Becoming SRE

Chapter 5. Preparing to Become an SRE

There is no one singular path to SRE. I don’t want to go even a single sentence into the topic of So you wanna be an SRE? before making that clear. In this chapter, I’ll be discussing some potential “prerequisites” (quotes added because, well, there’s no one singular path and this isn’t going to be a mandatory list) that will get you squarely into a place where becoming an SRE is possible.¹ And to be extra clear, this chapter is not constructing a test that requires you to know everything I list or you don’t pass and can’t call yourself an SRE. It is an exploration of the elements that support an individual’s pathfinding through the challenges of SRE. Chapter 6 will offer some more specific advice on how you can transition from an existing role to SRE, but first, we have to set the scene.

I’m going to do my best to provide suggestions on preparations² for SRE that are specific to SRE and not just something you would expect to need to know for any modern operations practice. Topics like automation will get a single mention (in this sentence, as a matter of fact) because they are table stakes for any operations-related job role at this point.

In Fear of Cooking: The Absolutely Foolproof Cookbook for Beginners (And Everyone Else), a sadly out-of-print book about learning how to cook without a recipe, the author, Bob Scher,³ suggests that he doesn’t actually do any cooking; what he does is create and maintain the proper conditions for the food ...