n1. **Metrics**: What data is available to the report as a means of automatic feedback?\n1. **Relationship duration**: How long do I expect to work with this person?\n1. **Resourcing needed**: What resources does the person need to complete the task? Do they have these resources available?\n \nThese are also not complete tradeoffs. A combination of any number of these factors help determine my approach. For example, I may choose to more heavily weight a team member’s state of mind if I know that they recently experienced a personal hardship and the task does not have great urgency--even if I have a high level of emotional engagement.\n \nIt’s important to note that while this list outlines key considerations that inform my management style, it doesn’t mean that I choose the most effective approach in a particular instance. \n \nFor more information on Situational Leadership and you can adapt your own leadership style, check out the book\n[_Management of Organizational Behavior_](https://www.amazon.com/Management-Organizational-Behavior-10th-Hersey/dp/0132556405) by Paul Hersey, Ken Blanchard, and Dewey Johnson.\n",[9,695,1690],{"slug":2051,"featured":6,"template":698},"situational-leadership-strategy","content:en-us:blog:situational-leadership-strategy.yml","en-us/blog/situational-leadership-strategy.yml","en-us/blog/situational-leadership-strategy",{"_path":2056,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2057,"content":2063,"config":2068,"_id":2070,"_type":13,"title":2071,"_source":15,"_file":2072,"_stem":2073,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/soft-skills-are-the-key-to-your-devops-career-advancement",{"title":2058,"description":2059,"ogTitle":2058,"ogDescription":2059,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2060,"ogUrl":2061,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2061,"schema":2062},"Soft skills are the key to your DevOps career advancement","Learn the top soft skills you should invest time in to get a better salary and achieve your career goals.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749668185/Blog/Hero%20Images/Chorus_case_study.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/soft-skills-are-the-key-to-your-devops-career-advancement","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Soft skills are the key to your DevOps career advancement\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sharon Gaudin\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-11-30\",\n      }",{"title":2058,"description":2059,"authors":2064,"heroImage":2060,"date":2065,"body":2066,"category":820,"tags":2067},[690],"2021-11-30","\nIf work in [DevOps](/topics/devops/) and you want to become a DevOps manager, communicate tech needs effectively with executives in the C-Suite, or boost your salary, it’s time to invest in your soft skills.\n\n\"Soft skills should be a huge focus for anyone looking to further their career,” says [PJ Metz](https://gitlab.com/PjMetz), education evangelist at GitLab. “You may be brilliant at the technical aspects of a job, but if you don’t have good interpersonal relationships, you'll get left behind.”\n\nNow, hold on! Just hear me out. I’m not talking about Kumbaya here. No holding hands and dancing under the full moon. Nope. I’m talking about non-technical, yet critical, skills that will enable you to engage with co-workers, especially executives, so their eyes don’t glaze over when you excitedly talk tech. \n\n“You need more than to know the tech really well. You need good leadership and communication skills,” says [Brendan O’Leary](https://gitlab.com/brendan), a staff developer evangelist, and product and engineering leader at GitLab. \n\nThis is particularly true if you want to be promoted to management. “Managers need to understand people and how they work together and what really motivates - and demotivates - people,” O’Leary says.\n\nMetz points to public speaking as another essential skill. “As virtual becomes a standard for meetings and conventions, being able to speak well means conveying your point well,” he says. “It also solidifies you as a leader who can help others understand complicated topics.”\n\nIf you’re going to help the business side of the company understand how DevOps will enable them to be more competitive and make more money, then you need soft skills. If you want that manager position, you need soft skills. If you even want to work better with your DevOps teammates, you need soft skills. Trust me. Knowing this stuff will help you get your tech and career goals accomplished.\n\n## The soft skills focus list\n\nSo what are we talking about when we say soft skills? Here are some examples:\n \n**Communication skills**, including how to talk to colleagues on the business side without using technical jargon or acronyms \n\n**Business understanding** – what does your company need?\n\n**Leadership**, including people management\n\n**Cool under pressure** – can you work calmly and effectively?\n\n**Problem solving**\n\n**Collaboration**: While DevOps is about collaborating to push out better software, you also need to be able to collaborate with people in other departments, like marketing, finance, sales and legal, to improve the business overall.\n\n## Where do you learn soft skills? \n\nCollege courses, journal articles and conference sessions are always a good place to start to learn soft skills. Here are some additional options:\n \nThere are helpful podcasts out there. For instance, check out the “Humans of DevOps” podcast series from the [DevOps Institute](https://www.devopsinstitute.com/resources/), which features episodes such as “Discussing Qualities of Great Leaders” and “Humans are Hard, Code is Easy.”\n\nYouTube has a lot of instructional videos, including “How to Speak With Confidence”, “Business Communication Essentials”, “Collaborative Problem Solving”, and “How to Speak Like an Executive.”\n\n[Coursera](https://www.coursera.org/) also is worth a look. Founded by Stanford University computer science professors, Coursera works with universities and other organizations to offer online courses, certifications and degrees in a variety of subjects.\n\nDon’t forget us right here at GitLab. For instance, [GitLab Learn](https://about.gitlab.com/learn/) offers classes such as “Effective Communication” and “Mastering Self-Motivation and Self-Advocacy.”\n\nLinkedIn also offers classes on business communication.\n\n## The payoff for improving soft skills\n\nYah, we get it. When you think about [ways to up your salary](/blog/four-tips-to-increase-your-devops-salary/) or focus on [continuous education](/blog/best-advice-for-your-devops-career-keep-on-learning/), you think about so-called hard skills, like mastering new programming languages and learning more about security and automation. You forget about, simply ignore or choose not to “waste” time on the soft skills. Then you wonder why you’re not moving up the career ladder, leading a team or making a presentation to the business execs. \n\nThe [2021 Enterprise DevOps Skills Report](https://learn.gitlab.com/devops-institute/2021-doi-devops-upskilling-report?utm_medium=email&utm_source=marketo&utm_campaign=devopsgtm&utm_content=doi-devops-upskilling-report) showed that people skills now are considered a “must have,” with 69 percent of survey respondents ranking human skills as the second-most valuable. Similarly, 68 percent indicated that a DevOps leader must be skilled in empowering\nand developing others.\n\nThe bottom line is if you invest in your soft skills, including learning to speak the language of business, then you’re more likely to achieve your career goals. \n\n",[9,694,695],{"slug":2069,"featured":6,"template":698},"soft-skills-are-the-key-to-your-devops-career-advancement","content:en-us:blog:soft-skills-are-the-key-to-your-devops-career-advancement.yml","Soft Skills Are The Key To Your Devops Career Advancement","en-us/blog/soft-skills-are-the-key-to-your-devops-career-advancement.yml","en-us/blog/soft-skills-are-the-key-to-your-devops-career-advancement",{"_path":2075,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2076,"content":2082,"config":2088,"_id":2090,"_type":13,"title":2091,"_source":15,"_file":2092,"_stem":2093,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/stem-gems-give-girls-role-models",{"title":2077,"description":2078,"ogTitle":2077,"ogDescription":2078,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2079,"ogUrl":2080,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2080,"schema":2081},"GitLab + STEM Gems: Giving girls role models in tech","Meet the GitLab team-members working to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in STEM.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749672357/Blog/Hero%20Images/stem-gems.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/stem-gems-give-girls-role-models","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab + STEM Gems: Giving girls role models in tech\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Stephanie Garza\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-10-08\",\n      }",{"title":2077,"description":2078,"authors":2083,"heroImage":2079,"date":2085,"body":2086,"category":799,"tags":2087},[2084],"Stephanie Garza","2018-10-08","\n\nGitLab recently partnered with [STEM Gems](http://stemgemsbook.com/), an organization creating awareness of successful women in STEM, to inspire girls and give them STEM role models. **STEM** (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) pervades every aspect of our lives; everything can be tied to technology in some way, shape, or form. Given the constant expansion of technology, career prospects are endless. One would think STEM is the number one pursued career path right?\n\nSurprisingly, according to the US Department of Commerce, in 2017 only 24 percent of women worked in STEM. Another harsh reality is that women who hold STEM degrees are less likely than their male counterparts to pursue a STEM career. In fact, women are more likely to work in education or healthcare.\n\nDriven by the low numbers, STEM Education advocate Stephanie Espy strived to make a change. Espy created STEM Gems, an organization that began as a book filled with inspiring women in STEM. The book was the stepping stone for a greater initiative to create awareness for the successful female powerhouses in STEM, as well as provide girls with role models to look up to.\n\nGirls who have STEM role models are more likely to pursue opportunities outside their traditional realm, and STEM Gems is making it possible for girls to connect with them. Role models, mentors, and career ambassadors inspire and empower girls to achieve their dreams.\n\nAt [our recent summit in South Africa](/blog/gitlab-summit-cape-town-recap/), forty GitLab team-members came together for an epic power hour of delving into each other's professional pathways and identifying challenges. Participants were paired up and asked to interview each other about their individual careers, goals, and accomplishments. This included the significant others of GitLab team-members and men interested in learning more about making GitLab inclusive. Through this event, we were able to strengthen our relationships and identify ways to foster a culture of inclusion. The event also provided greater visibility into the challenges and barriers women in STEM face.\n\nGitLab is building a community where everyone can thrive. We've gathered together the stories and photos of the GitLab team-members that participated in the event. In this post, and in a follow-up post, we will share each of these amazing stories. We want to inspire and encourage girls to set Big Goals and pursue every dream and remember you’ll always have a friend at GitLab!\n\n![Jenny and Molly](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/stem-gems/jenny.jpg){: .shadow.small.left.wrap-text}\n\n**Name:** [Jenny Nguyen](/company/team/#lankhanh28) (right)\n\n**Role:** Payroll and Payments Lead\n\n**Why is what you do important?**\nI handle payroll and expense reimbursement, making sure all our team members get paid and reimbursed on time.\n\n**What is something you are really proud of?**\n\nI helped save a previous company $2 million by applying technical logic to processes.\n\n**Did you know you wanted to work in tech when you were growing up? If not, what did you THINK you wanted to be?**\n\nNo, I started my undergrad with Business major and took programming as an elective class. My teacher encouraged me to change my major to Computer Science and Software Engineering, but I didn't have an opportunity to be in a technical position. However, I have applied my technical knowledge and aptitude from school to reduce manual processes within my functions for the past 10 years.\n\n**If you could give advice to a girl thinking about a career in tech, what would it be?**\n\nAs a non-technical person, I want them to know that they don’t have to have a career in technology to have and utilize their own technical skills. Every function needs input from technical and non-technical perspectives.\n\n----\n\n![Ramya](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/stem-gems/ramya-authappan.png){: .shadow.small.right.wrap-text}\n\n**Name:** [Ramya Authappan](/company/team/#atramya)\n\n**Title:** Senior Test Automation Engineer\n\n**Why is what you do important?**\n\nAt GitLab, I automate tests as much as possible. I design and develop test frameworks. Test automation is the key to Continuous Integration and Delivery, which in turn is essential in minimizing the 'Time to Market' of any new features, thereby achieving customer satisfaction.\n\n**What is something you are really proud of?**\n\nApart from my work at GitLab, I'm also the Director of [Women Who Code](https://www.womenwhocode.com/), Chennai chapter. As part of Women Who Code, I get to meet a lot of female leaders in the technical space. I was recently invited to be a Panelist in a discussion on digital safety help by Google and SheThePeople.tv. I was also [interviewed by a Indian National News channel](https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/women-tech-freshworks-ramya-authappan-importance-mother-friendly-workplaces-78893). I frequently share my knowledge as a conference/meetup speaker. On the whole, I love doing what I do and being who I am!\n\n**Did you know you wanted to work in tech when you were growing up? If not, what did you THINK you wanted to be?**\n\nYes! In my school days I had to choose a specialization at the age of 16 years. I chose Computer Science, and I think I made the right choice. I find that I'm interested in software engineering and always wanted to be a software engineer.\n\n**If you could give advice to a girl thinking about a career in tech, what would it be?**\n\n1. Choose wisely when it comes to specializations.\n2. Keep learning.\n3. Give back to society.\n4. Change the world! The sky is the limit!\n\n----\n\n![Hannah](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/stem-gems/hannah-schuler.png){: .shadow.left.small.wrap-text}\n\n**Name:** [Hannah Schuler](/company/team/#hannahschuler8)\n\n**Title:** SDR Team Lead – West and APAC\n\n**Why is what you do important?**\n\nI train other SDR team members to identify and create qualified opportunities. I also assist in recruiting team members and also work closely with online marketing managers for targeted ad campaigns. The SDR role is an evangelist role – we get the opportunity to be the first point of contact for people. It's an exciting and challenging role because most often people have never heard of GitLab. Sharing news about a solution that can help people and bring value is exciting.\n\nMy role is important because I facilitate and add structure to the team. I help remove roadblocks and enable us to work more efficiently. I help team members reach their full potential.\n\n**What is something you are really proud of?**\n\nI received a discretionary bonus a few months ago for going above and beyond in my role! Being promoted from an SDR representative to a team lead in nine months was really awesome, I'm very proud of that. I'm a certified SCRUM master and product owner. I am also certified in SAFE (Agile methodology).\n\n**Did you know you wanted to work in tech when you were growing up? If not, what did you THINK you wanted to be?**\n\nIt's evolved over time – when I was little I wanted to be a ballerina. I was super shy, an introvert, and dancing was my way to express myself. When I grew older, everything changed and I become super outgoing. I wanted to make an impact in the world and got a degree in International Business Studies because I wanted to work for the UN. My excitement for technology came a lot later in my career. My friend shared excitement about the industry and that's what initially got my foot in the door. I did not have a traditional background in tech.\n\n**If you could give advice to a girl thinking about a career in tech, what would it be?**\n\nYou will have an impact in this field. Companies are looking for you. You will develop lifelong skills and have an impact in this field. Women are trailblazers in this industry. You can dictate your own earning potential and will have the opportunity to mentor other women as well.\n\n----\n\n![Cristine](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/stem-gems/cristine-marquardt.png){: .shadow.small.right.wrap-text}\n\n**Name:** [Cristine Marquardt](/company/team/#csotomango)\n\n**Title:** Billing Specialist\n\n**Why is what you do important?**\n\nI process invoices for sales-assisted orders, troubleshoot support tickets (mostly related to money and licensing issues), provide sales support, and I wear a lot of hats. Everyone in the company plays an important role to keep GitLab running. When you work at a startup, you have to be game for all the obstacles that are thrown your way. I never imagined how much I would learn and how much I could contribute in my role.\n\n**What is something you are really proud of?**\n\nI'm currently dabbling in .Net framework and I made my first semi-functional calculator. While this sounds like a rather simple task, this is huge to me since my career has been focused in the finance and accounting world.\n\n**Did you know you wanted to work in tech when you were growing up? If not, what did you THINK you wanted to be?**\n\nI knew that I wanted to work in tech ever since I was a kid. I was fortunate enough to go to a school that had computers in each classroom and there was also a computer lab. I wanted to get into computer engineering when I was in middle/high school, but I never pursued it in college. I'm now pushing myself to learn software development.\n\n**If you could give advice to a girl thinking about a career in tech, what would it be?**\n\nBelieve in yourself and don't be afraid. The only one holding you back is yourself.\n\n----\n\n![Gabriela and Diana](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/stem-gems/gabriela.jpg){: .shadow.small.right.wrap-text}\n\n**Name:** Gabriela Mena Breña (right)\n\n**Title:** Chemical Engineer (Not at GitLab, I am the significant other of a GitLab team-member)\n\n**Why is what you do important?**\n\nPractical transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy solutions. This will save the planet!\n\n**What is something you are really proud of?**\n\nI led the team that created fiscal terms for the first private investments in Mexican oil and gas resources. This protected the Mexican government's financial stability. We secured $3.1 billion worth of contracts to construct gas pipelines for the Mexican state. I am also proud to have received a full scholarship from the Mexican government to study for a Master's degree in Energy Science.\n\n**Did you know you wanted to work in tech when you were growing up? If not, what did you THINK you wanted to be?**\n\nYes, I found science and math the most challenging, which made them the most interesting to me.\n\n**If you could give advice to a girl thinking about a career in tech, what would it be?**\n\nDon't let anybody else tell you what you can be. Be true to who you really are and focus on your own goals and desires.\n\n----\n\n![Chloe](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/stem-gems/chloe-whitestone.jpg){: .shadow.small.left.wrap-text}\n\n**Name:** [Chloe Whitestone](/company/team/#drachanya)\n\n**Title:** Talent Operations Specialist\n\n**Why is what you do important?**\n\nI am part of the recruiting team. I do all of the backend operations for recruiting, such as vendor management, reporting, researching on different tools, and employee branding. In addition, I am also the recruiter for a few roles (customer success, UX designer, data engineer). GitLab cannot be what it is without having great talent and I get to be a part of this exciting journey.\n\n**What is something you are really proud of?**\n\nI've played a critical role in the multiple transitions of GitLab's ATS (application tracking system) which has improved candidate experience, increased efficiency, and given greater visibility for hiring managers to hire the best talent possible. Before I was at GitLab, there weren't any tools for recruiting metrics. Through my efforts, GitLab has recruiting metrics and is now able to analyze how they are doing compared to other industry leaders. This has allowed us to improve the hiring process and enabled applicants to get job offers faster than before.\n\n**Chloe also:**\n\n- Migrated Workable to Lever\n- Migrated Lever to Greenhouse\n- Implemented background checks at GitLab\n- Trained GitLab team-members for Greenhouse\n- Created a vacancy process for GitLab\n- Improved onboarding process and experience\n- Became an assistant manager in six months during her first fulltime job\n- Is proud of every hire she has made\n\n**Did you know you wanted to work in tech when you were growing up? If not, what did you THINK you wanted to be?**\n\nGrowing up, I didn't think I would work in Tech. I originally wanted to be president! I was exposed to tech through my high school STEM program. That equipped me to be where I am today.\n\n**If you could give advice to a girl thinking about a career in tech, what would it be?**\n\nStart right away by learning and getting involved in the community. It's harder to start the older you get (IMO). Don't be afraid, no matter how much experience you have or how old you are. You are not alone!\n\n----\n\n![Katherine](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/stem-gems/katherine-okpara.jpg){: .shadow.small.right.wrap-text}\n\n**Name:** [Katherine Okpara](/company/team/#katokpara)\n\n**Title:** Junior UX Researcher\n\n**Why is what you do important?**\n\nI work with product management and UX designers to understand users' pain points, goals, and needs. My job is to understand where we can improve the product by speaking directly to users. The user experience of a product impacts the customer directly. Positive experiences equal stronger relationships (more feedback) for the product to improve.\n\n**What is something you are really proud of?**\n\nI've received mentorship during my eight months here at GitLab and am now leading studies. I've been able to learn about different features and different aspects of the product at a fast pace. I have helped to build healthy relationships between end users and teams for better product improvements/advancements.\n\n**Did you know you wanted to work in tech when you were growing up? If not, what did you THINK you wanted to be?**\n\nNo. I didn't know anything about tech/computers, etc. until college. I took a few programming/data science classes in college and that's when my interest was piqued. I was on more of an academic path at school (psychology). In my last year of college I took a web design class (applying research to products) and felt that I had found my niche. I have been working on those skills ever since through online courses, research, etc.\n\n**If you could give advice to a girl thinking about a career in tech, what would it be?**\n\nThere is a place for you! Whether it's programming or another area, there are still many paths for consideration. If you come from a non-traditional path, there is always a way to link your skills to your desired role. Believe that you can do it, even if you don't currently have the skills (you can build those skills!).\n\n----\n\n![Lucas](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/stem-gems/lucas.jpg){: .shadow.small.left.wrap-text}\n\n**Name:** Lucas Charles\n\n**Title:** Individual Contributor to Gitlab (significant other to a GitLab team-member)\n\n**Why is what you do important?**\n\nI am an end-user, and GitLab wouldn't be a product without users. It's built on open source technology, which requires everyone to contribute. As a user and contributor, it is powerful to have everything in one place and GitLab is fun to use. It's easier to go to work every day with software you love.\n\nMy significant other works at GitLab, but I would use it every day regardless. I love the product and company. I think GitLab is doing something important and changing the way we build software.\n\n**What is something you are really proud of?**\n\nWhen my significant other was looking for a new job, I realized that GitLab would be a perfect fit for her and encouraged her to apply. I wanted to do everything I could to help her because I care and it's an amazing opportunity to push herself and contribute to a greater tech community full of diverse people, product, and cultures.\n\nI'm incredibly proud of my significant other. She works on GitLab every day, making the world a more interesting place through technology. I'm quite proud to be part of that network. I'm also proud to be one of the first 1,000 contributors to Gitlab. I'm proud that GitLab chose to recognize that by sending me a special sticker!\n\n**Did you know you wanted to work in tech when you were growing up? If not, what did you THINK you wanted to be?**\n\nI've always been a tinkerer and like to take things apart and put them together. Tech enables me to do that quickly and easily. It is an amazing industry that creates something out of nothing but an idea, and has limitless possibilities. We move fast and many truly believe they are changing the world.\n\n**If you could give advice to a girl thinking about a career in tech, what would it be?**\n\nFirst, to just do it, because it's an incredible field and we need more diversity. Diversity is important: we need a range of ideas, perspectives, and to create more opportunities to understand each other. We should build products that work for everyone and address all needs. Challenging ourselves and growing ourselves through different perspectives is critical for both personal growth and a healthy culture.\n",[9,268,695,801,844],{"slug":2089,"featured":6,"template":698},"stem-gems-give-girls-role-models","content:en-us:blog:stem-gems-give-girls-role-models.yml","Stem Gems Give Girls Role Models","en-us/blog/stem-gems-give-girls-role-models.yml","en-us/blog/stem-gems-give-girls-role-models",{"_path":2095,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2096,"content":2101,"config":2106,"_id":2108,"_type":13,"title":2109,"_source":15,"_file":2110,"_stem":2111,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/the-changing-roles-in-devsecops",{"title":2097,"description":2098,"ogTitle":2097,"ogDescription":2098,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1560,"ogUrl":2099,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2099,"schema":2100},"Why - and how - DevOps roles are changing","Our 2022 Global DevSecOps Survey finds developers in ops and security while operations is everywhere.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/the-changing-roles-in-devsecops","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Why - and how - DevOps roles are changing\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Valerie Silverthorne\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-08-31\",\n      }",{"title":2097,"description":2098,"authors":2102,"heroImage":1560,"date":2103,"body":2104,"category":820,"tags":2105},[734],"2022-08-31","\nFor three years, developers, security team members, and operations professionals have suggested to us in our annual surveys that their responsibilities were shifting. But this year that “shift” became a tidal wave of change - and that change is towards [DevSecOps](/topics/devsecops/).\n\nIn our [2022 Global DevSecOps Survey](https://about.gitlab.com/developer-survey/), more than 5,000 practitioners shared details of DevOps roles in a state of flux: devs taking on ops and security tasks, security working hand-in-hand with dev teams, and ops wearing an improbable number of hats.\n\nThese are big changes, but surprisingly not chaotic ones. In fact, at a time of great technical and macroeconomic upheaval, the evolution of DevOps jobs and responsibilities seems to be designed to bring teams more tightly together. DevOps is more than 14 years old at this point – an argument could be made that [true collaboration](/blog/collaboration-communication-best-practices/) is finally underway.\n\nWhatever is at play, it’s clear substantive changes are happening. Here’s what our respondents told us about their new responsibilities.\n\n## DIY and developers\n\nToday’s developers are literally DIYing all the (ops) things. This year, 38% reported instrumenting code they’ve written for production monitoring, up 12% from 2021 and more than double the percentage in 2020. The same percentage of devs monitor and respond to the infrastructure, up 13% from last year, and 36% are “on call” for app-in-production alerts. Some devs are now authoring runbooks for apps in production and even serving as a point-of-contact if something is escalated.\n\nThey’re also spending a lot more time on toolchains. Nearly 40% spend between one-quarter and one-half of their time [maintaining or integrating toolchains](/blog/too-many-toolchains-a-devops-platform-migration-is-the-answer/) (more than double last year’s percentage), while a full third of devs spend between half and **all** of their time on this task.\n\nAnd, in any time left over, devs are digging into security, so much so that 53% said they are fully responsible for security in their organizations.\n\nAt the same time, devs are also opting out of tasks that have long been in their wheelhouse, including testing, manual testing, code review, documenting code changes, and planning.\n\n## Security is a team sport\n\nNo longer a siloed group, security team members are literally rolling up their sleeves and joining in. Almost 29% of those surveyed said they’re now part of a cross-functional team and 35% are more involved with teams and “hands on” with DevOps projects, an 11-point jump over 2021.\n\nFor the first time ever, 7% of security team respondents said they have more influence on engineering decisions; a small percentage, but it’s a start for a group traditionally viewed as not part of the “team.”\n\n## Nimble ops pros\n\nWhile devs are busy with what have been traditional ops roles, ops pros are off-roading with responsibilities not really seen in DevOps teams before. For the past few years, ops has reported splitting time between managing infrastructure and managing the cloud, and that didn’t change dramatically in 2022. But when they’re not juggling the cloud and infrastructure, ops is taking on a number of new challenges, including DevOps coaching, responsibility for automation, overseeing [all compliance efforts](/blog/the-importance-of-compliance-in-devops/), and [platform engineering](/topics/devops/what-is-a-devops-platform-engineer/).\n\nAnd, as if that isn’t enough, 48% of ops pros said they feel fully responsible for security in their organizations.\n\nWant to know more about how DevOps roles are changing? Read our [2022 Global DevSecOps Survey](/developer-survey/).\n",[1858,694,9,864],{"slug":2107,"featured":6,"template":698},"the-changing-roles-in-devsecops","content:en-us:blog:the-changing-roles-in-devsecops.yml","The Changing Roles In Devsecops","en-us/blog/the-changing-roles-in-devsecops.yml","en-us/blog/the-changing-roles-in-devsecops",{"_path":2113,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2114,"content":2120,"config":2125,"_id":2127,"_type":13,"title":2128,"_source":15,"_file":2129,"_stem":2130,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/the-cloud-native-all-remote-security-challenge",{"title":2115,"description":2116,"ogTitle":2115,"ogDescription":2116,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2117,"ogUrl":2118,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2118,"schema":2119},"The cloud-native, all-remote security challenge","What are the challenges and rewards of working in security at a cloud-native, all-remote company like GitLab?","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749670171/Blog/Hero%20Images/akshay-nanavati-Zq6HerrBPEs-unsplash.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/the-cloud-native-all-remote-security-challenge","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"The cloud-native, all-remote security challenge\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Heather Simpson\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-09-13\",\n      }",{"title":2115,"description":2116,"authors":2121,"heroImage":2117,"date":2122,"body":2123,"category":1388,"tags":2124},[861],"2019-09-13","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\n\nWe sat down with GitLab security engineer Jayson Salazar to talk about the challenges of working in security ops in a cloud-native, all-remote company like GitLab and the security myth he thinks should be debunked.\n\n---\n\n\n**Name:** Jayson Salazar\n\n**Title:** Security engineer, [Security Operations](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/security/#security-operations)\n\n**How long have you been at GitLab?** I joined GitLab in January 2019\n\n**GitLab handle:** [@jdsalaro](https://gitlab.com/jdsalaro)\n{: #tanuki-orange}\n\n**Connect with Jayson:** [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdsalaro/) / [Twitter](https://twitter.com/jdsalaro)\n\n![GitLab security engineer Jayson Salazar](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/jayson_salazar.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\n#### Tell us what you do here at GitLab:\nI work as a security engineer on our Security Operations team. We work around the clock providing technical and procedural feedback, improving our security capabilities, interfacing amongst diverse stakeholders and responding to incidents to keep GitLab — the company, its employees and all its products — secure.\n\n#### What’s the most challenging or rewarding aspect of your role?\nI believe that one cannot understand that which cannot be easily defined and located and furthermore, that one cannot secure that which isn’t understood. In short, visibility is everything, at both small and large scales and, in my opinion, every security engineer ought to have a picture of the environment that they are trying to protect that is as accurate and detailed as possible.\n\nTherefore, upon joining GitLab, I immediately tried to build a full-fledged mental map that bundled together the technologies, systems, ancillary artifacts and people with knowledge of them that GitLab leverages in daily operations. What I thought would  be an easy, and rather uneventful task proved to be much harder to accomplish than expected as the days, weeks and months progressed.\n\nConsidering how diverse GitLab’s technological stack is and how many moving parts it has given that we’re all-remote, multi-cloud, SaaS, open-source and 800 employees strong; building such a mental scheme in one sitting was definitely overly ambitious. As time has progressed, however, I've come to terms with the idea that my understanding of GitLab as a whole; including technical aspects, as well as our values and culture, would continue to improve and cement itself and that it wasn’t a trivial task I could assign a deadline to or rush along. As of today, I’m very comfortable working with and reasoning through the different moving parts that make up GitLab, and getting to this point has been both very rewarding but also quite challenging.\n\n\n#### And, what are the top 2-3 initiatives you’re currently focused on?\nOn the engineering side of my role, I’m focusing on architecting and implementing tools that improve our detection capabilities as a whole by allowing us to ingest, aggregate and build analysis and alerting pipelines around diverse and very interesting data sources. I’ve always been in love with data, hoarding it, slicing it, visualizing it and drilling down into it.  By doing this we, the Security Operations team, create powerful tools that our teams rely on to spot, track and address security issues faster.\n\nOn the less glamorous front, I am quite passionate about (as everyone on our Security Operations team is) improving our processes, documentation and providing feedback on technical issues that I care deeply about. Therefore, you’ll often find me raising issues related to the security of our different products, or their components, as well as dealing with accrued technical debt, contributing to our [Handbook](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/security/) or creating both technical and procedural documentation that other GitLab employees can rely on.\n\n#### How did you get into security?\nAs a teenager, The Matrix was my favorite movie. The idea that rules and systems all around us existed for us to circumvent them really fascinated me. I gravitated towards “coding” because I wanted to recreate the weird unintelligible green terminal output shown on the screens of the Nebuchadnezzar. While in high-school some brief VBA and Excel explorations led me to Flash and Python. Before I knew it, I was spending my weekends during my freshman year in University frustrated but engaged playing wargames such as [Over The Wire](https://overthewire.org/wargames)/ and [Smash the Stack](http://smashthestack.org/). It was during that time that I started seriously considering a career in information security. Although I went on to explore other areas both professionally and academically, such as software development and data analysis, which to this day I still quite enjoy, I was always drawn back to security.\n\n#### What is the most significant piece of security advice you could provide to a colleague or friend?\nQuestion yourself and your abilities, always within reason and, as long as you can deal with the emotional pressure. You can, and will be, wrong. When that happens, having countermeasures in place that you put there because you assumed your judgement could have been wrong is going to help you and your team greatly.\n\nAs with any industry, professionals working in cybersecurity can become rusty and comfortable with their day-to-day work. One incident comes after the other, every design decision becomes the same, using TLS, salt and hash, using a proper authentication and authorization scheme, buzzwords here buzzwords there, magical-security box from provider X or Y will save us, and on and on. All of the sudden, best practices become dogmas, rules of thumb turn into mental barriers, generous budgets devolve into excuses for lack of architectural work and the cybersecurity professional has, single-handedly, killed his ability to do meaningful, impactful, truly interesting and creative work. That’s a big one in my opinion. Another is being careful with burnout, practice self-care and don’t become cynical. You’re in cybersecurity because you care, you don’t need to be a rockstar to contribute, and yes, what you do matters.\n\n#### From the perspective of your role, what’s GitLab doing better than anyone else in terms of security?\nAs an organization, we’ve quickly realized that, for security issues originating in artifacts that can be tracked and managed as code, it’s best to start looking for security issues early in the development process, before they materialize and carry real consequences, and not wait until the whole thing has been shipped.\n\nGitLab’s [Secure Team](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/development/sec/secure/) is working on creating and improving features that help teams mitigate security-related problems in their codebases before they occur and can be discovered via traditional means. In my opinion, this is a very interesting and powerful mindset-shift, we’re going from “number of bugs discovered” to “number of bugs prevented”.\n\n#### What do you look forward to the most in security in the next 5 years?\nTo be honest, I’m not very thrilled about our collective future when it comes to cybersecurity. I believe some people greatly underestimate the complexity we’re facing while trying to secure the systems we’re building nowadays and this will become even more apparent in the next few years. It’s as if many companies are attempting to re-build their figurative planes mid-flight and that has the potential to backfire badly and affect customers and us all as a society; as it already has often in the past few years. However, I’m becoming increasingly optimistic as we’re seeing companies build out or empower their security teams to become more involved in the design and implementation phases of their infrastructure and, if applicable, their deliverables.\n\n#### Is there an area of security research you think deserves more attention? Why?\nSecurity analytics, and everything related to security analytics. Securing the internet for everyone little by little requires situational awareness, one of the best ways to get that is via data, lots of data. Said data will have to be gathered, stored, analysed and the related insights need to be shared. Privacy concerns aside, of which there are plenty, I’d like to see governments and public institutions gathering data about the number of systems they’ve updated in the last year, month or day, their patch levels, stacks they rely on, vulnerabilities they have fixed and much more. Imagine being able to rate the cybersecurity posture of a country as BB+ or AAA and aligning a nation’s (and by proxy its economy’s) cybersecurity efforts with financial success? Granted, this is just a random shower-thought I’ve had for a while but I think more research into “large scale security analytics and governance” could be an interesting endeavor.\n\n#### What mainstream or industry propagated security myth would you like to be better understood?\nThat all companies should migrate to the “cloud”, or leverage IaaS or PaaS providers to operate, because having your crown jewels “up there” is intrinsically more secure. Of course, I’m not advocating for sticking to routines of the old days where spinning up servers meant having metal boxes on-premise. After all, I do work at GitLab and believe in the way we have adopted agility and in the many merits of DevOps. However, it’s crucial to acknowledge that the skills and mindsets required to properly secure traditional computing environments are, in many cases, radically different to those needed to operate secure cloud environments. Therefore, I think companies, especially small- and medium-sized companies without the budget to call-in experts once problems arise, should carefully plan the terms on which they want to migrate on-premise systems to the common IaaS providers or data centers with similar offerings. Ultimately, I’d like to see companies putting more emphasis in training their workforce properly before setting migration processes in motion that could potentially increase their existing technical and security debt.\n\n## Now, for the questions you *really* want to have answered:\n\n\n#### What’s your favorite season?\nWinter, hands-down. Cold weather, clear skies, the anticipation of Christmas season, snow, meeting friends for coffee and fireplaces, what’s there not to like?\n\n#### What is that one food, you cannot live without?\nKorean cuisine, especially Bulgogi. If the world ever ends, let it be with me eating Bulgogi as the sun sets.\n\n#### When you’re not working, what do you enjoy doing/how do you spend your free time?\nI quite enjoy discussing politics and social developments, listening to electronic music and watching and discussing deep, and not-so-deep, movies. Blade Runner, V for Vendetta, Matrix, Ghost in the Shell, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and 50 First Dates are all favorites of mine.\n\nOn the creative side of things, I really enjoy writing poems. The way they touch people and how they interpret them in ways I could have never anticipated. It’s also a hobby that has become more and more enjoyable the more I share it with others, both in person and online.\n\n#### Have a favorite quote?\nI have many favorite quotes, but not really one I can call a core tenet of my personal philosophy or that drives inspiration. There is, however, a poem by William Ernst Henley that I often share, discuss with friends, think about, and always find myself reading again, and again: [Invictus](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51642/invictus).\n\n\nPhoto by [Akshay Nanavati](https://unsplash.com/@anphotos?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com)\n{: .note}",[9,801,864,864],{"slug":2126,"featured":6,"template":698},"the-cloud-native-all-remote-security-challenge","content:en-us:blog:the-cloud-native-all-remote-security-challenge.yml","The Cloud Native All Remote Security Challenge","en-us/blog/the-cloud-native-all-remote-security-challenge.yml","en-us/blog/the-cloud-native-all-remote-security-challenge",{"_path":2132,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2133,"content":2139,"config":2144,"_id":2146,"_type":13,"title":2147,"_source":15,"_file":2148,"_stem":2149,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/the-difference-transparency-makes-in-security",{"title":2134,"description":2135,"ogTitle":2134,"ogDescription":2135,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2136,"ogUrl":2137,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2137,"schema":2138},"The difference transparency makes in security","What happens when you lift the veil around security?","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749670826/Blog/Hero%20Images/orlova-maria-EF6z_6R94zQ-unsplash.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/the-difference-transparency-makes-in-security","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"The difference transparency makes in security\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Heather Simpson\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-09-05\",\n      }",{"title":2134,"description":2135,"authors":2140,"heroImage":2136,"date":2141,"body":2142,"category":1388,"tags":2143},[861],"2019-09-05","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\n\n***We sat down with manager of strategic security, Robert Mitchell to talk about the impact of human error, the exponential benefits of transparency in security and more.***\n\n---\n\n![Robert Mitchell Headshot](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/rmitchell.png){: .small.right.wrap-text} **Name:** Robert Mitchell\n\n**Title:** Manager, [Strategic Security](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/security/#strategic-security)\n\n**How long have you been at GitLab?** I started in November 2018\n\n**GitLab handle:** [@gitlab-rmitchell](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-rmitchell)\n{: #tanuki-orange}\n\n**Connect with Robert:** [LinkedIn](https://au.linkedin.com/in/robert-mitchell-877472/)\n\n\n\n#### Tell us what you do here at GitLab:\nStrategic Security focuses on pro-active measures at scale that improve the security of GitLab for the company, the product or our customers. I develop and lead projects that improve or expand the security department’s capability to deliver a secure and reliable service. I also manage the security automation, threat intelligence and field security teams.\n\n#### What’s the most challenging or rewarding aspect of your role?\nGitLab moves so fast, every day is an adventure. I am constantly humbled and amazed at the level of talent within the company, and the energy that people bring to the table each day with the things they want to do. It’s immensely rewarding to me to be able to respond to our constant iterations, adding my own perspectives and experiences, and to be a part of the growth here. My biggest challenges are just keeping up with it all, for while GitLab is leading the world in managing remote work, timezones are difficult in any global organization, and working from Sydney, Australia means that the number of shared working hours I have with teams in the Americas and Europe is limited.\n\n#### And, what are the top 2-3 initiatives you’re currently focused on?\nI’ve been heavily involved in driving our [Zero-Trust Networking](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/security/#zero-trust) initiative since starting at GitLab. The biggest area I’ve managed personally has been around our identity management and SaaS management processes. Identity and authentication are critical to us as an all-remote company - all our endpoint assets are remote and all our data is hosted in the cloud, so traditional infrastructure security controls don’t really apply to our security model. Therefore, ensuring that we have a strong and consistent method to identify users and ensure that we have visibility of where our data is critical to our business. Our [Zero Trust blog post series](/blog/evolution-of-zero-trust/) makes great reading on our progress.\n\n#### How did you get into security?\nI was on the periphery of the BBS scene in Australia in the late 80s/early 90s in Australia. While not involved in any of the shenanigans detailed in [Suelette Dreyfus’s excellent book about that era](http://www.underground-book.net/), the exploits of some of these characters were known to me at the time. I was always curious about what could and couldn’t be done on the Internet, but my formal involvement in IT Security really kicked off when I landed a job at Check Point Software in the late 90s. A lot has changed since the days when Firewalls, VPNs and stateful inspection were the key technologies, but many of the foundational principles from those days are still just as relevant today.\n\n#### What is the most significant piece of security advice you could provide to a colleague or friend?\nHuman error is the most significant cause of security problems. So many of the security breaches that have come to pass in recent years inevitably have an element where a person with good intentions has made a decision with dire consequences. So when thinking about Security, don’t just think about the cool hack or the clever technology. Most likely, the vulnerability will be a person who will make the mistake that causes a breach, so everything you can do to educate, inform and remove the potential for the human side of a system to fail will make the greatest difference.\n\nA simple example of this is passwords. A site like [https://haveibeenpwned.com/](https://haveibeenpwned.com/) is a sobering read for how often people don’t set passwords that are effective, and a common human error is using the same password in multiple places, for convenience. Progressively more complicated password policies are not really a good solution here (because users can just come up with a more complex password they re-use everywhere!), but implementing a second authentication factor that is dynamic (e.g. Google Authenticator) is a simple control that is relatively user-friendly, and makes a massive difference to the risk of a breach.\n\n#### From the perspective of your role, what’s GitLab doing better than anyone else in terms of security?\n>Transparency. Security has a tradition of encouraging secrecy and a culture of “need to know” which has discouraged collaboration and sharing of information for a long time. We are now seeing that allowing researchers and practitioners to share data about their knowledge and information has an exponential benefit, and that by being honest and transparent about the risks and problems that we have, we expose the problems more efficiently and ultimately get a better solution. While there is still a need to be responsible with disclosure and ensure that shared information does not expose people to unnecessary risks, GitLab is leading in showing that raising the veil around what is involved in securing a product and service actually results in a better quality product, and enhances trust rather than dilutes it.\n\n#### What do you look forward to the most in security in the next 5 years?\nThere is a definite generational change in the air, with the evolution of Security in DevOps and more people with a coding/automation background getting into the Security space. What interests me particularly, is seeing how those fresh eyes can look at existing challenges around enforcing security controls, and how to use new models to attack age-old problems like large-scale log analysis and intrusion detection and response. In our own team we’re starting some great experiments using machine learning to analyse traffic logs for indicators of abuse, with some great initial successes and an ultimate goal of automating both detection and response of abusive behaviours. From a GitLab perspective, that’s doubly exciting because the learnings we get from this are things that we can feed back into our platform, thus allowing all of our customers to benefit!\n\n#### Is there an area of security research you think deserves more attention? Why?\nI have a strong belief that the human side of security is often neglected by technical teams, and by research. There has been some great research into social engineering within the last 5-10 years, but a lot of it is focused on the offensive side of social engineering, and nowhere near enough on the blue/defense side. Understanding why people make mistakes and course-correcting is an area that I believe is seriously under researched, and in terms of real benefit would make a massive difference to our industry. One of the few papers in this space is [\"The psychology of scams\"](https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140402205717/http://oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/reports/consumer_protection/oft1070.pdf) (warning, it’s a long read!) but if you know of good work in this area, I’d love to read it.\n\n## Now, for the questions you *really* want to have answered:\n\n\n#### What was the first computer you owned?\nAn Exidy Sorcerer! My father bought it when I was 7 years old. Killer Specs - 32KB (yes, KB!) RAM, Z-80 Processor, 2 (count them!) colours, no sound unless you did the parallel port mod (which we did, of course!). I taught myself BASIC and Assembler programming by copying programs by hand in books and finding all the typos. I still have a soft spot for vintage personal computers, we are spoiled by the amount of power we have available to us these days.\n\n#### Gif or Gif? (Gif vs Jif)\nGif. Obviously…\n\n#### What’s your favorite season?\nWinter. I love the cold, although Australian winters are pretty mild in comparison to other parts of the world. If I had to dig myself out of several feet of snow every day, I might change my mind!\n\n#### What is that one food, you cannot live without?\nI’m a pretty massive foodie, and particularly love South East Asian food (Malay, Thai, Indonesian). Making me choose one food is too hard, but a world without Beef Randang, Nonya dishes and Thai Curries is too sad to contemplate….\n\n#### When you’re not working, what do you enjoy doing/how do you spend your free time?\nI like to get out on my motorbike and go touring when time permits. The freedom of an open country road or a hill/mountain with a great twisty road is one of life’s great pleasures. It’s also a great way to meet interesting people and share their stories.\n\n\nPhoto by [Orlova Maria](https://unsplash.com/@orlovamaria?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com)\n{: .note}",[9,801,864,864],{"slug":2145,"featured":6,"template":698},"the-difference-transparency-makes-in-security","content:en-us:blog:the-difference-transparency-makes-in-security.yml","The Difference Transparency Makes In Security","en-us/blog/the-difference-transparency-makes-in-security.yml","en-us/blog/the-difference-transparency-makes-in-security",{"_path":2151,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2152,"content":2158,"config":2163,"_id":2165,"_type":13,"title":2166,"_source":15,"_file":2167,"_stem":2168,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/the-many-routes-to-a-tech-career",{"title":2153,"description":2154,"ogTitle":2153,"ogDescription":2154,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2155,"ogUrl":2156,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2156,"schema":2157},"The many routes to a tech career","GitLab team members of different ages and backgrounds share their entry into this industry.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749667236/Blog/Hero%20Images/Learn-at-GL.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/the-many-routes-to-a-tech-career","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"The many routes to a tech career\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Heather Simpson\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-10-04\",\n      }",{"title":2153,"description":2154,"authors":2159,"heroImage":2155,"date":2160,"body":2161,"category":799,"tags":2162},[861],"2022-10-04","\nThe path to a career in technology isn’t always straight, particularly today. World and economic uncertainty, a lingering pandemic, a shift to remote work, and a need to do something that *matters* – all of these factors have caused sweeping changes in the broader workforce, in individual careers, and in the labor-shortage-plagued technology industry.\n\n## Tech career: Overview and insights\n\nEver wondered how to get into the tech world? To help try to make sense of it all, we asked three GitLab team members how they made their way into technology, and why they stay. Each has a different story to tell.\n\n### [Mark Loveless](https://gitlab.com/mloveless), Staff Security Engineer\n\nFollow Mark on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/simplenomad)\n\nI’ve been working since the age of 16 at various jobs, eventually gaining my first real tech job in 1990 as customer support at a call center. I had always had an interest in security and moved into more of a true security role in the mid-1990s, followed by my first security research job in 1999. For many in the security field, security research was fairly brand-new territory, so those of us who had been working for quite a while found ourselves reporting to individuals our own age or younger. Later on in my career this more or less became the norm, as my peers were almost always younger than me.\n\nI did, on occasion, run into prejudices involving my age, with the main two being as follows:\n- I was often overlooked for exploring new technologies as it was assumed I would not “get it.”\n\n- It was assumed that there was something wrong with me for not being in management. I love learning new things and am constantly exploring new technology. I’ve never had the desire to go into management as I preferred the independent contributor (IC) role.\n\nTo stay active and “keep up on the latest” whether it be the newest apps or what some weird meme means, well, Google is your friend. I try to stay active on at least some social media sites. I have friends and family who are much younger than me that I interact with a lot, and I ask a lot of questions. All of these steps have helped me substantially.\n\nIt is nice that when some new bit of tech comes out, I now have family and friends asking me what it's all about, and they certainly start asking if it is considered “safe” technology because they know my background. I’m fortunate that here at GitLab what knowledge I have is appreciated, no one assumes I can or cannot do something because of my age or because of preconceived ideas about what I might know at this point in my career.\n\n### [Juliet Wanjohi](https://gitlab.com/jwanjohi), Senior Security Engineer\n\nFollow Juliet on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/jay_wanjohi)\n\nI started in tech by undertaking a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. I had an interest in software engineering before I decided to specialize in another area of interest: security. My goal was to blend my knowledge and skills in the two fields, and create a niche for myself as a security software engineer. I got the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the GitLab [Engineering Internship program](/handbook/engineering/internships/) and progressed on to become a full-time security engineer on the [Security Automation](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/security/security-engineering/automation/) team in 2020.\n\nIt was both exciting and overwhelming to join such a distinguished, mature team while still being very green in the security field. I was among the youngest members of the team, which definitely drew out my imposter syndrome. Despite this, GitLab offered a welcoming environment where I felt comfortable and encouraged to bring my ideas forward, and contribute as any other team member would. About a year later, I was promoted to senior security engineer, highlighting the fact that number of years of experience does not necessarily translate to seniority; you also don’t have to be of a certain age to work at a certain level of a role. It all comes down to your skills, and a willingness to further your passion and be better at what you do.\n\nIn previous junior roles I had experienced negative effects of stereotypical thinking and unconscious bias, where my contributions were not valued because of my age. I was often overlooked when it came to opportunities to lead presentations or own projects. This made me feel like I had to work harder and put more pressure to prove myself “worthy.” Such occurrences should not discourage anyone who’s young and new to tech, but instead push you to confidently contribute your ideas, and look for ways to expand your reach by making the most of the networking and learning opportunities available to you.\n\nIt’s important to research and evaluate the culture of a company before joining it. Take a look at the initiatives the company carries out to increase awareness against these biases and the efforts to support those who are new to the field (whether they be due to age or career path). I feel lucky to be a part of GitLab, as there are [dedicated resources for team member career, growth, and development](/handbook/people-group/learning-and-development/career-development/#resources-for-team-members), including a newly created [Early Career Professionals Team Member Discussion Group](/company/culture/inclusion/tmdg-gitlab-early-career/). The group helps those that are early career professionals in the team by supporting their growth and increasing awareness in the organization around the challenges they face on a day-to-day basis.\n\n### [Pj Metz](https://gitlab.com/PjMetz), Education Evangelist\n\nFollow Pj on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/metzinaround)\n\nI made a transition into tech at 35 years old. I didn’t feel 35 when I started though because I had only just started learning about tech through coding a year before I started at GitLab. Instead, I felt 19 – brand-new and lost in a world in which I had no experience.\n\nAs a teacher, I was confident in my abilities in the classroom. I was, not to brag, a great English teacher. I was engaging, excited about the material, and worked hard to make it relatable and enjoyable for as many students as possible. Leaving after 11 years was not an easy choice, especially because my degrees felt suddenly useless. What other work could I possibly do with a Master’s degree in Secondary English Education?\n\nI joined GitLab as an Education Evangelist in our [Education Program](/handbook/marketing/developer-relations/community-programs/education-program/) and was able to draw on my former knowledge base, but not completely.\n\nAlthough I don’t have to code for my role, I have to know coding, which I had only started to learn in 2020 in between grading papers and working with a marching band at my high school. I also have to know how to talk to students and educators in a variety of concentrations. Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Analysis, and other degree programs are all looking to use [GitLab for Education](/solutions/education/), and I have to find ways to make it relevant for them.\n\nThis challenge has led to some of the hardest moments of my professional life. I can navigate an unmotivated teenager in class, a parent email about their child’s low grades that blames me, an administrator suddenly showing up for an observation, a drumline member who hasn’t figured out the rhythm for the halftime show opener, or an AP student stuck on analysis of the assigned article. However, this is different. The career I entered into is full of jargon and standards that were unfamiliar to me.\n\nI had a lot to learn. What are stock options? What is Slack? How do I structure my time if there isn’t a bell ringing to let me know the beginning and end of class? What is an expense report? People expect someone my age to know these things already.\n\nI have a sticker on my laptop case that looks like the kind you’d get at a small meetup, the kind that says “HELLO, I’m...” and then there is a space to write your name. This sticker says: “Hello, I’m Still Learning.” I have this not so people can lower their expectations of me; instead, its purpose is to highlight that we should all still be learning and I’m going to be open about what I don’t know. I’m doing my best to turn my perceived shortcomings into strengths by bringing a mindset of [iteration](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#iteration) to my work, something GitLab helped me realize was important.\n\nI’m still learning, and feel so far behind some of my colleagues, but GitLab and my team have worked hard to create a space for me to feel comfortable while I work through this career change. It helps that my manager is also a former educator, so she understands the change from education to the corporate world.\n\nShe reminds me to take time for myself after each conference or lecture. My onboarding buddy still meets with me regularly to help me work through something technical or to give advice about a project I’m working on. Every opportunity to connect with people as a person, whether through a [coffee chat or the “Donut-be-strangers” Slack bot](/company/culture/all-remote/informal-communication/#coffee-chats), which matches me with another, random team member, helps me remain grounded in the humanity of my work. Every team meeting I’m in has a reminder of the importance of taking time for ourselves, and a section in the agenda to cheer each other’s accomplishments. I couldn’t ask for a better place to have my first non-teaching job.\n\n### What’s your story?\n\nHow’d you get into tech? Make any pit stops along the way, or have you always been working in this industry? Let us know in the comments field. Also, if you are considering GitLab as your next step, check out our handbook to learn more about [our culture](/company/culture/), and then take a peek at our [open roles](/jobs/all-jobs/)!\n",[9,801],{"slug":2164,"featured":6,"template":698},"the-many-routes-to-a-tech-career","content:en-us:blog:the-many-routes-to-a-tech-career.yml","The Many Routes To A Tech Career","en-us/blog/the-many-routes-to-a-tech-career.yml","en-us/blog/the-many-routes-to-a-tech-career",{"_path":2170,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2171,"content":2177,"config":2182,"_id":2184,"_type":13,"title":2185,"_source":15,"_file":2186,"_stem":2187,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/the-top-skills-you-need-to-get-your-devops-dream-job",{"title":2172,"description":2173,"ogTitle":2172,"ogDescription":2173,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2174,"ogUrl":2175,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2175,"schema":2176},"The top skills you need to get your DevOps dream job or a higher salary","AI, ML, automation – time to learn these new tech skills to stay competitive and land the job or promotion you want.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749664025/Blog/Hero%20Images/devopscareer.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/the-top-skills-you-need-to-get-your-devops-dream-job","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"The top skills you need to get your DevOps dream job or a higher salary\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sharon Gaudin\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-11-17\",\n      }",{"title":2172,"description":2173,"authors":2178,"heroImage":2174,"date":2179,"body":2180,"category":820,"tags":2181},[690],"2021-11-17","\n_Our [2022 Global DevSecOps Survey](https://about.gitlab.com/developer-survey/) is out now! Learn the latest in DevOps insights from over 5,000 DevOps professionals._\n\nIf you’re looking to transform your job, [your salary](/blog/four-tips-to-increase-your-devops-salary/) and your ability to get a job with your dream company, there are some skills you need to add to your toolkit.\n\nDevOps is a rapidly changing field. Automation is booming. There’s an increasing focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), along with moving security to the left. And there’s a call to master an ever-growing list of programming languages. Face it, DevOps professionals need to be in a [constant learning mode](/blog/best-advice-for-your-devops-career-keep-on-learning/). If you’re picking up new expertise, you’re likely going to find yourself in a [coveted position](/blog/a-look-at-devops-salaries/) since companies are struggling to fill jobs with DevOps professionals who have the latest skills. \n\nSo what technologies should you consider adding to your toolbelt? Of course, you need to take stock of your own skill set, experiences and certifications, and compare all of that to what your company, or your dream company, might need. Here’s a helpful list of considerations.\n\n## Expand your programming languages\n\nSo when it comes to figuring out what programming languages you should know, it’s a lengthy list to cull through. What would most benefit your company? And what would benefit a potential employer?\n\nThe DevOps Institute noted in its [2021 Upskilling Enterprise DevOps Skills Report](https://info.devopsinstitute.com/2021-upskilling-report-download) that it’s smart for developers to make sure they don’t specialize in a single language. \n\nAccording to the [Stack Overflow survey](https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2021), developers who are already working with other programming languages are most interested in learning [Python](/blog/beginner-guide-python-programming/), JavaScript and Go. And [Brendan O’Leary](https://gitlab.com/brendan), a staff developer evangelist, and product and engineering leader at GitLab, advised that developers should learn Go and [Rust](/blog/secure-rust-development-with-gitlab/), which are both useful for building in memory safety.\n\nEven if you’re programming with a popular but common language like JavaScript or C++ currently, that doesn’t mean you can’t showcase other languages on your resume through contributions to open source projects or by [volunteering your coding time](https://www.donatecode.com).\n\n### Understand the role of automation\n\nThe DevOps Institute’s survey noted that automation tool knowledge is a “must-have.” And out of all the automation skills, the report listed the top five as continuous integration (78 percent), continuous delivery (77 percent), continuous deployment (72 percent), continuous operation and support (62 percent), and [DevSecOps](/topics/devsecops/) (56 percent). \n\nIf your current team’s process isn’t highly automated, don’t fear – there are lots of learning options to the rescue. A quick search on YouTube found more than [100 videos on continuous deployment](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=continuous+deployment), as just one example. Most large companies offer their own training tracks (and [we do too](/learn/)) and, of course, there are [lots of certification programs](/blog/best-advice-for-your-devops-career-keep-on-learning/) as well.\n\n### Bone up on other key DevOps skills\n\nThe third-highest ranked skill domain is technical skills, according to the DevOps Institute. It’s a broad category, but there are core technical skills, like having an understanding of cloud platforms, [CI/CD](/topics/ci-cd/) and monitoring, along with operating systems, containers, big data, data analysis and microservices that will be important to nearly any employer.\n\nIn our 2021 Global DevSecOps Survey, developers told us there were a lot of technologies they’d like to dig into, including GitOps, IoT/blockchain, cloud/cloud native, cross-platform development, low code, data science, Python and cryptography.\n\nThat tracks with what The DevOps Institute found; the top seven technologies that organizations plan to implement over the next two years include IT automation technology, Gigabit Wi-Fi networking, Internet of Things, virtual desktop infrastructure, converged/hyperconverged infrastructure, container technology and serverless computing. \n\n### Dig into security\n\nA developer who not only understands security but can write the tests and prioritize the fixes is going to be incredibly attractive to a DevOps team looking to shift security firmly to the left. Job swapping or shadowing the security team is one way to build this knowledge base. Finding the dev team’s [security champion](/blog/why-security-champions/) and doing what they do also works. Finally, there’s a practical and actionable podcast called [The Secure Developer](https://www.devseccon.com/the-secure-developer-podcast/) that offers advice from a wide variety of developer pros and security pros on how to up your security game.\n\n### Focus on AI and ML\n\nOur AI overlords are coming, so it’s best to be prepared. While we’re only sort of kidding, it’s completely clear that AI and ML are showing up in DevOps in a surprising variety of ways, including testing, analysis and monitoring. \n\nAI and ML are most likely to arrive first in the testing arena; our survey showed that 75 percent of teams are either using AI and ML or bots for testing and code review, or they’re planning to – up from 41 percent the year before. So that’s an obvious place to focus your energies. \n\n### Jump in and explore learning opportunities\n\nIt’s about continuous education. Whether your company offers you opportunities to earn new certifications and master new languages, or you have to DIY, you need to figure out a way to keep learning. Keep adding to your skill set and resume. \n\n“Continuing to educate yourself is critical,” said GitLab’s O’Leary. “There are always new technologies, new languages, new skills to be learned. Companies need someone who is flexible and can solve problems. Mastering new technologies is one of the more important things you can do for yourself.”\n\nCover image by [Green Chameleon](https://unsplash.com/@craftedbygc) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com).\n\n_Our [2022 Global DevSecOps Survey](/developer-survey/) has the latest insights from over 5,000 DevOps professionals. You can also compare it with [previous year surveys](/developer-survey/previous/)_\n",[9,694,1858],{"slug":2183,"featured":6,"template":698},"the-top-skills-you-need-to-get-your-devops-dream-job","content:en-us:blog:the-top-skills-you-need-to-get-your-devops-dream-job.yml","The Top Skills You Need To Get Your Devops Dream Job","en-us/blog/the-top-skills-you-need-to-get-your-devops-dream-job.yml","en-us/blog/the-top-skills-you-need-to-get-your-devops-dream-job",{"_path":2189,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2190,"content":2196,"config":2202,"_id":2204,"_type":13,"title":2205,"_source":15,"_file":2206,"_stem":2207,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/two-questions-we-ask-ux-designers-in-job-interviews",{"title":2191,"description":2192,"ogTitle":2191,"ogDescription":2192,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2193,"ogUrl":2194,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2194,"schema":2195},"2 Questions we ask UX designers in job interviews (and why)","UX designer interviews are quite simple at GitLab. There are no trick questions – but here are two 'basic' ones that tell us a lot about you.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749678794/Blog/Hero%20Images/ux-interviews.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/two-questions-we-ask-ux-designers-in-job-interviews","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"2 Questions we ask UX designers in job interviews (and why)\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Matej Latin\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-10-25\",\n      }",{"title":2191,"description":2192,"authors":2197,"heroImage":2193,"date":2199,"body":2200,"category":300,"tags":2201},[2198],"Matej Latin","2018-10-25","\nAs of 2022, we have updated our internal interview process for Product Designers to include a consistent set of questions for every candidate at each phase of the process. This will help us create fairness and improve the quality of our evaluation process. The following questions are no longer part of our interview process. You can read about our [current hiring process in our Product Designer job family](https://handbook.gitlab.com/job-families/product/product-designer/#hiring-process). \n{: .alert .alert-info .note}\n\nWe won’t ask you how many golf balls fit in a bus or how many times a day a clock’s hands overlap – nothing like what Google became famous for. While there's some value in seeing how candidates react to curve-ball questions, they don't really add much to a 45-minute interview. We also won't ask you to attend an all-day session with a series of interviewers.\n\nI think the [hiring process](https://handbook.gitlab.com/job-families/product/product-designer/#hiring-process) at GitLab is way simpler and more efficient. A successful candidate has to go through four stages of interviewing before receiving an offer. Altogether, we spend around 2-3 hours with them, so we need to ask the right questions to be efficient.\n\nI'm so confident in the efficiency of these questions that I’m completely okay with sharing these publicly. What you answer matters less than how you answer them.\n\n## 1. Can you speak to the difference between information architecture, interaction design, usability, and user research?\n\nI was asked this when was interviewing for the Senior UX designer position at GitLab. I wasn’t expecting such a ‘basic’ question, but I immediately realized how ingenious it is.\n\nHere’s what’s so brilliant about it: We're testing if the candidate has solid foundations for being a UX designer. With enough experience, explaining these terms should be a piece of cake, whereas struggling can be a red flag. Even if a candidate doesn’t have a formal education, they should be able to provide descriptions with their own words and ideally throw in snippets from their past experience.\n\nWe don’t focus on the correctness of the answer so much as the body language and level of confidence the candidate shows when replying. Someone who’s not experienced in these UX basics can Google the terms before the interview and even prepare notes but we’ll pick that up. The lack of confidence will be obvious in their body language, their voice, and the words they use to describe the terms. Candidates who lack experience all tend to use similar, generic descriptions for these terms and seem to talk a lot, but don’t actually say much.\n\n> We don’t focus on the correctness of the answer so much as the body language and level of confidence the candidate shows when replying\n\n## 2. Pick an application you like/dislike and explain why.\n\nThis may seem like another basic question but it’s great for finding out what kind of a designer and person the candidate is. This is what we're looking for:\n\n### Passion\n\nWe’re interested in your opinion about the product as a designer, and we want to see if you talk about it with passion. If you love the product, the passion will be clear through the words you use to describe it and whether your eyes light up when you talk about it. The same applies for a product that you dislike: you should dislike it with passion.\n\nThis question tells us immediately if the candidate is passionate about being a designer or not. I’m often surprised at how many designers out there became designers only because it’s hip or well paid. These are not good reasons for becoming a designer – passion for creating things that improve people’s lives is.\n\n### Attention to detail\n\nWe want to see examples of candidates talking about small visual design and UI details; about seemingly insignificant but delightful UX solutions that can make a user’s day. The way a candidate talks about visual design gives us an insight into candidate’s skills in this area (what they notice, what they learn and how they use and adapt elements in their own work). We’re looking for well-rounded people who can cover the whole design process.\n\nIf they talk about things that aren’t good, we want to hear how they would improve them. Everyone can criticize; few can find good and feasible solutions. In most cases, I really don’t need to see the app that the candidate talks about. The way they describe it usually tells me enough to make a judgement. Good candidates describe things so well that I can imagine them without looking at the product.\n\n> Everyone can criticize; few can find good and feasible solutions\n\nCommunication in design work is key, so being able to accurately describe the problems or the delightful things in a product or an app is a good indicator of those skills.\n\n### User’s point of view\n\nAs a designer, you should always consider other users and how they experience things. This can be the crucial point of the interview. If you only describe the app from your point of view and based on your experience, it will be a potential red flag. You shouldn’t have to conduct user testing to imagine what other people could have problems with. For example: are certain UI elements or the font size really small? This could be a serious problem for older people or people with certain health conditions. Does the app behave consistently? If not, it could cause usability problems. These are the sorts of things that we want to hear our candidates talk about – empathy for users is key.\n\n### Bonus points\n\nI have to give bonus points to candidates that take the initiative and offer to share their screen or show me their phone to show me the app they talk about. The candidate is in a challenging moment, outside of their comfort zone, and it’s reassuring to see them take the initiative in such occasions.\n\n## Our interviews aren’t tricky\n\nIf you’re a passionate designer with an appropriate level of experience for the position, that will be clear from how you speak about design and how you think about user problems. I prefer to see passion and commitment to the design profession than a formal education and numerous years of experience in a non-challenging environment. We look for well-rounded and passionate people with a wide range of skills matching their experience. If you think you’re a good match, you’re welcome to [check out our careers page](/jobs/). We look forward to meeting you in our interviews. Good luck!\n\nCover image by [Kaleidico](https://unsplash.com/photos/26MJGnCM0Wc?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/search/photos/sketch?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)\n{: .note}\n",[801,1489,1390,9],{"slug":2203,"featured":6,"template":698},"two-questions-we-ask-ux-designers-in-job-interviews","content:en-us:blog:two-questions-we-ask-ux-designers-in-job-interviews.yml","Two Questions We Ask Ux Designers In Job Interviews","en-us/blog/two-questions-we-ask-ux-designers-in-job-interviews.yml","en-us/blog/two-questions-we-ask-ux-designers-in-job-interviews",{"_path":2209,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2210,"content":2216,"config":2221,"_id":2223,"_type":13,"title":2224,"_source":15,"_file":2225,"_stem":2226,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/want-a-better-devops-career-learn-the-business",{"title":2211,"description":2212,"ogTitle":2211,"ogDescription":2212,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2213,"ogUrl":2214,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2214,"schema":2215},"Want a better DevOps career? Learn the business","A better DevOps career starts with a thorough understanding of business. Here's how to get started.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749669715/Blog/Hero%20Images/synchronous-collaboration-as-a-remote-designer.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/want-a-better-devops-career-learn-the-business","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Want a better DevOps career? Learn the business\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Johanna Ambrosio\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-03-17\",\n      }",{"title":2211,"description":2212,"authors":2217,"heroImage":2213,"date":2218,"body":2219,"category":820,"tags":2220},[1565],"2022-03-17","\nIf it’s time to add to your skill set and improve your DevOps career, a new programming language is always a good choice, but a fundamental understanding of your company’s business might be better. \n\nSpending time to understand the “business side” isn’t just a nice-to-have – it can literally be the difference between remaining an individual contributor or moving into management. It’s so important that in our 2021 Global DevSecOps Survey, respondents ranked “subject matter expertise” as one of the top skills they’d need for their future DevOps careers. \n\nIf you plan to stay a pure technologist and don’t want to manage anyone else or engage in strategy development, you can stop reading now. But if you want to jumpstart your DevOps career, be prepared to put in a couple of hours each week on the following six areas of subject matter expertise. (This is all while [staying current with your tech skills](/blog/the-top-skills-you-need-to-get-your-devops-dream-job/), of course.) Enlist your HR department, your manager, and your mentor(s) for information and start adding to your DevOps career right away. \n\n**Find out all you can about your company.** Yes, you probably got a bit of this when you first started working there, but you could likely use a deeper dive or a refresher. If your company has a knowledge-sharing wiki or library that includes materials about the company’s history and background, make that your go-to. Do a web search. Really explore your company’s website. What’s on the home page? What are the major sections of the site, and what’s being promoted and/or explained to your company’s customers? (And do re-check from time to time; this isn’t a one-and-done process.) \n\nIf your company started out doing X and shifted to Y, when did that happen, and why? (If you’re on Slack or another company-wide communication platform, those can be great places to ask about the past and course corrections.). Soak up any history and as much of the culture as possible. \nLearn about the business you’re in. If your company manufactures widgets, become better-versed in the fundamentals of widget manufacturing. The web is your friend here; you can learn tons for free. Here are some questions to ask:\n\n- Does the company make or create everything it sells, or does it partner with others? \n- How does the manufacturing process work? \n- Where are the plants? \n- Is the company hitting snags these days because of shipping problems or shortages of parts? What’s it doing to address these? \n- What are the major trends affecting the business now, and what’s projected for the next couple of years? \n\n**Search for analyst reports about the industry you’re in.** And even if you can’t get the full reports without paying for them, you can soak up enough from the key takeaways or executive summaries to understand the most important trends. Find out which key publications – online or paper – your management reads to keep up with the industry. Subscribe, or at least read them from time to time.\n\n**Do some competitive research.** You don’t need to create a hugely detailed competitive analysis, of course, but know your firm’s major business rivals –- who they are, what sets them apart from each other, and what differentiates your own company from the rest of the pack. Your marketing department likely already has this document.\n\n**Absorb all you can about your company’s external customers.** Who are they and what products and services do they buy from your firm? If your company’s done focus groups, or surveys, or anything to do with finding out about customer preferences, read through at least the executive summaries to get the big picture. Again, the marketing department will probably have materials you can read.\n\n**Acquire essential business know-how.** Basic [communication skills](/blog/soft-skills-are-the-key-to-your-devops-career-advancement/) – both oral and written – are key to doing pretty much anything on the job, no matter your role or seniority. It’s essential to be both concise and clear, and those are learned aptitudes, not bestowed at birth. As you progress in your career, you’ll need to be able to communicate with internal customers and make presentations to managers and others. \n\n**Seek out leadership, problem-solving, and negotiation skills to improve how you work with others.** Those skills will also help you get to consensus in meetings as quickly as possible. Basic financial management is also key ([Coursera courses, books, or a community college](https://www.coursera.org/learn/finance-for-non-financial-managers)are good options); you’ll want to learn how to shepherd tech projects that come in at or under budget and understanding some level of finance will save you when talking to higher-ups who are all about the bottom line. \nPractice (or learn) time management skills. Yes, you depend on others for pieces of the projects you work on. But you should learn to use your own time most effectively and not be *The Person Who Holds Everything Up* or is hopelessly disorganized anytime someone asks you a question. This will also help you juggle multiple projects without crashing and burning or having to work 12-hour days. Bonus: These techniques can be very helpful in your personal life also.\n\nYour DevOps career goal with learning all of this is to develop the knowledge and tools you need to think broadly about how tech can solve problems, make or save money, create new products and services, and delight customers. \n\nThe more you know about your company, your customers, and the business you’re in, the more you’ll be able to combine that knowledge with your tech smarts. Yours might be the next game-changer idea that results in your promotion or a nice, fat bonus. The sky’s the limit.\n\n\n",[694,9,695],{"slug":2222,"featured":6,"template":698},"want-a-better-devops-career-learn-the-business","content:en-us:blog:want-a-better-devops-career-learn-the-business.yml","Want A Better Devops Career Learn The Business","en-us/blog/want-a-better-devops-career-learn-the-business.yml","en-us/blog/want-a-better-devops-career-learn-the-business",{"_path":2228,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2229,"content":2235,"config":2242,"_id":2244,"_type":13,"title":2245,"_source":15,"_file":2246,"_stem":2247,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/we-need-to-talk-no-proxy",{"title":2230,"description":2231,"ogTitle":2230,"ogDescription":2231,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2232,"ogUrl":2233,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2233,"schema":2234},"We need to talk: Can we standardize NO_PROXY?","Subtle differences in proxy setting implementations led to surprising\nproblems for a GitLab customer. Here's how we got to the root of it.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749659507/Blog/Hero%20Images/AdobeStock_623844718.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/we-need-to-talk-no-proxy","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"We need to talk: Can we standardize NO_PROXY?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Stan Hu\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-01-27\",\n      }",{"title":2230,"description":2231,"authors":2236,"heroImage":2232,"date":2238,"updatedDate":2239,"body":2240,"category":1046,"tags":2241},[2237],"Stan Hu","2021-01-27","2025-06-09","If you've used a Web proxy server before, you're probably familiar with\nthe environment variables `http_proxy` or `HTTP_PROXY`. You may be less\nfamiliar with `no_proxy`, which provides a way to exclude traffic\ndestined to certain hosts from using the proxy. While HTTP is a\nwell-defined standard, no standard exists for how clients should handle\nthese variables. As a result, Web clients support these variables in\nsubtly different ways. For one GitLab customer, these differences led\nto a weekend of troubleshooting that uncovered why certain services\nstopped communicating.\n\n## What is a proxy server?\n\nA proxy server acts as an intermediary between your computer or network and the internet. When you send a request to access a website or other online resource, that request first goes to the proxy server. The proxy server then forwards the request to the actual destination and delivers the response back to you. Proxies can serve various purposes, including improving security, enhancing privacy, and controlling internet usage.\n\n## Proxy server environment variables\n\nLet's now look at what proxy server environment variables are, and how to define exemptions and handle exclusions with `no_proxy`.\n\n### Understanding proxy server environment variables \n\nToday, most Web clients support connection to proxy servers via\nenvironment variables:\n\n- `http_proxy` / `HTTP_PROXY`\n- `https_proxy` / `HTTPS_PROXY`\n- `no_proxy` / `NO_PROXY`\n\nThese variables tell the client what URL should be used to access the\nproxy servers and which exceptions should be made. For example, if you\nhad a proxy server listening on `http://alice.example.com:8080`, you\nmight use it via:\n\n```sh\nexport http_proxy=http://alice.example.com:8080\n```\n\nWhich proxy server gets used if troublesome Bob also defines the\nall-caps version, `HTTP_PROXY`?\n\n```sh\nexport HTTP_PROXY=http://bob.example.com:8080\n```\n\nThe answer surprised us: it depends. In some cases, the Alice proxy\nwins, and in other cases Bob wins. We'll discuss the details later.\n\n### Defining proxy exemptions with `no_proxy`\n\nWhat happens if you want to make exceptions? For example, suppose you\nwant to use a proxy server for everything but `internal.example.com` and\n`internal2.example.com`. That's where the `no_proxy` variable comes into\nplay. Then you would define `no_proxy` as follows:\n\n```sh\nexport no_proxy=internal.example.com,internal2.example.com\n```\n\n### Handling IP exclusions in `no_proxy`\n\nWhat if you want to exclude IP addresses? Can you use asterisks or\nwildcards? Can you use CIDR blocks (e.g. `192.168.1.1/32`)? The answer\nagain: it depends.\n\n## How did we get here?\n\nLet's dig into the evolution of proxy variables, and how they are used today.\n\n### The origins of proxy variables\n\nIn 1994, most Web clients used CERN's `libwww`, which [supported `http_proxy` and the `no_proxy` environment variables](https://courses.cs.vt.edu/~cs4244/spring.09/documents/Proxies.pdf).\n`libwww` only used the lowercase form of `http_proxy`, and the [`no_proxy` syntax was\nsimple](https://github.com/w3c/libwww/blob/8678b3dcb4191065ca39caea54bb1beba809a617/Library/src/HTAccess.c#L234-L239):\n\n```\nno_proxy is a comma- or space-separated list of machine\nor domain names, with optional :port part.  If no :port\npart is present, it applies to all ports on that domain.\n\nExample:\n\t\tno_proxy=\"cern.ch,some.domain:8001\"\n```\n\nNew clients emerged that added their own HTTP implementations without\nlinking `libwww`. In January 1996, Hrvoje Niksic released\n`geturl`, the predecessor of what is now `wget`.  A month later,\n`geturl`, [added support for `http_proxy` in v1.1](https://ftp.sunet.se/mirror/archive/ftp.sunet.se/pub/www/utilities/wget/old-versions/).\nIn May 1996, `geturl` v1.3 added support for `no_proxy`. Just as with\n`libwww`, `geturl` only supported the lowercase form.\n\nIn January 1998, Daniel Stenberg released `curl` v5.1, which [supported the `http_proxy` and `no_proxy` variables](https://github.com/curl/curl/blob/ae1912cb0d494b48d514d937826c9fe83ec96c4d/CHANGES#L929-L944).\nIn addition, `curl` allowed the uppercase forms, `HTTP_PROXY` and `NO_PROXY`.\n\nPlot twist: In March 2009, [curl v7.19.4](https://github.com/curl/curl/releases/tag/curl-7_19_4) dropped support for the\nuppercase form of `HTTP_PROXY` [due to security concerns](https://github.com/curl/curl/blob/30e7641d7d2eb46c0b67c0c495a0ea7e52333ee2/lib/url.c#L2250-L2261). However, while `curl` ignores `HTTP_PROXY`, `HTTPS_PROXY` still works today.\n\n### State of the variables today\n\nFast-forward to today. As my [colleague Nourdin el Bacha researched](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/support/support-team-meta/-/issues/2991),\nwe can see that how these proxy server variables are handled varies, depending\non what language or tool you are using.\n\n## Current implementation of proxy variables across languages\n\nKnowing how proxy variables are handled across languages allows you to set them so that they work properly. Here’s a quick rundown.\n\n### `http_proxy` and `https_proxy`\n\nIn the following table, each row represents a supported behavior, while\neach column holds the tool (e.g. `curl`) or language (e.g. `Ruby`) to\nwhich it applies:\n\n|                 | curl      | wget           | Ruby          | Python    | Go        |\n|-----------------|-----------|----------------|---------------|-----------|-----------|\n| `http_proxy`    | Yes       | Yes            | Yes           | Yes       | Yes       |\n| `HTTP_PROXY`    | No        | No             | Yes ([warning](https://github.com/ruby/ruby/blob/0ed71b37fa9af134fdd5a7fd1cebd171eba83541/lib/uri/generic.rb#L1519)) | Yes (if `REQUEST_METHOD` not in env)       | Yes       |\n| `https_proxy`   | Yes       | Yes            | Yes           | Yes       | Yes       |\n| `HTTPS_PROXY`   | Yes       | No             | Yes           | Yes       | Yes       |\n| Case precedence | lowercase | lowercase only | lowercase     | lowercase | Uppercase |\n| Reference       | [source](https://github.com/curl/curl/blob/30e7641d7d2eb46c0b67c0c495a0ea7e52333ee2/lib/url.c#L2250-L2266) | [source](https://github.com/jay/wget/blob/099d8ee3da3a6eea5635581ae517035165f400a5/src/retr.c#L1222-L1239) | [source](https://github.com/ruby/ruby/blob/0ed71b37fa9af134fdd5a7fd1cebd171eba83541/lib/uri/generic.rb#L1474-L1543) | [source](https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/030a713183084594659aefd77b76fe30178e23c8/Lib/urllib/request.py#L2488-L2517) | [source](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/682a1d2176b02337460aeede0ff9e49429525195/src/vendor/golang.org/x/net/http/httpproxy/proxy.go#L82-L97) |\n\u003Cbr>\u003C/br>\nNote that `http_proxy` and `https_proxy` are always supported across the\nboard, while `HTTP_PROXY` is not always supported. Python (via `urllib`) complicates\nthe picture even more: `HTTP_PROXY` can be used [as long as\n`REQUEST_METHOD` is not defined in the environment](https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/030a713183084594659aefd77b76fe30178e23c8/Lib/urllib/request.py#L2504-L2508).\n\nWhile you might expect environment variables to be all-caps,\n`http_proxy` came first, so that's the de facto standard. When in doubt,\ngo with the lowercase form because that's universally supported.\n\nInstead of environment variables, Java uses [system properties](https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/guides/net/proxies.html). This avoids case issues entirely.\n\nUnlike most implementations, Go tries the uppercase version before\nfalling back to the lowercase version. We will see later why that caused\nissues for one GitLab customer.\n\n### `no_proxy` format\n\nSome users have [discussed the lack of the `no_proxy` specification in this issue](https://github.com/curl/curl/issues/1208). As\n`no_proxy` specifies an exclusion list, many questions arise about\nhow it behaves. For example, suppose your `no_proxy` configuration is defined:\n\n```sh\nexport no_proxy=example.com\n```\n\nDoes this mean that the domain must be an exact match, or will\n`subdomain.example.com` also match against this configuration? The\nfollowing table shows the state of various implementations. It turns out\nall implementations will match suffixes properly, as shown in the\n`Matches suffixes?` row:\n\n|                       | curl      | wget           | Ruby      | Python    | Go        |Java |\n|-----------------------|-----------|----------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|\n| `no_proxy`            | Yes       | Yes            | Yes       | Yes       | Yes       |No*|\n| `NO_PROXY`            | Yes       | No             | Yes       | Yes       | Yes       |No*|\n| Case precedence       | lowercase | lowercase only | lowercase | lowercase |Uppercase |N/A|\n| Matches suffixes?     | Yes       | Yes            | Yes       | Yes       | Yes       |No|\n| Strips leading `.`?   | Yes       | No             | Yes       | Yes       | No        |No|\n| `*` matches all hosts?| Yes       | No             | No        | Yes       | Yes       |Yes|\n| Supports regexes?     | No        | No             | No        | No        | No        |No|\n| Supports CIDR blocks? | No        | No             | Yes       | No        | Yes       |No|\n| Detects loopback IPs? | No        | No             | No        | No        | Yes       |No|\n| Resolves IP addresses? | No        | No             | Yes        | No        | Yes       |No|\n| Reference             | [source](https://github.com/curl/curl/blob/30e7641d7d2eb46c0b67c0c495a0ea7e52333ee2/lib/url.c#L2152-L2206) | [source](https://github.com/jay/wget/blob/099d8ee3da3a6eea5635581ae517035165f400a5/src/retr.c#L1266-L1274) | [source](https://github.com/ruby/ruby/blob/eead83160bcc5f49706e05669e5a7e2620b9b605/lib/uri/generic.rb#L1552-L1577) | [source](https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/030a713183084594659aefd77b76fe30178e23c8/Lib/urllib/request.py#L2519-L2551)| [source](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/master/src/vendor/golang.org/x/net/http/httpproxy/proxy.go#L170-L205) |[documentation](https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/guides/net/proxies.html)\n\n* Java uses the `http.nonProxyHosts` system property.\n\n### The impact of leading dots in no_proxy\n\nHowever, if there is a leading `.` in the `no_proxy` setting, the\nbehavior varies. For example, `curl` and `wget` behave\ndifferently. `curl` will always strip the leading `.` and match against\na domain suffix. This call bypasses the proxy:\n\n```sh\n$ env https_proxy=http://non.existent/ no_proxy=.gitlab.com curl https://gitlab.com\n\u003Chtml>\u003Cbody>You are being \u003Ca href=\"https://about.gitlab.com/\">redirected\u003C/a>.\u003C/body>\u003C/html>\n```\n\nHowever, `wget` does not strip the leading `.` and performs an exact\nstring match against a hostname. As a result, `wget` attempts to use a\nproxy if a top-level domain is used:\n\n```sh\n$ env https_proxy=http://non.existent/ no_proxy=.gitlab.com wget https://gitlab.com\nResolving non.existent (non.existent)... failed: Name or service not known.\nwget: unable to resolve host address 'non.existent'\n```\n\nIn all implementations, regular expressions are never supported. I\nsuspect using regexes complicates matters further, because regexes have\ntheir own flavors (e.g. PCRE, POSIX, etc.). Using regexes also\nintroduces potential performance and security issues.\n\nIn some cases, setting `no_proxy` to `*` effectively disables proxies\naltogether, but this is not a universal rule.\n\nOnly Ruby performs a DNS lookup to resolve a hostname to an IP address when deciding if a proxy should be used. Be careful if you use IP addresses with Ruby because it’s possible a hostname may resolve to an excluded IP address. In general, do not specify IP addresses in no_proxy variable unless you expect that the IPs are explicitly used by the client.\n\nThe same holds true for CIDR blocks, such as `18.240.0.1/24`. CIDR\nblocks only work when the request is directly made to an IP\naddress. Only Go and Ruby allow CIDR blocks. Unlike other\nimplementations, Go even automatically disables the use of a proxy if it\ndetects a loopback IP addresses.\n\n## Why does this matter?\nDiscrepancies in proxy environment variable handling, particularly between Ruby and Go, can lead to a real-world issues where Git pushes worked via the command line but failed in the web UI for a GitLab customer. Understanding these inconsistencies is crucial for troubleshooting and configuring applications that operate across multiple languages within corporate networks utilizing proxy servers.\n\n### Challenges of defining proxy variables in multi-language applications\n\nIf you have an application written in multiple languages that needs to\nwork behind a corporate firewall with a proxy server, you may need to\npay attention to these differences. For example, GitLab is composed of a\nfew services written in Ruby and Go. One customer set its proxy\nconfiguration to something like the following:\n\n```yaml\nHTTP_PROXY: http://proxy.company.com\nHTTPS_PROXY: http://proxy.company.com\nNO_PROXY: .correct-company.com\n```\n\nThe customer reported the following issue with GitLab:\n\n1. A `git push` from the command line worked\n1. Git changes made via the Web UI failed\n\nOur support engineers discovered that due to a Kubernetes configuration\nissue, a few stale values lingered. The pod actually had an environment\nthat looked something like:\n\n```yaml\nHTTP_PROXY: http://proxy.company.com\nHTTPS_PROXY: http://proxy.company.com\nNO_PROXY: .correct-company.com\nno_proxy: .wrong-company.com\n```\n### How inconsistent proxy settings can cause failures\n\nThe inconsistent definitions in `no_proxy` and `NO_PROXY` set off red\nflags, and we could have resolved the issue by making them consistent or\nremoving the incorrect entry. But let's drill into what happened.\nRemember from above that:\n\n1. Ruby tries the lowercase form first\n1. Go tries the uppercase form first\n\nAs a result, services written in Go, such as GitLab Workhorse, had the\ncorrect proxy configuration. A `git push` from the command line worked\nfine because the Go services primarily handled this activity:\n\n```mermaid\nsequenceDiagram\n    participant C as Client\n    participant W as Workhorse\n    participant G as Gitaly\n    C->>W: 1. git push\n    W->>G: 2. gRPC: PostReceivePack\n    G->>W: 3. OK\n    W->>C: 4. OK\n```\n\nThe gRPC call in step 2 never attempted to use the proxy because\n`no_proxy` was configured properly to connect directly to Gitaly.\n\nHowever, when a user makes a change in the UI, Gitaly forwards the\nrequest to a `gitaly-ruby` service, which is written in\nRuby. `gitaly-ruby` makes changes to the repository and [reports back\nvia a gRPC call back to its parent process](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitaly/-/issues/3189).  However,\nas seen in step 4 below, the reporting step didn't happen:\n\n```mermaid\nsequenceDiagram\n    participant C as Client\n    participant R as Rails\n    participant G as Gitaly\n    participant GR as gitaly-ruby\n    participant P as Proxy\n    C->>R: 1. Change file in UI\n    R->>G: 2. gRPC: UserCommitFiles\n    G->>GR: 3. gRPC: UserCommitFiles\n    GR->>P: 4. CONNECT\n    P->>GR: 5. FAIL\n```\n\nBecause gRPC uses HTTP/2 as the underlying transport, `gitaly-ruby`\nattempted a CONNECT to the proxy since it was configured with the wrong\n`no_proxy` setting. The proxy immediately rejected this HTTP request,\ncausing the failure in the Web UI push case.\n\n### Correcting proxy configuration issues\n\nOnce we eliminated the lowercase `no_proxy` from the environment, pushes\nfrom the UI worked as expected, and `gitaly-ruby` connected directly to\nthe parent Gitaly process. Step 4 worked properly in the diagram below:\n\n```mermaid\nsequenceDiagram\n    participant C as Client\n    participant R as Rails\n    participant G as Gitaly\n    participant GR as gitaly-ruby\n    participant P as Proxy\n    C->>R: 1. Change file in UI\n    R->>G: 2. gRPC: UserCommitFiles\n    G->>GR: 3. gRPC: UserCommitFiles\n    GR->>G: 4. OK\n    G->>R: 5. OK\n    R->>C: 6. OK\n```\n\n## A surprising discovery with gRPC\n\nWe also discovered that gRPC does not [support HTTPS proxies](https://github.com/grpc/grpc/issues/20939). This again subtly affects the behavior of the system depending on how `HTTPS_PROXY` is set.\n\n### gRPC behavior with `HTTPS_proxy`\n\nNote that the customer set `HTTPS_PROXY` to an unencrypted HTTP proxy;\nnotice that `http://` is used instead of `https://`. While this isn't\nideal from a security standpoint, some people do this to avoid the\nhassle of clients failing due to TLS certificate verification issues.\n\nIronically, if an HTTPS proxy were specified, we would not have seen\nthis problem. If an HTTPS proxy is used, gRPC will ignore this setting\nsince HTTPS proxies are not supported.\n\n### The lowest common denominator\n\nI think we can all agree that one should never define inconsistent\nvalues with lowercase and uppercase proxy settings. However, if you ever\nhave to manage a stack written in multiple languages, you might need to\nconsider setting HTTP proxy configurations to the lowest common\ndenominator.\n\n1. `http_proxy` and `https_proxy`\n\n* Use lowercase form. `HTTP_PROXY` is not always supported or recommended.\n    * If you _absolutely must_ use the uppercase form as well, be **sure** they share the same value.\n\n2. `no_proxy`\n\n1. Use lowercase form.\n1. Use comma-separated `hostname:port` values.\n1. IP addresses are okay, but hostnames are never resolved.\n1. Suffixes are always matched (e.g. `example.com` will match `test.example.com`).\n1. If top-level domains need to be matched, avoid using a leading dot (`.`).\n1. Avoid using CIDR matching since only Go and Ruby support that.\n\n## Steps toward standardizing `no_proxy`\n\nKnowing the least common denominator can help avoid issues if these\ndefinitions are copied for different Web clients. But should `no_proxy`\nand the other proxy settings have a documented standard rather than an\nad hoc convention? The list below may serve as a starting point for a\nproposal:\n\n1. Prefer lowercase forms over uppercase variables (e.g. `http_proxy` should be searched before `HTTP_PROXY`).\n1. Use comma-separated `hostname:port` values.\n    * Each value may include optional whitespace.\n1. Never perform DNS lookups or use regular expressions.\n1. Use `*` to match **all** hosts.\n1. Strip leading dots (`.`) and match against domain suffixes.\n1. Support CIDR block matching.\n1. Never make assumptions about special IP addresses (e.g. loopback addresses in `no_proxy`).\n\n## Key takeaways on proxy standardization\n\nIt's been over 25 years since the first Web proxy was released. While\nthe basic mechanics of configuring a Web client via environment\nvariables have not changed much, a number of subtleties have emerged\nacross different implementations. We saw for one customer, erroneously\ndefining conflicting `no_proxy` and `NO_PROXY` variables led to hours of\ntroubleshooting due to the differences with which Ruby and Go parse\nthese settings. We hope highlighting these differences will avoid future\nissues in your production stack, and we hope that Web client maintainers\nwill standardize the behavior to avoid such issues in the first place.\n",[268,9,1668,778],{"slug":2243,"featured":6,"template":698},"we-need-to-talk-no-proxy","content:en-us:blog:we-need-to-talk-no-proxy.yml","We Need To Talk No Proxy","en-us/blog/we-need-to-talk-no-proxy.yml","en-us/blog/we-need-to-talk-no-proxy",{"_path":2249,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2250,"content":2256,"config":2263,"_id":2265,"_type":13,"title":2266,"_source":15,"_file":2267,"_stem":2268,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/what-i-learned-about-our-ceo-s-job-from-participating-in-the-ceo-shadow-program",{"title":2251,"description":2252,"ogTitle":2251,"ogDescription":2252,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2253,"ogUrl":2254,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2254,"schema":2255},"Lessons from my time in GitLab's CEO Shadow program","GitLab's CEO Shadow program gives team members insight into what the CEO does","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749666603/Blog/Hero%20Images/book.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/what-i-learned-about-our-ceo-s-job-from-participating-in-the-ceo-shadow-program","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What I Learned about the CEO's Job from Participating in GitLab's CEO Shadow Program\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Emilie Schario\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-10-07\",\n      }",{"title":2257,"description":2252,"authors":2258,"heroImage":2253,"date":2260,"body":2261,"category":1388,"tags":2262},"What I Learned about the CEO's Job from Participating in GitLab's CEO Shadow Program",[2259],"Emilie Schario","2019-10-07","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\nOver the first two weeks in August, I got the chance to participate in GitLab's [CEO Shadow program](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/#rotation-schedule), during which Shadows attend upwards of 90% of the CEO's meetings over the course of their 2-week rotation.\nWe attend job interviews, 1-on-1s that the CEO has with his direct reports, investor calls, and everything else that comes up.\nDuring my two week rotation, I was asked to drop off calls twice and asked to not join a 1:1 once.\nShadows are welcome to join any and all meetings, except for where the guest requests otherwise.\n\nWhile I had seen Sid's calendar leading up to my Shadow rotation, I really did not know what to expect.\nI had chatted with other [Shadow alumni](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/#ceo-shadow-program-alumni-and-learnings), but their words of advice did not convey exactly how to prepare.\nI knew I wanted to turn the whole experience into a learning opportunity where I could sponge up every interaction.\nI knew there would be a lot going on.\nI planned to take it all in, then leave room for synthesis later.\n\nNow, as I reflect on my notes, I think the biggest clarity I've gotten is on *what the CEO's job is* and how that is reflected in Sid's day-to-day.\nFrom what I saw, no two days are alike - the weeks even less so - but when I sat back there were three obvious themes that emerged: making big decisions, reinforcing our values, and stepping in wherever there is a leadership gap.\n\n## Making Big Decisions\n\nAt GitLab, we believe in having a [DRI](/handbook/people-group/directly-responsible-individuals/) - Directly Responsible Individual - for most decisions.\nFor example, product managers are DRIs for their areas of the product. Having DRIs is an incredible aspect of GitLab, as it helps keep [collaboration](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#collaboration) from devolving into decisions by consensus and helps empower us to work asynchronously.\n\nIf there's a moment where a decision needs to be made, a DRI can make a decision.\nIf another piece of information comes up, we can make another decision. Rarely are decisions [one-way door decisions](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#make-two-way-door-decisions).\n[Making decisions quickly](/handbook/leadership/mitigating-concerns/#loss-of-velocity) is key to how [we can ship](/releases/categories/releases/) as much as we do, [iterating](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#iteration) along the way.\n\nI think it probably seems obvious that a CEO makes decisions all the time, but given the way we set DRIs for things, I was curious what sorts of decisions I could see Sid making, and I wanted to understand *why those decisions* were being escalated to Sid.\nMy cool discovery is that he was doing the things described in his [job family](https://handbook.gitlab.com/job-families/chief-executive-officer/).\nThe second requirement of the CEO's job description is\n> Hire great people. Help people that are not a good fit find another job.\n\nFor many leadership roles, Sid is still involved in the hiring decision.\nSince [lowering the hiring bar is one of our biggest concerns](/handbook/leadership/mitigating-concerns/#lowering-the-hiring-bar), it makes sense that this is an area where the CEO would spend his time.\nSid makes [pricing decisions](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/Product/blob/master/.gitlab/issue_templates/Move-A-Feature-Down.md#L25) because pricing is the CEO's job.\nSid makes the decisions that it's his job to be making.\nThere's no secret process behind the curtain.\n\n## Reinforcing our GitLab Values\n\nEvery interaction with Sid is an opportunity for him to reinforce the company values.\nWhat may look to some like *handbook policing* is simply him pushing us to continue to [write things down](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#write-things-down).\n*An obligatory breakout call* is an opportunity to [get to know each other](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#get-to-know-each-other).\nAnd *thinking too small* is just [scoping to the minimum viable change](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#move-fast-by-shipping-the-minimum-viable-change).\n\nHalf way through my first week, I was lucky enough to attend [TractionConf](https://www.tractionconf.io/) with Sid.\nThere he would be participating in a Fireside Chat with Frederic Lardinois of TechCrunch to talk about GitLab's origin story, remote work, our transparency value, and all the things that make GitLab unique.\nGiven that this was the first time I had seen Sid speak in-person at a non-GitLab event, I opened up a Google Doc and started typing.\nI didn't have a sense of what it'd be for or how it'd be useful.\nI figured better to have the notes than not and just went for it.\n\nTwo things happened that I could not have expected.\nFirst, because I shared the doc in our #ceo channel in Slack, people helped me clean it up as I was typing notes.\nI didn't have to worry about that `teh` that I mistyped because team members who were reading my notes as the talk was happening were helping me make it better.\nSecond, when someone tweeted about the session later on, Sid suggested I reply with my notes.\nWhat may look to some as *pieced together notes* is really just accepting that [everything is in draft](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#everything-is-in-draft) and working with a [low level of shame](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#low-level-of-shame).\nNow those notes can serve not just me, but anyone who wants to read about the session.\nThey're not perfect, but they are better than nothing.\nLearning to work with a low level of shame is hard - probably one of the hardest transitions about working at GitLab! - but it makes everyone's work experience better.\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I really enjoyed the talk too! Here are my notes from the session, in case they're useful \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/TractionConf?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#TractionConf\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/b55bQITbNv\">https://t.co/b55bQITbNv\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Emilie Schario (@emilieschario) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/emilieschario/status/1159667866918109190?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 9, 2019\u003C/a>\n\u003C/blockquote>\n\nBy working with a low level of shame, I made it so that everyone could contribute!\n\nWhile I like to think I'm good at working *in the GitLab way* and encourage my peers to do the same, I never go out of my way to push people to work even more-so.\nI saw most interactions of Sid's have some aspect of stewarding our values.\nWhether he was coaching his direct reports on [how we organize the handbook](/handbook/handbook-usage/#style-guide-and-information-architecture), suggesting someone stop sharing their screen in a [Group Conversation](/handbook/group-conversations/) so that it feels more like a conversation, or pointing out that a section name is not [MECEFU](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/communication/#mecefu-terms), Sid was regularly stewarding our values.\n\n## Stepping in as a Leader\n\nI saw this most obviously when I first started at GitLab before we had a CMO.\nSid was acting-CMO, so the many ways he was stepping in to run marketing was really visible in the company - most obviously in running the Group Conversations for Marketing.\n\nWe see this behavior in most managers.\nWhen a team member is on vacation or leave, their managers may step in to fill the gap.\nSid does the same for his direct reports.\nThis is most visible today in how we use [PTO Ninja](/handbook/paid-time-off/#pto-ninja).\n\nLots of CEO Shadows have walked away with [different takeaways](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/#ceo-shadow-program-alumni-and-learnings).\nThe biggest understanding I walked away with was this: while Sid's job is to make decisions, steward our values, and step in when needed, it's actually expected of all of us too!\nWe live GitLab's values by having DRIs, helping steward our culture in small group settings, and fostering collaboration.\nIf you're a GitLab team member, go for the CEO Shadow program, if given the chance.\nIf you're thinking about rolling out a similar program at your company, I hope our details on [how the shadow program works at GitLab can be your blueprint](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/).\n",[9,801,778],{"slug":2264,"featured":6,"template":698},"what-i-learned-about-our-ceo-s-job-from-participating-in-the-ceo-shadow-program","content:en-us:blog:what-i-learned-about-our-ceo-s-job-from-participating-in-the-ceo-shadow-program.yml","What I Learned About Our Ceo S Job From Participating In The Ceo Shadow Program","en-us/blog/what-i-learned-about-our-ceo-s-job-from-participating-in-the-ceo-shadow-program.yml","en-us/blog/what-i-learned-about-our-ceo-s-job-from-participating-in-the-ceo-shadow-program",{"_path":2270,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2271,"content":2277,"config":2283,"_id":2285,"_type":13,"title":2286,"_source":15,"_file":2287,"_stem":2288,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/what-is-a-vp-of-scaling",{"title":2272,"description":2273,"ogTitle":2272,"ogDescription":2273,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2274,"ogUrl":2275,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2275,"schema":2276},"VP of Scaling: What it is and how it works at GitLab","At GitLab we introduced the role of VP of Scaling early on. But what does that role mean and how has it worked at GitLab?","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749680369/Blog/Hero%20Images/vp-of-scaling.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/what-is-a-vp-of-scaling","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"VP of Scaling: What it is and how it works at GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ernst van Nierop\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2017-09-08\",\n      }",{"title":2272,"description":2273,"authors":2278,"heroImage":2274,"date":2280,"body":2281,"category":300,"tags":2282},[2279],"Ernst van Nierop","2017-09-08","\n\nFast-growing companies sometimes need leadership in new initiatives before there's time to hire a team member dedicated to them. This is how we tackled this challenge.\n\n\u003C!-- more -->\n\nIn the last two years GitLab has grown from about 15 people in a handful of countries to now well [over 180 people in more than 30 countries](/company/team/). In a company that is growing as fast as GitLab is, there is always some team that needs to be built, or some team to be temporarily led while a leader for the longer term is found, or some initiative to be started that doesn't (yet) fit within existing teams or departments. We can – and do – add people to the\nGitLab team to tackle these challenges. But hiring takes time and isn't always\nappropriate for a one-off or early-stage initiative. GitLab is also a fully remote and international organization that moves fast, and we can't afford to wait for these challenges to sit idle.\n\n## So who should build that team, be that interim leader, or start that initiative?\n\nAt GitLab, we've addressed this with\nthe role of VP of Scaling. The\nword \"scaling\" in this case relates to the _organization_ instead of, for example, sales or user-base. Think of the VP of Scaling as a full-time interim\nmanager rotating between vastly different functions, building teams and\nscalable processes. The job is to \"get in\" and to figure out how to \"get out\"\nresponsibly. (As an aside: at first we struggled to come up with a good name for this role and considered everything from janitor/plumber (sweeping /connecting the entire company – vetoed), to\n[Mr. Wolf](http://www.indiewire.com/2012/03/being-winston-wolfe-9-reasons-why-pulp-fiction-is-the-management-guide-every-indie-filmmaker-needs-48445/)\n(fixes problems on demand – too negative), until eventually settling on the\nkey word of \"scaling.\")\n\n## What does the role involve?\n\nA VP of Scaling should be broadly deployable in the company and go where the\nchallenges are. For us, the first task at hand was to scale up our team, starting with our ability to recruit and hire quickly and efficiently. And so it was that I began in the role of Interim Head of People Operations;\nfrom sending out employment agreements and setting up an candidate tracking\nsystem, to laying the groundwork for our\n[hiring process](/handbook/hiring/), building the\nbeginnings of the People Operations team, and developing the first iteration of the [global compensation calculator](/handbook/total-rewards/compensation/). Once the People Operations team was left in more experienced hands I moved on to help as (interim) Support Lead, followed more recently by time as interim Director of Infrastructure, and currently interim Director of Security.\n\nWith each of the teams that I've worked with, the challenges they've faced are a direct result of the success of the company. The Support team \"feels\" it through more customer tickets, and the Infrastructure team \"feels\" the increased usage of GitLab.com. Although no two teams are identical, there are some common approaches that I have found to be helpful in an interim leadership role.\n\n> Perhaps the most important point is to listen to the team – and to never stop asking questions.\n\nPerhaps the most important point is to listen to the team – and to never stop asking questions. The individuals in our team are smart, they have domain\nexpertise, and they often have great ideas on what needs to be done in order to be successful as a team. Regarding the \"never stop asking questions\" part, well, I think I've had that bit covered ever since I had the ability to talk.\n\nComing onboard with a new team, I listen to the concerns and ideas from the team and from the management chain that they report into, and sort the challenges into those that need to be addressed _right now_ (e.g. add more people to the team through hiring or borrowing; unblock a decision on topic X) from those that need to be addressed on a longer timescale. Once the immediate needs are taken care of, with the help of the team and sometimes outside experts we start sketching out what Utopia looks like for this team. What does the team, and the service the team provides, look like in a world where GitLab is 10x more popular? How about 100x?\n\n>Once the immediate needs are taken care of, with the help of the team and sometimes outside experts we start sketching out what Utopia looks like for this team.\n\nFor example, the Support Team faces the dual challenge of a growing _customer\nbase_ as well as a growing _product_ in terms of product scope and capabilities – straining the team. The \"right now\" solution involved adding\n[support turbos](/handbook/support/#additional-resources-for-the-support-team) and hiring people in multiple timezones to spread the customer ticket load evenly. To make it _scalable_ beyond the immediate needs is part of the Utopia for any team. In this case, our Support Engineers iterated quickly with the new hires to enable a mostly self-guided onboarding process as well as self-guided pathways for [continuous learning](/handbook/support/advanced-topics/).\n\nJumping from team to team in an interim role also provides for a great\nopportunity to help spread best practices from team to team, and to erase or\nmanage \"interfaces\" between teams. For example, the Support Team feels the\n_customer's_ sense of urgency around needing bug fixes or feature development,\nbut did not have a great way to effectively communicate that sense of urgency\nto the rest of the team without just making a lot of noise. So the team came up with a quantitative metric using\n[issue priority labels](/handbook/support/workflows/working-with-issues.html#adding-labels), with good success. When we noticed that the Infrastructure team – as the largest \"customer\" of GitLab Enterprise Edition – was having similar escalation problems, it was easy to adopt priority labels for [security](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/security/#security-priority-labels) as well as [availability and performance](/handbook/engineering/performance/#performance-labels).\n\n## What are the challenges of the role?\n\nA key challenge (and attraction) of this role is that I need to get up to speed quickly on areas of the company and product in which I do not have much prior experience. I rely on the kindness and the expertise of the team, and benefit a lot from our dedication to documenting everything (which we do as an integral part of being successful in a remote-only setting). Of course I contribute back to this documentation as well: as we worked on reducing the latency of GitLab.com, I found myself wondering, \"What actually happens when a user enters a GitLab.com URL in their browser?\" and then documented the answer(s) on our handbook page about\n[GitLab.com performance](/handbook/engineering/performance).\nAnother challenge is, unsurprisingly, that I get somewhat attached to the teams that I'm actively working with. I enjoy learning from them, I enjoy working with and enabling them, and I enjoy getting to know the people behind the GitLab handle.\nIt can be difficult to _fully_ move on to the next assignment, with a few pending issues tenaciously hanging on to my todo list for way too long.\n\nDespite the odd job title and the fluid nature of the job itself, I like to think that it has worked well for us here at GitLab. Do you have a similar role at your company? We'd love to hear about it!\n\n[Cover image](https://unsplash.com/@ripato?photo=tpg_oEPzajA) by [Ricardo Gomez Angel](https://unsplash.com/@ripato) on Unsplash\n{: .note}\n",[801,9],{"slug":2284,"featured":6,"template":698},"what-is-a-vp-of-scaling","content:en-us:blog:what-is-a-vp-of-scaling.yml","What Is A Vp Of Scaling","en-us/blog/what-is-a-vp-of-scaling.yml","en-us/blog/what-is-a-vp-of-scaling",{"_path":2290,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2291,"content":2297,"config":2304,"_id":2306,"_type":13,"title":2307,"_source":15,"_file":2308,"_stem":2309,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/what-its-like-to-interview-at-gitlab",{"title":2292,"description":2293,"ogTitle":2292,"ogDescription":2293,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2294,"ogUrl":2295,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2295,"schema":2296},"A peek inside GitLab's recruitment process: What to expect","A new GitLab team-member shares her experience of being recruited to GitLab, as well as some advice for potential candidates.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749680526/Blog/Hero%20Images/interviewing-at-gitlab.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/what-its-like-to-interview-at-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What it's like to interview at GitLab: A peek inside the recruitment process\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Gosia Ksionek\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-03-28\",\n      }",{"title":2298,"description":2293,"authors":2299,"heroImage":2294,"date":2301,"body":2302,"category":799,"tags":2303},"What it's like to interview at GitLab: A peek inside the recruitment process",[2300],"Gosia Ksionek","2019-03-28","\nWhen [Zsuzsanna](/company/team/#zkovacs) from GitLab approached me on LinkedIn, I was sure I had no shot at getting an engineer's job at this kind of company.\nI decided to give it a try anyway, knowing that I can only gain experience and have nothing to lose.\n\nI have to admit, the whole process made me want to work for Gitlab even more, as each step of the way I could clearly see that company values are not only something written in the handbook, but clear guidelines for every part of the process.\nYou can read all about [GitLab's hiring processes here](/handbook/hiring/interviewing/), but I'll also describe each part of the recruitment process as I experienced it, how it was conducted, and what I can advise future candidates:\n\n### Stage 1: Questionnaire\n\nThe first stage was a questionnaire, with both general questions about education and experience,\nbut also two interesting technical questions with the mysterious instruction: \"Describe in as much detail as you think is appropriate,\"\nwhich allowed me to dive into details but also be concise when I felt I have nothing more to add.\nEven this part was educational and left me with some new knowledge!\n\n**Tip**: Take your time! It's not a race, better to get it right.\nWriting is not my forte, it took me over two weeks to write the answers at my own pace.\n\n### Stage 2: Screening call\n\nThe second stage involved talking to one of the GitLab team-members and let me use tools that are adopted among the GitLab team.\nThis first screening call contained general questions about my experience and why I applied.\n\n**Tip**: Read the handbook – not all of course, it's over 2,000 pages – but the general section about the company\nto understand the values and how you see yourself in this kind of environment.\n\n### Stage 3: Technical interview\n\nI was assigned a merge request and asked for a code review.\nDuring the actual interview, we discussed the code review and ways to improve the code.\nLater came time for, in my opinion, the most stressful part of the process: LIVE CODING – every programmer's nightmare.\nSuddenly I wasn't able to hit any proper key on my keyboard ...\nBut I was allowed to check any doubts in Google if needed and we ended the conversation with some time for me to ask questions\nabout GitLab, the process and remote setup.\n\n**Tip**: Don't stress out about live coding.\nAnd plug your laptop into the power source,\nthis interview may last for over an hour and with the video call, it can drain the battery really quickly!\n\n### Stage 4: Manager interview\n\nThe fourth stage was a great opportunity to know more about the team –\nas in GitLab, you are applying to the specific team.\nTalking to the manager was a great chance to ask all the questions I had about the everyday aspects of the job\nand to know who would be my potential teammates.\n\n**Tip**: Be prepared for a variety of questions, both technical and regarding soft skills.\n\n### Final stage\n\nThe last stage was very similar to the previous one, but with the person higher up in the organization.\nI need to say at this stage stress got the better at me – I really wanted it to go well.\n\n**Tip**: Just relax and prepare the same way as for the previous step.\n\n### References\n\nAfter all those steps I was asked to provide references.\nI chose a colleague I worked with at two different companies and my former manager.\n\n**Tip**: Think carefully who can provide the most valuable feedback about you. Not the most positive, of course, it doesn't hurt,\nbut also honest. Who knows your good sides and what can you improve.\n\nAnd after all those steps and stages, all I could do is wait for the final decision ...\n\nI can't emphasize enough how transparent the whole process was.\nI was informed at every stage what was ahead of me, I could pick which time worked best for me, and I got results quite quickly every time.\nPlus everyone was so nice, not only to me but also to my references, and this was so important to me\nas I was asking for a favour. I think all of this – making a candidate understand the process,\ntreating them with respect, and making it a nice experience overall, is a great example of acting according\nto the GitLab values in every way – even through the recruitment process.\n\nTL;DR: would apply again!\n\nPhoto by [Piotr Wilk](https://unsplash.com/photos/Kc-OBw1fMJg?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/search/photos/home-office?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)\n{: .note}\n",[9,801],{"slug":2305,"featured":6,"template":698},"what-its-like-to-interview-at-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:what-its-like-to-interview-at-gitlab.yml","What Its Like To Interview At Gitlab","en-us/blog/what-its-like-to-interview-at-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/what-its-like-to-interview-at-gitlab",{"_path":2311,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2312,"content":2318,"config":2322,"_id":2324,"_type":13,"title":2325,"_source":15,"_file":2326,"_stem":2327,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/what-makes-a-great-tech-talk",{"title":2313,"description":2314,"ogTitle":2313,"ogDescription":2314,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2315,"ogUrl":2316,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2316,"schema":2317},"What makes a great tech talk?","I've compiled some of my favorite tech talks to find out what makes them great.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749670658/Blog/Hero%20Images/data-startup-cognitive-logic-talks-migrating-to-gitlab.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/what-makes-a-great-tech-talk","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What makes a great tech talk?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Brendan O'Leary\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-10-04\",\n      }",{"title":2313,"description":2314,"authors":2319,"heroImage":2315,"date":2160,"body":2320,"category":820,"tags":2321},[939],"\n\nAs someone who spends a reasonable amount of time writing, rehearsing, and giving tech talks, I often find folks new to speaking about tech asking me: how do you do it? How do you know that you will be able to write and give an excellent tech talk?\n\nThe simple answer is: I don't know. An excellent tech talk isn't definable and solvable like an engineering problem. It's part tech, part passion, part storytelling, and part luck. But in thinking about speakers and talks that I've looked up to throughout the years, I believe that I've found a few key ingredients in any tech talk that I've seen and would consider \"great.\"  In reviewing these, I actually came to appreciate what I somewhat already knew: the \"tech\" part of the talk is probably the least important part of a great tech talk. Yet, as professionals, that is what we get wrapped around. And it is what worries us when writing a speech. The best demo ever - that's what will save my talk! But in the end, it's not just the tech content that counts, so let's look at the five critical ingredients for a great tech talk:\n\n- Story and narrative\n- Passion\n- Connection to the audience\n- Balance\n- Call to action\n\nFor each ingredient, I've included a talk that best illustrates that principle and a link to the talk. As an aside, every moderately good talk I've ever written was inspired while listening to or after hearing a great talk from one of these amazing technologists. Remember: [good artists copy, great artists steal](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6jeZ7m0ycw).\n\n## Story and narrative\n\n[Keynote: Reflections](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiaLsxjBeOQ): **Kelsey Hightower, KubeCon CloudNativeCon North America 2019**\n\nStories are how humans have always learned and taught each other. From the earliest stories around campfires to teach about the dangers of predators or the ways to find food to the modern world where we are bombarded by stories that we now call 'marketing' - stories have always played a pivotal role in learning and teaching.\n\nAnd so, without a story, your audience is already lost. You can show some of the most incredible technology, a fantastic demo, and wow people with statistics...but if there is no connection to the real world - to their lives - then it will go in one ear and out of the other. And the story doesn't have to be complicated - a story is, after all, just a beginning, middle, and an end...maybe a conflict or two. But telling the story - showing how the technology or what you are presenting applies to real people in the real world - is critical to getting your point across.\n\nIt's so critical that some of the best tech talks are only stories. In the \"Reflections\" Keynote at KubeCon CloudNativeCon 2019, Kelsey Hightower - one of the most respected tech speakers known for his impressive and fun demos - didn't even appear to bring a laptop on stage. Speaking from the heart, Kelsey tells the stories of the early days of Kubernetes, of showing inclusion, of practicing intentional inclusion. And with those few simple but powerful stories, the audience is captivated and learns more in 15 minutes about what it means to be an inclusive open source community than they would have with hours of slides of fancy graphics and data.\n\n### More from Kelsey\n\n- [Kubernetes and the Path to Serverless](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNa3xK2GFKY)\n- [Kelsey Hightower's Best Live Demo Yet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6SfRPwTKqo)\n- [TechExplorers: Kelsey Hightower](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OHNejqXOoo)\n- [HashiConf 2017 Keynote](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v77FFbQwC6E)\n\n## Passion\n\n**[Zebras All the Way Down](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE2KDzZaxvE): Bryan Cantrill, Uptime 2017**\n\nStories will help you make your talk more personal - both for you and the audience. But that won't carry much weight for long if you don't have passion for the stories and how they apply to the problem and solution you're trying to present. For the audience to stay engaged throughout the talk, they need to care about what you are talking about. And if it isn't clear from your speech, word choice, and energy that you are passionate about your topic, there is no way your audience will come along with you and care about what you have to say.\n\nNo one will ever accuse Bryan Cantrill of not being passionate. And in his talk \"Zebras All the Way Down,\" he brings that passion to advocating for one's own healthcare to understand at a deep level how our systems are impacted by the various layers of software. And that includes a lot of software we don't think about like that below the operating system. Turning a personal story about his physician father and his sister who had a rare condition into the way to think about solving hard debugging problems, Bryan brings the audience along. He makes you care about what he has to say...even if what he's talking about is far removed from your daily work.\n\n### More from Bryan\n\n- [Debugging Under Fire: Keep your Head when Systems have Lost their Mind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30jNsCVLpAE)\n\n- [Corporate Open Source Anti-patterns](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm8P4oCIY3g)\n\n- [Fork Yeah! The Rise and Development of illumos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zRN7XLCRhc)\n\n## Connection to the audience\n\n**[Why Open Source Firmware is Important](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUTx61t443A): Jessie Frazelle, GOTO 2019**\n\nOnce you've brought your whole self to the talk - your stories and your passion - you still need to ensure your audience will be engaged and want to hear about those things from you. To do that, you have to build a connection with your audience. The way to do this may seem simple on the surface, but it does actually take some effort. You need to understand at least two things about your audience: who they are and why they showed up to your talk.\n\nFirst - who is your audience? You have to understand who they are - what are their roles professionally? What is their experience like personally? What makes them passionate, and what are their stories? Understanding your audience will help you shape your talk to match their interests with your passions - a surefire method for success.\n\nSecond - why did they show up to your talk? You've already won a little bit here - they came to the conference or meetup, they saw your abstract and maybe a little bit about you, and chose to come to hear what you had to say. That should give you confidence that the audience wants you to succeed just as much as you want. Think for yourself: have you ever shown up to a tech talk hoping the speaker would bomb? Probably not. So that's half of the battle won already, but you can't take it for granted. They showed up expecting to learn or get something out of your talk. You need to think about how they apply what they want out of it and then deliver.\n\nA great example is Jessie Frazelle's talk at GOTO Chicago in 2019 on \"Open Source Firmware.\" On the surface, it might not seem like a great example - Jessie even has a disclaimer at the beginning of the talk. She's \"forcing\" an audience of software engineers to get a few rings lower than they are comfortable - down into the  UEFI kernel, management engine, and other low-level firmware pieces. But Jessie's passion for this part of the stack and showing the audience how it directly applies to how we all build software with many abstraction layers above the firmware is offered throughout the talk. Jessie convinces the audience to care about the software turtles all the way down. Along the way, she teaches about the stack of code we don't know about...and the rings of trust below \"0\" and the kernel.\n\n### More from Jessie\n\n- [Breaking Containers: Chaos Engineering and Kubernetes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hhVS4pdrrk)\n\n- [Benefits of isolation provided by containers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKDupfKu_Mw)\n\n- [Container Hacks and Fun Images](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYsVvV1aVss)\n\n## Balance\n\n**[The Art of Code](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6avJHaC3C2U): Dylan Beattie, NDC London 2020**\n\nOnce you've got your audience bought in - and know what you're going to tell them and why - you've got to write the talk. Until now, not much has been focused on that. There are a lot of methods out there for outlining, writing, and structuring your speech. Far too many, in fact, for me to get into here. And that's not my goal - there is a one-size-fits-all method for creating a great tech talk. Much like many technical problems, the answer to \"how should I structure this thing\" is \"it depends.\" However, the best tech talks I've ever seen strike a balance - a balance of the tech and the stories, learning and entertainment, questions and answers.\n\nThis balance boils down to balancing the \"three S's of a great tech talk\":\n\n_Style_\n\n_Substance_\n\n_Stories_\n\nEven though one of these S's (stories) repeats one of our early items, I think that only serves to express how important it is to a great talk. You must tell a story. But unless you're giving a keynote at a conference where you're the most respected person in the room (shoutout to Kelsey Hightower), the stories won't always be the whole package. In most tech talks, folks are coming to learn something about technology or how humans interact with technology - so bringing substance is essential. You have to prove you know what you're talking about and that it matters to your audience.\n\nBut, as we've discussed already, that substance can't be just dry numbers on a chart or some other way to present cold unconnected data. While that is often the business of any serious engineering endeavor, a presentation on stage is more than that. You must also bring style - charisma, humor, fun visuals, and passion - all ways you can make sure style is balanced with the substance of your talk. Sure, some have a lot more style than others - but those with no style are the ones that are quickly forgotten.\n\nPerhaps one of the best speakers when it comes to this balance is Dylan Beattie. In \"The Art of Code,\" Dylan takes us through various elements - from maths to retro computing to programming Fizz Buzz as an 80's hair ballad, complete with guitar playing and singing from Dylan. However, Dylan balances the exciting talk style with the stories he wants the audience to hear. And he sprinkles in the substance about how we as technologists have a responsibility to the world...and need to not take ourselves too seriously.\n\n### More from Dylan\n\n- [Fractals, Factories and Fast Food](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs1DWYrw2Ps)\n\n- [Architecture: The Stuff That's Hard to Change](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LtQWxhqjqI)\n\n- [Ctrl-Alt-Del: Learning to Love Legacy Code](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPjHuvulivM)\n\n## Call to Action\n\n**[Why work doesn't happen at work](https://www.ted.com/talks/jason_fried_why_work_doesn_t_happen_at_work/transcript?language=en): Jason Fried, TEDx Midwest**\n\nThis last key - a meaningful call to action - is the one I struggled the most to name. As they say, there are only two hard things in software development: naming things, cache invalidation, and off-by-one errors. The connotation behind \"call to action\" may come off at first as sounding too \"sales and marketing\" like many software engineers. But that connotation does not impact the importance of a call to action. Using the strictest definition of the word, it is a vital part of your talk.\n\nAs we discussed, your audience came to your talk, hoping for you to succeed. They've now sat through you talking \"at\" them for 15, 25, 45 minutes or more. So the call to action is not for you - it's not self-serving like a sales pitch. Your call to action at the end of your talk should be your gift to the audience. It should be about them, not about you. It should give them concrete next steps they can take to positively impact what you were talking about in their own lives, organization, or world. This call to action is what you want the audience to remember, and the best tech talks are also the most memorable.\n\nAnd they don't have to be about tech at all even. In Jason Fried's TEDx talk \"Why work doesn't happen at work,\" Jason presents the main ideas around how we've become accustomed to working together are broken...and, more importantly, offers concrete ways to fix them. And while those calls to action are simple, they also go to the heart of Jason's story and passion: making it less crazy at work by freeing up people to do their best work with time and space.\n\n## What's next?\n\nSo, given that you've come this far, I hope I've shared my passion for great tech talks with you. Hopefully, that passion is shared, and you've found a new way of thinking about your own talks. So what is my gift to you for having come this far? Well, it's going to sound like an oversimplified call to action, but I'm telling you it's exactly what you should do:\n\n**Go give a talk!**\n\nYour unique stories are valuable. You are passionate about things that others should care more about. There are audiences out there - in meetups, small events, or large conferences  - that want to hear what you have to say and will be rooting for you when you get up in front of them. All that's left is to strike a balance between those stories and substance with some of your own personal style to make it exciting and engaging.\n\nSo go forth, and write that talk. I'm confident you can do it.\n",[9,268,944],{"slug":2323,"featured":6,"template":698},"what-makes-a-great-tech-talk","content:en-us:blog:what-makes-a-great-tech-talk.yml","What Makes A Great Tech Talk","en-us/blog/what-makes-a-great-tech-talk.yml","en-us/blog/what-makes-a-great-tech-talk",{"_path":2329,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2330,"content":2336,"config":2341,"_id":2343,"_type":13,"title":2344,"_source":15,"_file":2345,"_stem":2346,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/why-we-pay-local-rates",{"title":2331,"description":2332,"ogTitle":2331,"ogDescription":2332,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2333,"ogUrl":2334,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2334,"schema":2335},"Why GitLab pays local rates","Our compensation structure is known to spark controversy, so we want to give an update on our latest iteration on team member salaries.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749680461/Blog/Hero%20Images/local-rates.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/why-we-pay-local-rates","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Why GitLab pays local rates\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Aricka Flowers\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-02-28\",\n      }",{"title":2331,"description":2332,"authors":2337,"heroImage":2333,"date":2338,"body":2339,"category":799,"tags":2340},[1407],"2019-02-28","\n\nOur [compensation calculator](/handbook/total-rewards/compensation/compensation-calculator/) is a regular [hot topic on places like Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18441768#18443167) – pretty much any thread about GitLab has a comment about us paying local rates. As with everything GitLab does, we continue to [iterate](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#iteration) on our compensation model, and implemented a number of changes at the start of 2019. In addition to adjusting the salaries of backend developers, which were [raised considerably](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/commit/9382348c3c81b92b598b0a6da0994d387bdfc404) so that we are [\"at or above market,\"](/handbook/total-rewards/compensation/#competitive-rate) according to GitLab CEO [Sid Sijbrandij](/company/team/#sytses), the location factor was also revised to better reflect the respective areas covered.\n\nBut first, let's take a step back to see how we got to here.\n\n### Why did GitLab start paying team members according to location in the first place?\n\n\"It’s something that kind of happened organically,\" Sid says. \"Every time we hired someone, we’d discuss what a reasonable compensation would be. And many times, it came back to what they were making beforehand, and that really depended a lot on where they were. So we kind of started out having local market salaries as we grew. At a certain point, we said, 'Okay, this is apparently the standard. We’re basing it not just on your function and the seniority you have in the function, but also where you live.'\"\n\nGitLab no longer uses salary history as a factor in compensation offers and does not ask candidates about their previous pay. Instead, we ask all candidates, regardless of location, for their salary expectations.\n\n### Understanding the rent index\n\nThe compensation calculator's rent index came from a noted correlation between the aforementioned local market rate salaries and rent prices in the area. Using limited data sets with more than 100 locations across the globe, an analysis was run to determine the best gauge for local rates. The rent as listed on Numbeo was found to have the highest correlation.\n\n\"When you think about it, the correlation we found made sense,\" Sid explains. \"If there’s a place where people pay high wages, it tends to attract people. And then the rents, almost by force of nature, start rising. It’s not that we want to pay you based on your rent or compensate your cost of living. We want to make sure that we pay at or above market. We found that the rent was a great way to calculate that, and it’s why there’s a rent index as part of our global compensation formula.\"\n\n### New improvements on local market calculations\n\nGitLab compensation is calculated by delving into [local market data, when possible](/handbook/total-rewards/compensation/compensation-calculator/#location-factor), to ensure that [salaries are being tabulated](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/merge_requests/17460) fairly.\n\n\"Instead of using [just the rate index], what we do now is look at a number of different sources, usually four or five, to get market data for a city,\" says GitLab's outgoing Chief Culture Officer [Barbie Brewer](/company/team/#BarbieJBrewer). \"Then we find the median of that, and use it as our benchmark. That being said, you can't do this in all cities. We have a lot of employees in jobs that aren't typically available where they are located. In those instances, we fall back on the other equation. Generally speaking, it's pretty close. When we've had to go back and check those benchmarks, we found that it required very few adjustments. We were getting it right 95 percent of the time, so doing that check was good. It helped us understand that we were not that far off.\"\n\nBarbie also noted that some employees in low-income communities could fare better than expected because people in towns within 90 minutes of a large city will have their salaries calculated according to the higher metropolitan factor.\n\nNow that we know how GitLab got started with local rates, here's a look at why we have continued down this path.\n\n### Standard pay eats away at production and personnel\n\nIf everyone is paid the same role-based salary, the company would not be able to hire as many team members, and those that are brought on would not be as widely distributed, according to Sid. Ultimately, this approach would cut away at GitLab's ability to produce as well as be geographically diverse, he argues.\n\n\"If we pay everyone the San Francisco wage for their respective roles, our compensation costs would increase greatly, and we would be forced to hire a lot fewer people. Then we wouldn’t be able to produce as much as we would like,\" Sid explains. \"And if we started paying everyone the lowest rate possible, we would not be able to retain the people we want to keep.\n\n\"So you end up in a place where the compensation is somewhere in between. And that would cause us to have a concentration of team members in low-wage regions because it’s a better deal for them. They’re getting more than the market rate, so they’re more likely to apply and accept an offer. And they’re more likely to stay regardless of how happy they are, which is not healthy for them or the company.\"\n\n### Standard pay for all roles may not be as fair as it seems\n\nAnother problem with paying everyone the same salary, Sid says, comes down to how far a dollar goes in one place compared to another. If everyone is paid a standard salary, those who live in high-income areas would have less discretionary income when compared to their counterparts in lower-income communities. \n\nRemote companies using a standard pay structure are reportedly running into problems with their compensation plans. \n\n\"The most recent company I talked to has everybody getting paid the same, no matter where they're located. It's very, very different from GitLab, and it is causing problems for them,\" says Barbie. \"We have very strong communication with that company. They're hoping that we can help influence them to move away from paying everyone the same no matter their location. They're finding that it's extremely inequitable.\"\n\n### Closing the gap on local rates for distributed workers\n\nAs remote, or distributed, workplaces continue to take hold and grow across all industries, Sid hopes the location-based compensation gaps will narrow.\n\n\"I think the core difference is there’s people saying, 'Same work, same pay.' And there’s people like us saying we should be at market,\" Sid says. \"I hope the distance between those stances becomes smaller as more companies offer remote work opportunities. I think that’s the way to fix it – just make sure the market rates become higher and consistent.\n\n\"And that’s why we will be promoting remote work a lot. We have a great [page in our handbook about running an all-remote company](/company/culture/all-remote/). Hopefully, that is the way we will contribute to having people across the world get paid the same wages. We will track with that trend; but we won't be ahead of it or behind it. If you see what remote work is doing in a country like the Ukraine, it’s a great source of income for the people there. And I want to contribute to that.\"\n\nStill have questions or thoughts on GitLab's compensation structure? Sound off in the comments below (or on HN, inevitably 😁) or ping us on Twitter [@gitlab](https://twitter.com/gitlab).\n\n[Cover image](https://unsplash.com/photos/uCMKx2H1Y38) by [AbsolutVision](https://unsplash.com/@freegraphictoday) on Unsplash\n{: .note}\n",[9,801,844,778],{"slug":2342,"featured":6,"template":698},"why-we-pay-local-rates","content:en-us:blog:why-we-pay-local-rates.yml","Why We Pay Local Rates","en-us/blog/why-we-pay-local-rates.yml","en-us/blog/why-we-pay-local-rates",{"_path":2348,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2349,"content":2355,"config":2361,"_id":2363,"_type":13,"title":2364,"_source":15,"_file":2365,"_stem":2366,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/working-at-gitlab-affects-my-life",{"title":2350,"description":2351,"ogTitle":2350,"ogDescription":2351,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2352,"ogUrl":2353,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2353,"schema":2354},"How working at GitLab has changed my view on work and life","A glimpse of the things I've learned at GitLab since I joined.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749678678/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-effects.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/working-at-gitlab-affects-my-life","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How working at GitLab has changed my view on work and life\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Hazel Yang\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-03-15\",\n      }",{"title":2350,"description":2351,"authors":2356,"heroImage":2352,"date":2358,"body":2359,"category":799,"tags":2360},[2357],"Hazel Yang","2018-03-15","\nI will have been at GitLab for two years in June of this year. Working at GitLab is a fresh experience for me. Joining a company outside of Asia and working 100 percent remotely was not something that I had previously done. It not only affects my work but my entire life. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work with talented and friendly people around the world. I think it would be good to share my reflections about what I’ve learned during this 19-month journey.\n\n\u003C!-- more -->\n\nWe have an open source [handbook](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/) that everyone can access, and it includes our six [values](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/), (CREDIT) which support our everyday work. Keeping these values in mind benefits me a lot both in my work and in my life, and I would love to share them with you here:\n\n### Expressing oneself completely, clearly and without reservation\n\nCollaboration is essential in our everyday work. At GitLab, we prefer asynchronous communication instead of synchronous communication since we are spread around the world, from America, Europe, Africa, to Asia. We rely on text-based communication heavily. However, words are cold without the body language support, and they could easily lead to misunderstanding and conflict. So how we express our thoughts clearly and kindly in text becomes crucial.\n\nAfter joining GitLab, I always think twice before sending out messages or comments, even in my personal life. I started to choose my words more carefully both in English and Chinese. I also have tried to explain as much as possible. I found that if I did these two things, I can avoid the misunderstanding and increase the efficiency of communication. The most important thing is that people feel comfortable while discussing with you in the text. So don't be afraid to completely express your thoughts, in a careful and sensitive manner.\n\n### Don't be shy to show your gratitude\n\nWe have [\"Say thanks\"](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/communication/#say-thanks) in our [values](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/), and we often say \"Thank you\" to each other, especially in our \"Thanks\" channel on Slack.\n\n{: .text-center}\n![graphic-gratitude](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/working-at-gitlab/gratitude.png){:height=\"480px\" width=\"680px\"}\n\nDue to my personality and culture, at first I was shy to express my appreciation to my friends, family, and colleagues. At GitLab, we have a unique culture that encourages people to say “thanks,” so I try not to be too shy to show my gratitude. As I practiced this more and more, it became a habit and a natural thing to me. Now I say “thanks” very often, even for little things, and it feels positive and makes me happy every day.\n\nExpressing gratitude not only makes me feel satisfied, it also makes the person that I expressed my appreciation for have a beautiful mood.\n\n### Learning from failure\n\n\"Iteration\" is critical to our product improvement and development. We see what each of us produce initially as a draft. This helps us reduce the cycle time and have a prototyping mindset towards the features we are working on. We are not afraid of failure since we are always flexible in adjusting our products based on the feedback from both our external and internal communities.\n\n{: .text-center}\n![graphic-iterations](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/working-at-gitlab/iterations.png){:height=\"480px\" width=\"680px\"}\n\nI have applied this mindset to my personal life as well. In my culture, we value the smart person who never makes mistakes. So we try as hard as possible to avoid errors and losing face. However, the prototyping mindset changed my thoughts and reactions towards the things that previously may have made me feel embarrassed or uncomfortable. I became more open-minded in accepting positive and negative feedback from others. I no longer get upset or offended if someone corrects something that I did. I realized that my life is also a kind of product and it will be better and better in every iteration.\n\n### Trust your team and grow with them\n\nWhen you trust your team members, you will be brave enough to leave your comfort zone because you believe they will give you the support whenever you need it.\n\nA good example of trust concerns my English. English is my second language and therefore it is a weakness of mine. When you lack confidence in something, you often refuse to do the things outside of your comfort zone as you fear it would make you look stupid. This was exactly my situation when I joined GitLab. However, when I realized that the people around me weren’t as concerned about my shortcomings in English as much as they valued me for my contributions to the company. It gives me the courage to face my linguistic challenges.\n\nI am still not 100 percent as confident in English as I am in Mandarin, yet my confidence has increased from 30 percent to almost 70 percent if one puts a number to it. As you can see, I am writing this blog post in English to share my experience at GitLab now. This is only my second blog post.\n\nGitLab provides a very positive environment where I can improve and grow professionally as well as personally. I appreciate that my colleagues are always supportive and patient. I feel safe and comfortable while doing challenging things, not just concerning my English but in all of the tasks that I face at GitLab.\n\n### Befriend your manager and colleagues\n\nI felt that it was harder to befriend managers and colleagues at a company in Asia. I am not the sure what the reason is, but I think perhaps it is because of Confucianism which impacts our culture a lot.\n\nAt GitLab, I speak freely about numerous things to my manager, [Sarrah Vesselov](/company/team/#SVesselov), since I know she cares about our team and wants our team to grow. I also feel that GitLab is like a big family even though we are a large and distributed team. We try as hard as we can to get people together in both virtual and practical ways.\n\n{: .text-center}\n![image-summit](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/working-at-gitlab/summit.png){:height=\"480px\" width=\"680px\"}\n\nFor example, we have the [team call](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/communication/#team-call), and people can share a bit about their lives. We also encourage our team members to join the [\"virtual coffee breaks\"](https://work.qz.com/1147877/remote-work-why-we-put-virtual-coffee-breaks-in-our-company-handbook/) to get to know each other. Moreover, we host a [summit](/events/gitlab-contribute/) to get together in person every nine months. This year we will meet in [Cape Town, South Africa](https://gitlab.com/summits/2018-Summit).\n\n### Embrace diversity\n\nGitLab promotes [diversity](/company/culture/inclusion/) and hires globally. We believe \"Culture add\" much more than \"Culture fit.\" We include different race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. We also support inclusive benefits, for instance, [Transgender Medical Services](/handbook/total-rewards/benefits/general-and-entity-benefits/inc-benefits-us/) and [Pregnancy and Maternity Care](/handbook/total-rewards/benefits/general-and-entity-benefits/#parental-leave). We have a LGBTQ+ channel on Slack as well. Embracing differences powers our creativity.\n\n{: .text-center}\n![graphic-diversity](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/working-at-gitlab/diversity.png){:height=\"480px\" width=\"680px\"}\n\nWorking with people from diverse backgrounds is fantastic. I have learned from others’ communicative styles and different ways of thinking. I have broadened my views and now see the world from different perspectives. I am much more open-minded. The most important thing is that I completely understand that we are equal regardless of who we are.\n\n## Conclusion\n\nWorking at GitLab is a unique experience for me. I feel excited to start my work every day and enjoy the job I am doing.\n\nFor those that may be interested in working at Gitlab, we are currently hiring people from everywhere. If you want to join the journey, you can check out our [jobs](/jobs/) page and feel free to apply for the position if you feel that you are qualified. We are looking forward to hearing from you!\n",[801,695,9],{"slug":2362,"featured":6,"template":698},"working-at-gitlab-affects-my-life","content:en-us:blog:working-at-gitlab-affects-my-life.yml","Working At Gitlab Affects My Life","en-us/blog/working-at-gitlab-affects-my-life.yml","en-us/blog/working-at-gitlab-affects-my-life",{"_path":2368,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2369,"content":2374,"config":2380,"_id":2382,"_type":13,"title":2383,"_source":15,"_file":2384,"_stem":2385,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/working-for-gitlab-a-support-engineers-perspective",{"title":2370,"description":2371,"ogTitle":2370,"ogDescription":2371,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1810,"ogUrl":2372,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2372,"schema":2373},"Working for GitLab - A Support Engineer's perspective","Reflecting on the last 12 months working for GitLab as a Support Engineer","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/working-for-gitlab-a-support-engineers-perspective","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Working for GitLab - A Support Engineer's perspective\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Anton Smith\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-08-10\",\n      }",{"title":2370,"description":2371,"authors":2375,"heroImage":1810,"date":2377,"body":2378,"category":1388,"tags":2379},[2376],"Anton Smith","2020-08-10","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\nHi everyone! My name is Anton and I’m a Support Engineer at GitLab, where I have been working for the last 12 months, and I’d like to share my story with you all.\n\nLast Friday afternoon, I was on a Zoom call with a colleague discussing some customer tickets. It was during this time that my phone started ringing. Not recognizing the number, and having that curiosity of wondering who it could possibly be, I placed my Zoom call on mute and accepted the call on my phone. The person on the other end of the line turned out to be a recruiter I had reached out to over a year ago. They explained that they had seen my Linkedin profile earlier in the day and they thought I was the perfect fit for a Senior PHP Developer role that had just opened up. Thanking them for getting in touch, I informed them that I would review the information they provided and get back to them. Since I was still in a Zoom call, I unmuted that call and told my colleague about how random it was that a recruiter contacted me after all this time. We had a chuckle and then resumed our discussion on customer tickets. However  in the back of my mind, I continued to think about the recruiter’s offer. So here I am reflecting on the past 12 months and my time at GitLab.\n\nBefore joining the team at GitLab, I was a full stack web developer for 10 years and had no prior experience working in a pure support role. The shift from a development career to support wasn’t one made by my own choice. Unfortunately at my previous employer there were some redundancies happening so I thought this would be a good opportunity to look around and see what else was on offer. With PHP development roles in scarce supply in my city, I would’ve needed to shift to a larger city if I wanted to stay in the same type of work. It was by mere chance that I saw an ad for the GitLab Support Engineer role on Linkedin. I pondered on the idea of applying for the position.\n\nAs a web developer, I was already very familiar with the GitLab product and had been using and administering the GitLab product since the source days, before the Omnibus and CI were even a thing! I even remember back then, the GitLab logo kind of looked like a grumpy fox, nothing like what our logo looks like today! I was also blown away by the GitLab Handbook and how transparent the company was on a public level.\n\nSo, I thought, why not? Let’s apply at GitLab and see how it goes. \n\nTo my surprise, the interview process was a great experience. I was met with many smiles, and had engaging conversations with all the interviewers. I definitely saw myself working here. When I was offered the position, I was thrilled, but while the relief of securing a new position started to fade, the new challenge was only just beginning. \n\nWhen I started my first few days at GitLab, I was super excited about working for an awesome company full of inspiring people, but I was also super scared. From my perspective, I had just changed career types and was now transitioning from a development role into a support role. It was definitely a gamble changing career types. I had some idea of what I was getting myself into, but honestly I was really worried that I would not be able to fulfil my duties in Support effectively. I was worried the job would be too difficult. I was worried that my colleagues would think that I am incompetent and question why I was even at GitLab. I was worried I’d miss writing code as I once did in my development career. It was also the first remote job that I had ever worked, and I wondered if I would feel lonely working alone at home. There were several times when I questioned myself - did I make the right decision coming to GitLab? \n\nThe main contributing factor to settling into GitLab was just how awesome the team was in making me feel welcome. It took a while for me to warm up to everyone, as I admit I was a little afraid, but when I was stuck on something, the team was always willing to help and I am so grateful to be part of that. Every time I was on a Zoom call with the team, I was always met with a friendly smile, and was constantly told that I should take my time learning the role, and not try to rush into everything. While internally struggling with myself to ask questions I considered stupid, I was encouraged to ask them anyway, because someone else might have the same question and as the saying goes “ there is no such thing as a silly question”.\n\nWith some determination, perseverance, and encouragement from the rest of the Support team, I began to feel better about my situation and gain more confidence in my role. With the GitLab application and its components being as big as they are, I quickly realised that I would not be able to learn everything in depth and should spend some time specialising in specific areas so I could feel competent in my role. \n\nUsing that logic, I took an interest to GitLab Geo in the early days, and I am now one of the Geo experts for the Asia Pacific region. One of the other initiatives I am currently working towards is learning about Kubernetes as we are seeing more customers run GitLab on this platform. Kubernetes is a fascinating topic for me and it’s definitely something I would have never explored as a web developer. Basically, I became a knowledge sponge and have been continuously assimilating information ever since.\n\nWith the change in role when moving to GitLab, I started out discounting the usefulness of my previous skills but shortly realised that they were invaluable in contributing to the team. I came across a pain point with downloads from Zendesk, our customer ticket system and how the downloads all went to a single folder. Using my web development skills, I built a browser extension that sorted ticket downloads into separate folders for myself. I remember hesitantly sharing this with the Support team, and I was stunned that so many of my colleagues were actually so happy that I created the extension. This encouraged me to get more involved with further initiatives with the team.\n\nAs time flew by, I continued to build on my confidence, learning more about the role and the GitLab ecosystem. I was always looking forward to sitting down at my desk everyday to work, especially to work alongside my colleagues in real time via Zoom on fascinating problems that customers were facing. As an ex web developer, I was always one that enjoyed the journey in solving a problem, the twists and turns that might pop up, and how to overcome any unknowns. I also jumped into Rails whenever I got a chance, as some problems require Ruby code to be written for customers to run, which satisfied my coding urges. These commonalities were also present in my role as a Support Engineer, which allowed me to easily migrate across the roles. There are some things in my job I still find scary, but it’s a good scary, as I see it as another challenge to take head on. Plus, if I can’t figure it out, there is a strong team I work alongside and they are always happy to offer some help if I get stuck.\n\nAfter reflecting on the past 12 months at GitLab, I then started thinking about the call I received from the recruiter. Sure, I had many doubts when I started and had experienced many high moments as well as low moments, but I definitely felt like being a Support Engineer was the right career for me. I feel like the leap of faith I took a year previously and changing career types had definitely paid off. I feel like a valued team member at GitLab and love how I work with a diverse group of people from all walks of life across the globe. I would not trade that experience for anything.\n\nThe next day, I called the recruiter back, and I politely declined their job offer, explaining that I now work remotely for a US company called GitLab and I love working for them. The recruiter of course was disappointed, but they also understood why I didn't want to leave.\n\nSometimes it’s a good idea to stop, look back and reflect. I quickly realised that I have achieved so much and positively impacted so many people over that time. I was so excited and scared when starting work at GitLab due to switching career paths, and I had many doubts. I’m glad I took a chance and saw it through. I can’t imagine myself working anywhere else.\n\n",[9],{"slug":2381,"featured":6,"template":698},"working-for-gitlab-a-support-engineers-perspective","content:en-us:blog:working-for-gitlab-a-support-engineers-perspective.yml","Working For Gitlab A Support Engineers Perspective","en-us/blog/working-for-gitlab-a-support-engineers-perspective.yml","en-us/blog/working-for-gitlab-a-support-engineers-perspective",{"_path":2387,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2388,"content":2393,"config":2398,"_id":2400,"_type":13,"title":2401,"_source":15,"_file":2402,"_stem":2403,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/working-remotely-with-children-at-home",{"title":2389,"description":2390,"ogTitle":2389,"ogDescription":2390,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1984,"ogUrl":2391,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2391,"schema":2392},"How to make your home a space that works with kids","Here's our best advice on making your home/work space work for you and your kids.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/working-remotely-with-children-at-home","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How to make your home a space that works with kids\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sean McGivern\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-08-01\",\n      }",{"title":2389,"description":2390,"authors":2394,"heroImage":1984,"date":2395,"body":2396,"category":799,"tags":2397},[1989],"2019-08-01","\n\n_In part three of our series on working remotely with children we look at how GitLab\nteam members literally make their homes work for them while children are around.\nIn part one of our series we examined [maternity/paternity leave polices around\nthe world](/blog/how-is-it-being-a-new-mom-working-for-gitlab/) and in part two Jarka Košanová shared her experiences while\n[working as a new mother](/blog/balancing-career-and-baby/)._\n\nAt [GitLab Contribute 2019](/blog/contribute-wrap-up/) in New Orleans,\nwe had an unconference\nsession about working remotely with children at home. The\nfacilitators were [Lyle Kozloff][lyle] and myself, [Sean\nMcGivern][smcgivern]. Not surprisingly, the four sessions generated a lot of good ideas.\nThe participants had all ages of children from\n'not yet, but thinking about it' to older teenagers. They also worked in\ndifferent functions at GitLab and had different tenures – some people\nhad been at GitLab for years while others had just joined the week of\nContribute. And others were community contributors or partners of GitLab team members.\n\nNo conversation about working at home with kids can fail to include ideas about how\nto structure the space. To make it all work, it's important to be creative.\n\n## Make use of what's available\n\n> I'd never had a remote job before and I didn't realize just how loud my daughter was.\nI got a noise-cancelling microphone because my daughter is in the next room to me. – [_Désirée Chevalier, test automation engineer_][dchevalier2]\n\n> I have an open-plan kitchen/dining/living room, which looks nice, but with my kids around\nit's pretty much impossible to work from any of these areas. I'm planning to try making the\nloft \"the office,\" but I haven't done it yet. – [_Marcel Amirault, technical writer_][Ravlen]\n\nIf you don't have a large house or apartment, you might need to think outside\nthe box when it comes to managing your space. And things can change again as your\nchildren age or if you have more children. Even having a room solely\nfor work might come with some additional challenges!\n\n## Designate spaces clearly\n\n> We have a one-bedroom apartment and I mostly work in the living room. When I take\ncalls I go into the bedroom. We involved the kids in the planning about communication.\nThe bedroom door has a sign with an X or an O on it. If there's an O they can come in, grab\nsomething, and close the door behind them. If there's an X they can't come in for any reason.\nWhen we moved in my son was still three, and it worked for the later stages of three –\nespecially because he was involved. – [_Lyle Kozloff, support engineering manager_][lyle]\n\n![Minimum Viable Product for indicating space usage](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/mvp-presence-signs.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\nHow one team member communicates whether or not he can be interrupted.\n{: .note.text-center}\n\nIf you need to be uninterrupted, it's important that that is very clear\nto everyone else – especially the children. Having a dedicated space is\ngreat, but even a shared space can be turned into a dedicated space for\nsome of the time before becoming a shared space again later.\n\n## Get out of the house if you need to\n\n> I find it better to set boundaries ahead of time instead of reacting to things that are happening.\nFour or five times a month I will work from a coffee shop to help enforce that too. – [_Mike Greiling,\nsenior frontend engineer_][mikegreiling]\n\n> I used to have a dedicated room then it became my son's room. Then I moved to the\nentrance hallway, because it's big and there was room for a desk. I tried it for one year, but\nmy wife and child were always coming past. I've started going to a coworking space. It feels\nlike a failure because I don't stay home, but it works best for us. – [_Alessio Caiazza, senior backend engineer_][nolith]\n\nThis is not a failure at all! Everyone has to do what they need to do for their\nown circumstances. [Working remotely doesn't necessarily mean working from\nhome](/company/culture/all-remote/#what-all-remote-does-not-mean), and stressed\nparents are not going to be able to be at their best.\n\n_In part four of our series we have advice on everything from time management to relationships._\n\n[dchevalier2]: /company/team/#dchevalier2\n[lyle]: /company/team/#lkozloff\n[mikegreiling]: /company/team/#mikegreiling\n[nolith]: /company/team/#nolith\n[Ravlen]: /company/team/#ravlen1\n[smcgivern]: /company/team/#mcgivernsa\n\nPhoto by [Baby Natur](https://unsplash.com/@babynatur?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/search/photos/kids-toys?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)\n{: .note}\n",[844,9,801],{"slug":2399,"featured":6,"template":698},"working-remotely-with-children-at-home","content:en-us:blog:working-remotely-with-children-at-home.yml","Working Remotely With Children At Home","en-us/blog/working-remotely-with-children-at-home.yml","en-us/blog/working-remotely-with-children-at-home",{"_path":2405,"_dir":245,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2406,"content":2412,"config":2419,"_id":2421,"_type":13,"title":2422,"_source":15,"_file":2423,"_stem":2424,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/13-0-contributor-experience-update",{"title":2407,"description":2408,"ogTitle":2407,"ogDescription":2408,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2409,"ogUrl":2410,"ogSiteName":685,"ogType":686,"canonicalUrls":2410,"schema":2411},"13.0 Contributor Experience Update","We're continually improving the tooling that helps our community of contributors build GitLab. Here's what's new over the last month!","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749669604/Blog/Hero%20Images/tanuki-bg-sm.gif","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/13-0-contributor-experience-update","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"13.0 Contributor Experience Update\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Patrick Deuley\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Taurie Davis\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-06-01\",\n      }",{"title":2407,"description":2408,"authors":2413,"heroImage":2409,"date":2415,"body":2416,"category":1388,"tags":2417},[2414,1385],"Patrick Deuley","2020-06-01","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\nThe Ecosystem group is the home of the [Pajamas Design System](https://design.gitlab.com) and the [GitLab Development Kit](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit). Our job is to help you as a contributor work on GitLab, whether that's writing backend code, creating awesome new features in our UI, or testing feature branches to validate new work that's about to go in.\n\nThis is a collection of all the updates from the last month, including changes to Pajamas, new components in GitLab UI, new icons, new commands in the GDK, and more! Check it out below, and as always, please feel free to send us issues for new things we could improve or add. You can also find us in [#g_ecosystem](https://gitlab.slack.com/archives/CK4Q4709G) (for general inquiries), [#g_manage_foundations](https://gitlab.slack.com/archives/C010NAWPRV4) (for Pajamas and GitLab-UI), or [#gdk](https://gitlab.slack.com/archives/C2Z9A056E). 🎉\n\n\n## Pajamas\n\n* We introduced [semantic releases](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-services/design.gitlab.com/-/merge_requests/1866) and [conventional commits](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-services/design.gitlab.com/-/merge_requests/1863). \n* We updated our [component status table](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-services/design.gitlab.com/-/merge_requests/1878) to include different touchpoints. This includes Figma, Usage docs, Vue docs, GitLab UI state, and Accessibility audit statuses.\n\n## Usage guidelines\n\n* We added first usage guideline iterations for [Progress Bars](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-services/design.gitlab.com/-/merge_requests/1886) and [File Uploaders](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-services/design.gitlab.com/-/merge_requests/1799).\n* We also clarified the [position of buttons in alerts](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-services/design.gitlab.com/-/merge_requests/1889), as well as added [dismissal guidelines for banners](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-services/design.gitlab.com/-/merge_requests/1893).\n* We introduced documentation for our new [data visualization color palette](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-services/design.gitlab.com/-/merge_requests/1831).\n\n_[Check out the changelog](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-services/design.gitlab.com/-/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md) for more improvements._\n\n## GitLab UI\n\n* Within GitLab UI, we introduced [UX Reviewers](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ui/-/merge_requests/1358) to our review roulette bot.\n* We also started laying the foundation for using GitLab UI in our Docs as part of our [Beautifying the Docs](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/3063) effort.\n\n## Component updates\n\n* Our [markdown typescale](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ui/-/merge_requests/1201) is now viewable with compact markdown coming soon.\n* We've [removed the documentation link from scoped labels](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ui/-/merge_requests/1259), [standardized alert styling](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ui/-/merge_requests/1344), added [filters](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-services/design.gitlab.com/-/merge_requests/1897) as built and ready to use, fixed [dropdown styles](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ui/-/merge_requests/1322), and introduced the [loading button](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ui/-/merge_requests/1308). We also clarified that [filter and sorting functionality shouldn't be combined in the same component](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-services/design.gitlab.com/-/merge_requests/1879).\n\n_[Check out the changelog](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ui/-/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md) for more improvements._\n\n## Figma migration\n\n* New components have been added to Figma!\n  * [Token](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-services/design.gitlab.com/-/merge_requests/1917)\n  * [Sorting](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-services/design.gitlab.com/-/merge_requests/1890)\n  * [Tree](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-services/design.gitlab.com/-/merge_requests/1896)\n* We [deprecated the Sketch UI Kit](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-design/-/merge_requests/243) in favor of the [Pajamas UI Kit](https://www.figma.com/community/file/781156790581391771) in Figma. We also determined [Project and Team library structure in Figma](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-design/-/merge_requests/247/diffs) and added [guidance on collaborating within Figma vs. GitLab's Design Management](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-design/-/merge_requests/248)\n\n# Icons\n\n* Issue templates for adding new [icons](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-svgs/-/merge_requests/539) and [illustrations](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-svgs/-/merge_requests/541) have been moved from [GitLab Design](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-design) to [GitLab SVGs](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-svgs).\n* The following icons were added to GitLab SVG:\n  * [Project, group, and subgroup](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-svgs/-/merge_requests/562)\n  * [Expire](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-svgs/-/merge_requests/564)\n  * [Container image](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-svgs/-/merge_requests/566)\n\n# GDK\n\n* [GDK doctor](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit/-/merge_requests?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=merged&label_name[]=gdk-doctor&milestone_title=13.0) now checks a bunch of Ruby gems that have C extensions that are known to cause issues\n* There's [a new `quiet` mode](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit/-/merge_requests/1267) that reduces the \"noise\" during the bundle installation. This should make it more obvious when actionable things happen. Try it out and let us know if this is helpful!\n\n## Documentation\n* We added some [general commands](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit/-/blob/master/doc/troubleshooting.md#troubleshooting) that are good to know when troubleshooting GDK errors.\n* We've [restructured the documentation](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit/-/tree/master/doc) to make it easier to navigate! This includes moving non-core content into `doc/howto` to centralize specific how to docs in one place.\n* There were also [24 other documentation improvements](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit/-/merge_requests?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=merged&label_name[]=documentation&milestone_title=13.0)!! 🎉\n* [YARD documentation](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit/-/merge_requests/1213) is now automatically generated and accessible at https://gitlab-org.gitlab.io/gitlab-development-kit/\n* [Webpack is now able to be run in different modes](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit/-/merge_requests/1201/)\n* There's now a doc on how to [configure a hosted Grafana instance](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit/-/blob/master/doc/howto/prometheus/third_party_access.md#configuring-a-hosted-grafana-instance)\n\n## CI\n  - All [shell scripts](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit/-/merge_requests/1190)  within the project are now checked\n  - Documentation linted even further with the [introduction of Vale](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit/-/merge_requests/1193)\n  - Ruby code is now [checked with RuboCop](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit/-/merge_requests/1206)\n  - CI config was [split up into templates](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit/-/merge_requests/1229)\n  - CI jobs are now [interruptible by default](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit/-/merge_requests/1256)\n\n## Misc\n  - [Sidekiq logging now JSON by default](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit/-/merge_requests/1198)\n\n",[1005,9,2418],"CD",{"slug":2420,"featured":6,"template":698},"13-0-contributor-experience-update","content:en-us:blog:13-0-contributor-experience-update.yml","13 0 Contributor Experience Update","en-us/blog/13-0-contributor-experience-update.yml","en-us/blog/13-0-contributor-experience-update",10,[678,703,724,745,765,785,808,829,851],1758662349362]