I am Wallace Mwabini, a DevOps Engineer at Cloudoon Inc. To be honest, my role at Cloudoon changes as often as the seasons of the world do. But each new role presents me with an opportunity to grow — both in technical skills and in leadership — areas in which I still have much to learn.

In my capacity as a DevOps Engineer, I have worked with various technologies, with my favorite being Kubernetes. I work with Linux servers, Windows servers, and many web applications built with PHP, Python (Django, Flask, and bare-bones scripts), ASP, and Ruby. I deploy and manage all sorts of applications, even though I am most proficient in Python and familiar with PHP. I haven’t coded in ASP or Ruby but I have managed applications created in these. Deployment and management of platforms is a different skill to coding.

How I Got Into DevOps

My interest in computing began way back in 2006 when my elder brother shared his experience learning Computer Studies in high school after closing for his first term in high school. Going to high school was something I really looked forward to. Yes, I was a young boy — you can’t blame me. I simply followed in his footsteps and grew a passion for technology. Since then, I have focused on becoming better at my craft in this industry.

When I began working, I thought of myself as a developer. But after my first developer interview, I quickly learned that I lacked the skills for it then. So I switched to Technical Support first, which was more accessible to me due to my Linux background.

I then had to learn all about system administration, software development, and DevOps engineering — a journey that has been deeply fulfilling.

Quick Facts

Worship: Christian
Hometown: Busia, Kenya
Education: Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science
Specialties: DevOps Engineering and Web Development
Hobbies and Pastime: Reading, coding, watching cartoons
If I weren’t a DevOps Engineer, I’d be farming or doing something in statistics.

Favourite Verse

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for there is no work in the grave, where you are going.”
— Ecclesiastes 9:10

Some Key Lessons So Far

We will never cease to learn. The world constantly presents opportunities for us to grow. As Paul in the Bible puts it, "the scene of the world is changing". Over the few years I have lived on this earth, I've picked up lessons:

1. All of us have to prove ourselves every day

Nobody owes us anything in this world. In my view, even the very life we live — we have not earned it. While with God it is a gift we cannot repay(nor are we expected to pay in full), in our daily activities here on earth, we must keep proving ourselves worthy every day.

Whatever you achieved yesterday does not guarantee your success today or tomorrow. Once you complete a project, process it quickly, take the lessons, celebrate the success, and most importantly — move on. Thinking you’ve “earned your place” is complacent.

2. Before you can work smart, you have to work hard

We’ve all heard that “working smart” is the way to go. While I’m a fan of working smart, I believe you must first work hard. It’s only after feeling the pain that you truly understand the value — and benefits — of working smart.

Take, for instance, a scenario where you need to perform a task on 50 servers. As a beginner, I recommend you first do it manually on one server to see the caveats the task presents before automating it for the other 49. Trying to automate from the start not only denies you an opportunity to learn but also sets you up for failure.

3. Learning is eternal

The day you stop growing is the day you start dying. In the IT or computing industry, you quickly become irrelevant when your skills are no longer needed — not just by your employer, but by society.

As I write this, AI is sweeping through almost every career where people use computers. For example, technical blogging is no longer as lucrative as it once was because people now get many of their answers from AI. They don't need to visit any other page after googling. Google's Gemini will give you all the answers you need. Previously, you'd have to traverse 5 to 6 blogs to get your answers. Such a change means if you cannot adapt, you get left behind.

4. Always show kindness to people you interact with

I’ve realized that at any given time, someone you know is going through a lot. When people wake up and show up to work, most of us have no idea what others are battling. Some fight disease daily, others have loved ones suffering, others struggle financially, others just had a fight with a loved on. So so much...

So when you correct, correct with kindness. When you work with, or simply interact with someone — do it kindly. You can correct kindly; you can say no with kindness. You can act kindly. Do not criticize too harshly. I am all for decisiveness and single-mindedness - making tough decisions is what moves things forward. But learn to afford people gentleness when interacting with them. Try it, even if you won't always remember to do so.

5. Always take care of the customer

I remember after finishing Form 4, I went back upcountry to apply for my national ID. After completing the process and spending a few days at home, it was time to travel back to Thika. My dad took me to the bus station to catch my evening bus. 

When he inquired at the counter — since bus lists weren’t publicly available — the agent and my dad failed to understand each other. The agent immediately turned to me and jokingly said, “Boss, si uelezee mzae hizi vitu...” It was the most disrespectful thing I had ever seen someone do for a paying customer. Of course, my dad didn’t let that slide; he sternly warned the young man not to dare disrespect anyone again.

To the agent’s credit, he quickly realized his mistake and offered the help he was being paid to provide, without further drama. But what stuck with me was that he thought he was doing the right thing by addressing my dad — the paying customer — that way.

Since that day, I’ve made it a point to ensure no customer I serve ever leaves feeling the way I felt. Additionally, in any team I lead, one thing I never condone is outright disrespect for a customer.

I’ve also seen excellent solutions and software products out there that never sell. It shows that acquiring a customer is often the hardest part — and once you have one, you should never allow room for disrespect toward the person who makes payment for your service.