Get to know Fangel
This week’s Kubestronaut in Orbit, Fangel Emilio Colón Navarro, lives in the Dominican Republic and is an SRE at Banco BHD. He’s been working with CNCF technologies since 2020.
If you’d like to be a Kubestronaut like Fangel, get more details on the CNCF Kubestronaut page.
When did you get started with Kubernetes–what was your first project?
I started working with Kubernetes in 2020 on a project that required deploying ArgoCD. To be honest, I didn’t understand much of what I was doing, but this gave me enough encouragement to start a career studying Kubernetes.
What are the primary CNCF projects you work on or use today? What projects have you enjoyed the most in your career?
The CNCF projects I am currently working on are Kubernetes, Istio, Keda, Prometheus, and ArgoCD.
Kubernetes is the main one since that’s where we run our applications, and we use Istio as a service mesh to manage clusters with a larger volume of workloads. I love Keda for the variety of available metrics available to allow it to adjust to our environments and ArgoCD at the moment as Continuous Deployments between the different clusters that I have.
How have the certs helped you in your career?
These certifications have significantly propelled my career to the next level. It is the first time I feel I have the opportunity to specialize in something specific. Leveling up my professional skills helps me face any challenge at work effectively.
In my current role, I have gotten real value from the CKS certification for supporting and making proposals for the management of vulnerabilities in Kubernetes.
How has CNCF helped you or influenced your career?
I would say that CNCF has been a significant influence on my career. Before, I was unaware of the professional work behind all the CNCF projects and the dedicated individuals who contribute to them. The learning opportunities they provide have been invaluable. I’m truly happy to have discovered CNCF.
What are some other books/sites/courses you recommend for people who want to work with k8s?
Books:
- “Kubernetes Security and Observability”
- “Kubernetes Best Practices”
Websites:
- Kubernetes official documentation
Courses:
- Kubernetes-related courses on KodeKloud
- Linux Foundation courses
- Kubernetes Mastery on Udemy
What do you do in your free time?
I usually exercise, and spend time with my family.
What would you tell someone who is just starting their K8s certification journey? Any tips or tricks?
The key is to practice those concepts that you read or see in educational materials. It is very important to practice what you have learned, since it is the best way to retain it and easily put it into action.
I was not lucky enough to have someone guide me on my path, but based on my experience I would say to educate yourself on Linux, Networking, and Containers. This is a solid foundation to start with and I am sure that the rest should be easier.
Today the Cloud native ecosystem is way more than Kubernetes. Do you plan to get other cloud native certifications from the CNCF?
Yes, next up for me is:
- Istio Certified Associate (ICA)
- Cilium Certified Associate (CCA)
- Certified Argo Project Associate (CAPA)
- GitOps Certified Associate (CGOA)
How did you get involved with cloud native and Kubernetes in general?
I became involved through developing plans and ideas that use cloud native technologies. Additionally, I share my knowledge with colleagues who are interested in getting started with these technologies.