Between learning new tools, drinking from the proverbial fire-hose, and figuring things out as I went, this year in my role as a DevSecOps Engineer was packed with challenges (more than a few 😅) and meaningful growth. What I didn’t expect was how much the role would teach me beyond just technical aspects. Taking time to reflect helped me realize that the most impactful lessons weren’t purely technical. Here are five lessons that I learned in my role as a DevSecOps engineer in 2025.

Lesson 1: Feedback Is Not Criticism

As humans, we don’t like being judged. We have an innate need for social belonging, and when we believe we are being judged, our brains interpret it as a threat to our standing within a social group. Realizing this helped me learn one of the first lessons I’ll discuss: Feedback Is Not Criticism

I work with extremely intelligent, highly analytical people, and part of that dynamic involves asking many questions. When I first started, this was very jarring for me. Why? Because it was new, and it challenged my ego at the time. One of my first assignments was to update one of our Ansible playbooks. It seemed straightforward, right? However, when I submitted my first pull request, I was met with numerous questions about my choices regarding specific methods. Admittedly, this was a significant blow to my ego. Thoughts like “Why are they asking so many questions?” and “They must think I’m stupid” along with feelings of being an impostor, flooded my mind. It felt as though these questions were attacks on my character and intelligence.

My brother, who also works in tech and serves as a great sounding board for me, helped me through this. I went to him with my concerns, and he offered me the following insight.

Man, maybe they’re just genuinely curious, and that’s why they’re asking so many questions.

I realized that he was absolutely right. It’s so obvious, but I couldn’t see it because of my ego. I had to get my ego in check. These were not criticisms of my character. I wasnt being judged. These are legitimate questions and feedback to help my fellow coworkers understand my work. This realization was huge for me. I began to understand that feedback is a crucial part of growth and collaboration in any environment. Engaging in discussions about my choices not only clarified my thinking but also helped me learn from my teammates. By adopting this mindset, I became more open to constructive criticism. Each interaction helped me refine my skills and build confidence in my abilities.

Lesson 2: Don’t Try To Memorize Everything

I’ve always been amazed by how my teammates tackle problems. It often feels like they have a solution ready at a moment’s notice—as if everything is memorized. Over time, I learned that this isn’t actually the case.

I was sharing my screen with a coworker while he helped me with a Docker Compose file. He asked me a question related to one of my services. I paused and said, “Hmm, I’m trying to remember.” He laughed and said:

“Don’t try to memorize everything. Learn where the docs are and bookmark them.“

In that moment, I felt like a magician just told me the secret to one of his tricks. I realized that what I thought was memorization was really familiarity. Experience isn’t about holding every detail in your head. It’s about knowing where to look, what questions to ask, and how to find reliable information quickly. That realization lifted a lot of pressure and completely changed how I approach learning and problem-solving.

Lesson 3: It’s Okay To Ask For Help

Have you ever been in a meeting where the presenter says, “Are there any questions?” but you don’t speak up? You actually have a few questions ready, but out of fear of asking a dumb question, you retreat. This was me for a while. I wasted hours simply because I was afraid to ask for help. Why? I thought asking for help would make me seem incompetent. This started to affect my work. My fear of asking questions became a bottleneck. How did I overcome this? I just forced myself to ask the question, no matter how incompetent I thought I was going to sound. Also, I asked myself, “What’s the worst thing that can happen by asking a question?” 100% of the time, I couldn’t come up with an answer.

Asking for help is not a weakness. There’s work that needs to be done, and though bottlenecks will happen, I’m happy to say that my fear of asking questions isnt one of them anymore.

Lesson 4: Growth Requires Discomfort

In 2023, I ran The Broad Street Run, a famous ten-mile race in Philadelphia. I finished with a time of 1:01:10. That’s a 6:07/min per mile pace. In the months leading up to this race, I completed workouts that left me exhausted and even questioning whether to run the next day. But all of those workouts served a purpose. That 1:01:10 time wouldn’t have happened without those extremely uncomfortable workouts. The same applies to my growth in my current role. Numerous times over this past year, I was in very uncomfortable situations. I was tasked with projects I initially had no idea how to complete, and I faced failed upgrades that needed to be resolved immediately. During these challenges, I often felt confused, defeated, and mentally exhausted. However, after each experience, I came away with more knowledge and greater confidence for the future. Just as those tough training runs built my endurance for the Broad Street Run, each challenging project and setback at work has pushed me to develop new skills and resilience.

Lesson 5: Don’t Forget About The Important Things In Life

If you have a social media account, it’s hard not to come across a post telling you to work harder or reminding you that you have to grind to be successful. While there’s some validity in these ideas, it’s imperative not to lose sight of what really matters, which is different for everybody.

This brings me to my final takeaway of 2025: Don’t Forget About The Important Things In Life.

I genuinely enjoy my job, but at the end of the day, it’s just a job. No matter how much effort you put in or how much you upskill, we’re all replaceable. If something were to happen to me, someone else would eventually be sitting in my seat. That’s a harsh, but honest reality. I truly appreciate what my job allows me to provide for my family. That said, I also know it’s essential to remember the important things in life. For me, this includes my family, my health, and my free time.

Conclusion

Reflecting on these lessons has been empowering and insightful. It’s crazy to think how much I’ve grown since starting this position. I encourage anyone reading this to take a moment to reflect on your own journey and the lessons life has taught you. Growth is a continuous process, and every year presents new opportunities to learn and evolve. Let’s see what 2026 has in store. Cheers!