How I Made a Strong Comeback as a DevOps Engineer (After a Long Break)

 Assalamu Alaikum,

Today, I want to share something close to my heart — how I made a strong comeback as a DevOps engineer after a long break.

As many of you already know, I have been working in the IT support field for the past 8 years. But my heart has always been in automation, scripting, and the dynamic world of DevOps. At the start of this year, in January and February, I was deeply focused on upgrading my DevOps skills — writing daily blogs, learning new tools, and staying consistent with my progress.

Then came Ramzan, and with it, a natural pause.

What started as a short break during the holy month unintentionally became an extended gap. I stopped writing blogs, lost my momentum, and getting back on track felt extremely difficult. The longer the break got, the harder it became to restart.

But Alhamdulillah, I did come back — and stronger than before. Today, I want to walk you through the practical steps that helped me rebuild my DevOps journey and my mindset.

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🔁 1. Rebuilding Myself Physically and Mentally

I realized that the first battle was with my own body and mind. So I took these steps:

  • Joined the gym with a focus on both cardio (like boxing and jumping) and muscle training (biceps, triceps, shoulders — hitting every muscle group).
  • Added daily meditation (10–15 mins): Just sitting with eyes closed, listening to surrounding sounds, letting thoughts come and go. It wasn’t easy, but the impact was powerful — less stress, more clarity, better focus.
  • These practices gave me the energy, discipline, and mindfulness to execute my daily tasks with more ease.

🥗 2. Clean Eating & Hydration

  • Switched to a high-protein, low-budget diet to support both fat loss and muscle gain.
  • Made sure to drink 3–4 liters of water daily.
  • This helped my energy levels, mood, and overall productivity — making it easier to stay focused during long sessions of learning and work.

🧠 3. Focus on Progress, Not Perfection

  • I stopped stressing over finishing every task perfectly.
  • Instead, I adopted the 1% daily improvement rule — just one small step every day.
  • I accepted that consistency, not intensity, is what leads to big results. This mindset alone made a huge difference in my comeback.

🌐 4. Learning in Public (Accountability)

To stay visible and accountable, I began sharing my DevOps journey publicly:

  • ✅ Writing blogs like this one
  • ✅ Pushing code regularly to GitHub
  • ✅ Posting updates on LinkedIn
  • ✅ Creating technical videos for YouTube & Facebook (even if they weren’t perfect)

This not only helped me build confidence but also reconnected me with the tech community and created multiple earning opportunities as well.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 5. Spending Time with Family (Digital Detox)

No matter how passionate we are about tech, family time is non-negotiable. I made it a habit to spend at least one hour daily with my family without using my phone. This gave me emotional grounding and balance that reflects in my professional life too.

📍Where I Am Now

Today, I feel stronger than ever as a DevOps engineer:

  • My pipelines are more stable,
  • My Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is cleaner,
  • And most importantly, my mindset is more mature.

I’m back to leading projects, mentoring juniors, and learning continuously — but now with clarity, discipline, and balance.

🔚 Final Thoughts

This comeback was not just about re-entering the DevOps space.
It was about reinventing how I live, learn, and work.

If you’re going through a slump or have taken a long break, just know this — you can come back too. One step at a time. One percent a day.

Just remember:

  • Take care of your body,
  • Calm your mind,
  • Focus on progress,
  • Share publicly,
  • Stay close to your family.

You won’t just return. You’ll come back stronger.

If this post helped you or inspired you in any way, feel free to share it. And if you’re on your own DevOps journey, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

— Raees Qazi
DevOps Engineer | Learner | Mentor | Creator

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