Get to know Peter Barczi
Peter, one of our first Kubestronauts, has been working with Kubernetes only since 2021 but has still managed to pass all of CNCF’s Kubernetes certifications. He’s currently the Sr. DevOps Engineer / TechLead at a company building a cloud offering with focus on confidential computing. In his role, he also manages physical servers, clouds, operating Linux OSs and Kubernetes clusters at scale and is an Internal Linux Trainer.
If you’d like to be a Kubestronaut, get more details on the CNCF Kubestronaut page.
When did you get started with kubernetes–what was your first project?
I started with K8s as self-learner in 2021. My first project (not surprisingly) was the NGINX web server running on Kubernetes. Later on, I used K8s during the migration of our infra services into Kubernetes.
Nowadays, within my current project, almost everything is a Kubernetes object, even the network switches, so I use it daily.
What are the primary CNCF projects you work on or use today? What projects have you enjoyed the most in your career?
The primary CNCF projects I work with the most are:
- Kubernetes
- FluxCD
- Prometheus & Grafana stack
- Cilium
- Rook
Discovering a GitOps approach was a real game-changer in my work life. And thanks to tools like ArgoCD and FluxCD, I realised how “easy” it can be to deploy and track apps using git.
Furthermore, thanks to Rook-ceph storage provider I’m now able to spin up and configure storage clusters in a matter of a few minutes.
What motivated you to get all the kubernetes certs?
Each certification has its own story.
- KCNA was my first certification. I took it right before a job interview for extra confidence in my Kubernetes skills.
- CKA & CKAD were two certs I needed to help with a project I was working on.
- CKS was a cert I got as a personal goal.
- KCSA was my last one. I got this one right after Kubecon when the Kubestronaut program was announced and realized I only needed one more.
How have the certs helped you in your career?
The certifications allow me to practice and learn about technology and tools I do not use on a daily basis. Preparation for the certification is a way to get the education needed to be ready for future projects.
What are some other books/sites/courses you recommend for people who want to work with k8s?
I found these online courses were a good starting point for my Kubernetes learning journey:
– CKA and CKAD courses from kodekloud.com
– CKS online course from Kim Wuestkamp on YouTube
– CKA/CKAD/CKS practise exams from aclodguru/pluralsight
What do you do in your free time?
I spend all my free time with my family, my 15-month-old daughter is my single point of interest currently. I also spend time in my cottage house, so I balance my work time there.
As you know Kubernetes is turning 10 this year, what are you most excited about for Kubernetes in the next 10 years?
My magic ball doesn’t have answers so far into the future:)
What would you tell someone who is just starting their K8s certification journey? Any tips or tricks?
There are no tips and tricks better than to practise, practise, practise.
Today the Cloud native ecosystem is way more than Kubernetes. Do you plan to get other cloud native certifications from the CNCF?
Absolutely, the next challenge for me is to dive into the Prometheus stack and become familiar enough with it to become a Prometheus Certified Associate (PCA)
How did you get involved with cloud native and Kubernetes in general?
I have a background in Linux administration, so from there it was a logical and natural to progress to Kubernetes and cloud native.
If you’d like to be a Kubestronaut, get more details on the CNCF Kubestronaut page.