Is Becoming a DevOps Engineer Challenging? Unveiling the Realities of the Role

The world of DevOps engineering is fast-paced, ever-evolving, and filled with opportunities. With its blend of technology, collaboration, and continuous innovation, the role of a DevOps engineer stands as a crucial one in modern software development and IT operations. But what does it truly take to embark on this journey? In this first part of our series, we will explore the foundational aspects of DevOps, the skills needed, and the responsibilities you will undertake. Additionally, we will dissect some common misconceptions and address the question: Is DevOps engineering as challenging as it’s often portrayed?

Understanding the Core of DevOps

At its core, DevOps is a methodology that brings together the traditionally separate realms of software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops). It aims to streamline the development, testing, and deployment of software by promoting collaboration, continuous integration, and automation. DevOps engineers are the linchpins in this ecosystem, ensuring that the process of delivering software is not only efficient but also resilient, scalable, and aligned with the needs of the business.

The role of a DevOps engineer goes beyond merely implementing tools or automating processes. It is about fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement within an organization. DevOps engineers work at the intersection of software development, infrastructure management, and system administration. They ensure that the pipeline from code to deployment is smooth, stable, and constantly improving.

What Does a DevOps Engineer Do?

The role of a DevOps engineer encompasses a broad range of responsibilities, making it one of the most versatile and impactful positions in the modern tech landscape. Here is a deeper look at the key duties of a DevOps engineer:

1. Automating Development and Deployment Processes

One of the primary functions of a DevOps engineer is to automate manual processes that would otherwise slow down the development and deployment cycles. Automation is not just about writing scripts; it’s about creating seamless workflows that reduce errors, improve efficiency, and speed up the release of new features. From setting up Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines to configuring automated testing and monitoring systems, DevOps engineers ensure that everything runs like clockwork.

2. Ensuring System Reliability and Performance

A DevOps engineer is responsible for the performance and reliability of the entire software system. This includes monitoring the infrastructure, troubleshooting issues, and ensuring that applications perform optimally under various conditions. By utilizing various monitoring tools, a DevOps engineer can proactively detect problems, identify bottlenecks, and resolve issues before they affect users.

3. Collaboration Across Teams

DevOps is fundamentally about collaboration. Engineers working in this field must frequently collaborate with software developers, quality assurance teams, IT operations staff, and even business stakeholders. This role requires excellent communication skills to facilitate collaboration across diverse teams with different expertise.

4. Infrastructure Management

Another critical responsibility is managing the underlying infrastructure that supports software applications. DevOps engineers often work with cloud computing platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud to provision, scale, and manage the infrastructure. They are tasked with ensuring that the infrastructure is cost-effective, secure, and highly available.

The Skills Required to Succeed

To be an effective DevOps engineer, you need a unique blend of technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and strong communication. Let’s break down the essential skills you will need to succeed in this dynamic field.

Technical Skills

1. Programming and Scripting: A solid foundation in programming languages such as Python, Ruby, or JavaScript is essential. These languages are used to write automation scripts, develop tools, and troubleshoot issues. Additionally, familiarity with shell scripting (Bash, PowerShell) can help automate many tasks in server management.
   
   
2. Automation Tools: Familiarity with automation and configuration management tools such as Jenkins, Puppet, Ansible, and Terraform is crucial. These tools are used to automate the deployment, testing, and scaling of applications, making them vital components of any DevOps engineer’s toolkit.
   
   
3. Containerization and Orchestration: In recent years, the adoption of containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes has skyrocketed. DevOps engineers need to understand how to use containers to package and deploy applications in a portable and scalable way. Kubernetes, in particular, is the leading container orchestration tool that ensures applications are highly available, fault-tolerant, and scalable.
   
   
4. Cloud Platforms: Knowledge of cloud infrastructure and services is indispensable. Familiarity with major cloud platforms, such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud, will enable you to design, deploy, and manage scalable infrastructure that is both cost-effective and reliable.

Soft Skills

• Collaboration and Communication: DevOps engineers work with many stakeholders, from software developers to business executives. The ability to explain complex technical concepts in simple terms is crucial. Communication is also key when troubleshooting issues or explaining why a particular tool or process might be beneficial to the team.
  
  

• Problem-Solving: DevOps engineers are problem-solvers by nature. Whether dealing with bugs in the system, performance bottlenecks, or deployment failures, you will need to think critically and quickly to resolve issues before they disrupt the development pipeline.
  
  

• Adaptability: The technology landscape is constantly changing, and DevOps engineers must be adaptable. The tools and methodologies used in DevOps evolve quickly, so staying up to date with the latest trends, technologies, and best practices is vital.

The Challenges of DevOps Engineering

While the rewards of being a DevOps engineer are significant, the role does come with its share of challenges. However, understanding these challenges and preparing for them is key to success in this field.

1. Balancing Speed and Stability

One of the most significant challenges faced by DevOps engineers is finding the balance between speed and system stability. The fast-paced nature of DevOps encourages rapid deployment of features and updates, but this must be done without compromising the reliability of the system. Striking this balance requires a deep understanding of the infrastructure, a keen eye for potential vulnerabilities, and a proactive approach to monitoring and troubleshooting.

2. The Cultural Shift

Implementing DevOps practices often requires a significant cultural shift within an organization. Traditionally, development and operations teams have operated in silos, but DevOps requires them to work closely together, often with overlapping responsibilities. Encouraging a DevOps culture can be difficult, especially in organizations where the DevOps philosophy is not well understood or accepted.

3. Handling Complexity and Change

The role of a DevOps engineer involves managing and optimizing complex systems. The systems they work on are often large, distributed, and constantly changing. Keeping track of all these moving parts—whether it’s in code, infrastructure, or processes—can be overwhelming, especially when new technologies are continuously introduced.

DevOps Engineering: The Myths and Realities

There are many misconceptions surrounding the field of DevOps, some of which can make the profession seem more daunting than it really is. Let’s address a few common myths.

Myth 1: DevOps is Just About Automation

While automation is a significant part of the role, it is far from the whole picture. DevOps is about improving the software development lifecycle as a whole. It’s about fostering collaboration, reducing friction between teams, and promoting continuous improvement. While automation tools like Jenkins and Docker play a big role, the heart of DevOps is the cultural shift toward better teamwork and efficiency.

Myth 2: DevOps Engineers Work Alone

DevOps engineers are often perceived as lone wolves who work in isolation. In reality, the role is all about teamwork and collaboration. You’ll frequently interact with developers, operations teams, quality assurance testers, and even business leaders. The success of DevOps depends on a culture of open communication and joint effort.

Myth 3: DevOps is Only for Large Enterprises

While it is true that larger companies may benefit more immediately from implementing DevOps practices, small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can also reap significant rewards. Adopting DevOps can help smaller companies streamline their processes, accelerate their release cycles, and improve their overall efficiency. The principles of DevOps are scalable, making them suitable for businesses of all sizes.

 Is DevOps Engineering Right for You?

As we’ve explored in this article, becoming a DevOps engineer is a multifaceted and challenging career path that requires both technical expertise and strong collaboration skills. The field of DevOps is dynamic and ever-changing, presenting new challenges and opportunities for those who are ready to embrace continuous learning and adaptability.

If you are drawn to a role that combines technology, problem-solving, and teamwork, DevOps engineering might just be the right path for you. The challenges are real, but the rewards—both in terms of career satisfaction and impact—are well worth the effort.

Mastering DevOps Tools and Technologies: Your Roadmap to Success

DevOps engineering is as much about the tools you wield as it is about the strategies you implement. In the dynamic landscape of modern software development, having the right set of tools can significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of DevOps practices. In this second part of our series, we will explore the essential tools and technologies that every aspiring DevOps engineer should become proficient in, and how these tools help streamline workflows, automate processes, and ensure system reliability.

The Foundation: Version Control Systems

Before we dive into the more specialized DevOps tools, it’s essential to address the foundation of any modern software development process: Version Control Systems (VCS).

Git and GitHub/GitLab

Version control is vital in tracking changes to code and collaborating across teams. Git is the most widely used version control system, allowing teams to maintain a history of code changes, branch out to work on new features, and merge changes seamlessly. Platforms like GitHub and GitLab provide cloud-based hosting for Git repositories, facilitating collaboration and code sharing.

As a DevOps engineer, proficiency in Git is essential. You’ll be responsible for managing and automating the interactions between developers and the codebase, ensuring smooth integration, and maintaining a clean and efficient code versioning system.

Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)

One of the cornerstones of DevOps is the automation of software integration and deployment. CI/CD is all about reducing the time it takes to deliver code changes by automating testing, building, and deploying processes.

Jenkins

Jenkins is one of the most popular CI/CD tools, and for a good reason. It’s an open-source automation server that enables developers to automate various stages of the development lifecycle, such as building, testing, and deploying code. Jenkins supports hundreds of plugins that extend its functionality, allowing DevOps engineers to integrate it with various tools and platforms.

With Jenkins, DevOps engineers can set up pipelines that automatically build and test code whenever new commits are made, reducing the chances of errors slipping into production. By integrating with other tools like Docker or Kubernetes, Jenkins can help create highly efficient, automated deployment pipelines.

CircleCI and Travis CI

While Jenkins is widely used, CircleCI and Travis CI are other options worth considering, especially in cloud environments. Both tools provide automated testing, integration, and deployment solutions that can integrate with GitHub and Bitbucket repositories.

CircleCI is known for its speed and scalability, making it an excellent option for larger teams working with complex codebases. On the other hand, Travis CI is renowned for its simplicity and integration with GitHub, making it a great option for smaller teams and personal projects.

Configuration Management and Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

DevOps engineers need to ensure that the infrastructure supporting the application is as automated and consistent as the development process itself. Configuration Management and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) are the answers to this challenge. These practices allow you to define, manage, and deploy infrastructure through code, ensuring consistency across environments and scaling the infrastructure as needed.

Ansible

Ansible is a simple and powerful tool for automating configuration management, application deployment, and task execution. Unlike other configuration management tools, Ansible doesn’t require agents or additional software on the target machines, making it easier to manage remote systems. It uses a declarative language to describe infrastructure, which makes it an ideal tool for maintaining system consistency across different environments.

With Ansible, DevOps engineers can automate tasks like installing software, configuring servers, and deploying applications, all from a central control machine.

Terraform

Terraform, developed by HashiCorp, is a popular tool for provisioning and managing cloud infrastructure as code. It allows you to define your infrastructure in a high-level configuration language, which is then used to create, update, or manage infrastructure across a variety of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, etc.).

DevOps engineers use Terraform to provision and manage cloud resources like virtual machines, networks, and databases, all while ensuring that the infrastructure is consistent, repeatable, and version-controlled. Terraform also integrates seamlessly with other tools like Jenkins, making it a vital part of any DevOps pipeline.

Chef and Puppet

Chef and Puppet are other well-established tools for configuration management and automation. While Chef is Ruby-based and allows for greater flexibility, Puppet uses a declarative configuration model and has a large, active community. Both tools help ensure that infrastructure is consistent and that any configuration changes are automatically applied to all systems.

Containerization and Orchestration

In the modern world of DevOps, containers are indispensable. They allow developers to package applications and their dependencies into a single unit, making them portable and easy to deploy. However, managing containers at scale requires robust orchestration tools.

Docker

Docker is the leading containerization tool that allows developers to package applications into containers. Containers encapsulate all the dependencies required for an application to run, making them lightweight, fast, and portable. Docker is an essential tool for DevOps engineers because it simplifies the deployment and scaling of applications across different environments.

In a typical DevOps pipeline, Docker is used to create a consistent and isolated environment for applications, regardless of the host machine. This eliminates the “it works on my machine” problem, making it easier for teams to collaborate and ensure that the application runs the same way in development, testing, and production.

Kubernetes

Kubernetes is the go-to tool for container orchestration. It automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. Kubernetes allows you to manage clusters of containers, ensuring they are running efficiently, fault-tolerant, and highly available.

DevOps engineers use Kubernetes to handle the complexities of container management, such as load balancing, scaling, and monitoring. With Kubernetes, it’s possible to ensure that applications are resilient, adaptable, and able to scale based on demand.

Monitoring and Logging

Once the application is deployed, it’s essential to ensure that it runs smoothly and can recover quickly from failures. Monitoring and logging tools provide visibility into the health and performance of your application and infrastructure.

Prometheus and Grafana

Prometheus is an open-source monitoring tool designed for reliability and scalability. It collects and stores metrics in a time-series database and provides powerful querying capabilities to assess the performance of your applications and infrastructure. Prometheus integrates seamlessly with Kubernetes, making it an excellent choice for monitoring containerized applications.

Grafana is a data visualization tool that works hand-in-hand with Prometheus. It allows you to create dynamic dashboards and charts to visualize your application and infrastructure metrics, making it easier to detect performance issues, spot anomalies, and ensure uptime.

ELK Stack

The ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana) is a powerful suite of tools for centralized logging and monitoring. Elasticsearch allows for fast searching and indexing of log data, Logstash is responsible for log aggregation and transformation, and Kibana provides a web interface for analyzing and visualizing log data.

DevOps engineers use the ELK Stack to collect, store, and analyze logs from various systems, helping them troubleshoot issues, identify trends, and monitor the health of their applications.

Cloud Platforms and Serverless Computing

In DevOps, the use of cloud infrastructure has become almost universal. Cloud platforms provide the resources, scalability, and flexibility needed to manage modern applications effectively.

AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure

Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure are the three giants in the cloud computing world. These platforms provide a wide array of services, from computing resources to storage and networking, all of which are essential for DevOps engineers.

DevOps engineers use cloud platforms to provision virtual machines, deploy applications, and scale infrastructure based on demand. The cloud also enables the use of serverless architectures, which allow developers to run code without managing servers, providing greater flexibility and reducing operational overhead.

Embracing the DevOps Toolchain

The journey to becoming a successful DevOps engineer is paved with an understanding and mastery of a variety of tools and technologies. From version control and CI/CD pipelines to containerization, orchestration, and monitoring, DevOps engineers leverage these technologies to automate, optimize, and scale the development lifecycle. As the DevOps landscape continues to evolve, staying up-to-date with the latest tools and best practices is essential for staying ahead of the curve.

Building a Career in DevOps Engineering — Skills, Strategies, and Success Stories

DevOps is more than a methodology or a set of tools—it is a cultural and professional shift that has redefined the roles within IT and software development. For those aspiring to become DevOps engineers, navigating the path toward a rewarding and sustainable career requires a blend of technical prowess, a deep understanding of collaborative practices, and the ability to adapt to a fast-evolving digital ecosystem.

In this third installment of our DevOps series, we’ll explore how to structure your journey into DevOps engineering, including the vital skills you need to master, the best ways to gain real-world experience, and strategies for landing high-impact roles in the industry.

Understanding the DevOps Engineer Role

A DevOps engineer acts as a bridge between development and operations, orchestrating automated workflows that ensure rapid delivery, continuous integration, and stable deployment pipelines. Unlike traditional roles that focus solely on coding or system administration, a DevOps engineer wears multiple hats—developer, tester, infrastructure architect, and sometimes even a security analyst.

The role demands an understanding of both the micro (individual services) and macro (overall system architecture) perspectives. This duality requires more than just technical literacy; it calls for communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and a collaborative mindset.

Must-Have Skills for a DevOps Engineer

Proficiency in Scripting and Programming

Although a DevOps engineer isn’t necessarily expected to be a full-stack developer, proficiency in scripting languages like Python, Bash, or PowerShell is essential. Scripts automate manual processes, configure environments, and manage deployments. Familiarity with programming logic also helps in debugging CI/CD pipelines and customizing automation tools.

Learning the fundamentals of version control, APIs, and container lifecycle management further enhances your coding acumen. These skills form the backbone of your ability to build and maintain scalable, automated systems.

Strong Grasp of System Administration

Understanding the operating systems that underpin servers—especially Linux—is critical. Most production environments run on Linux due to its stability and open-source flexibility. Tasks such as configuring services, managing user permissions, and troubleshooting performance issues fall squarely in the DevOps wheelhouse.

Virtualization technologies like KVM or VMware, along with familiarity with networking protocols (TCP/IP, DNS, SSH), are vital for diagnosing issues and optimizing infrastructure.

Deep Knowledge of CI/CD Processes

DevOps thrives on automation. CI/CD pipelines minimize manual intervention and enhance deployment velocity. As a DevOps engineer, you need to master tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, or GitHub Actions, and understand how to design pipeline stages that include testing, building, security checks, and automated deployments.

Experience with pipeline-as-code and container registries can be especially valuable, especially as organizations transition to cloud-native architectures.

Understanding of Cloud Infrastructure

DevOps engineers must be fluent in provisioning and managing infrastructure on cloud platforms such as AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure. Familiarity with services like EC2, S3, VPC, Lambda, and Azure DevOps allows you to scale applications dynamically and manage infrastructure cost-effectively.

Knowledge of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform or CloudFormation enables automation of infrastructure provisioning, making deployments more predictable and repeatable.

Monitoring, Logging, and Incident Response

Production systems must be reliable. Proactive monitoring and fast incident resolution are key components of DevOps practices. Mastering tools like Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog, and the ELK stack will help you detect anomalies and track system performance over time.

Incident response is just as important—being able to identify the root cause of issues, propose fixes, and implement them quickly can significantly reduce downtime and improve user satisfaction.

Earning Practical Experience: Lab Work and Projects

Getting hired as a DevOps engineer often requires demonstrating hands-on experience—even for entry-level positions. Building a home lab or cloud-based sandbox is a great way to simulate real-world environments. Here’s how you can structure your lab environment:

• Set up a Linux server on a cloud provider and automate its provisioning with Terraform.
  
  
• Use Ansible to install and configure NGINX, Docker, and other services.
  
  
• Deploy a sample web application using Docker and manage it with Kubernetes.
  
  
• Create a Jenkins pipeline that pulls your code from GitHub, tests it, builds it into a Docker image, and deploys it to your Kubernetes cluster.
  
  
• Add Prometheus and Grafana to monitor application metrics and resource usage.
  
  

These self-initiated projects not only reinforce your skills but also provide tangible work you can showcase to employers via GitHub repositories or personal portfolios.

Certification and Continuous Learning

While certifications are not a replacement for practical skills, they can validate your knowledge and help open doors—especially early in your career. Some valuable certifications for DevOps professionals include:

• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer
  
  
• Google Professional DevOps Engineer
  
  
• Microsoft Azure DevOps Engineer Expert
  
  
• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
  
  
• HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate
  
  

Online platforms like KodeKloud, A Cloud Guru, and Linux Academy offer guided labs, mock exams, and interactive sandboxes to help prepare for these certifications in a practical context.

In addition to formal learning, immerse yourself in the DevOps ecosystem through blogs, podcasts, open-source communities, and forums like Stack Overflow or DevOps Subreddits. Staying updated on emerging tools and trends ensures you remain a valuable asset to any team.

Soft Skills That Elevate Your DevOps Career

DevOps isn’t just about mastering tools and writing automation scripts—it’s also about working harmoniously within cross-functional teams. Here are the interpersonal skills that will help you thrive:

Communication

You’ll often need to explain complex concepts to non-technical stakeholders or collaborate with developers and operations staff to resolve issues. Clear and concise communication is indispensable.

Collaboration

A DevOps engineer must work across silos. Whether you’re helping a developer optimize deployment or working with QA on testing procedures, cooperation fosters shared ownership and accountability.

Problem-Solving and Adaptability

Downtime doesn’t always follow a pattern. A successful DevOps engineer is someone who thrives under pressure, dissects issues methodically, and proposes innovative, sustainable solutions—even when facing unfamiliar challenges.

How to Find Your First DevOps Role

Breaking into DevOps as a newcomer may feel daunting, but strategic positioning can increase your chances significantly.

Tailor Your Resume

Highlight hands-on projects, even if they’re personal. Detail the tools you’ve worked with, the problems you’ve solved, and your contributions to each initiative. Instead of just listing skills, describe what you built with them.

Network in the Right Circles

Join DevOps-related communities on LinkedIn, Slack, or Discord. Attend webinars and virtual meetups where you can interact with professionals and hiring managers. Active participation often leads to mentorship and job referrals.

Apply for Related Roles

You don’t necessarily need to land a full-fledged DevOps engineer job right away. Roles such as Junior System Administrator, Build Engineer, or Cloud Support Specialist offer valuable stepping stones and can eventually lead to DevOps responsibilities.

Freelance and Open Source

Contribute to open-source DevOps tools, create tutorials, or offer freelance automation services. These experiences build your credibility and provide content for your portfolio, which is invaluable when competing for full-time roles.

Career Growth and Specialization

Once you’ve gained experience, you’ll find that DevOps opens doors to multiple paths of specialization. Depending on your interests, you might branch into:

• Site Reliability Engineering (SRE): Focuses on system uptime, scalability, and incident response through software engineering.
  
  
• Platform Engineering: Designs and builds internal tools that enable developers to release code faster and with more confidence.
  
  
• Cloud Security Engineering: Focuses on secure deployments, vulnerability management, and policy enforcement across cloud infrastructure.
  
  
• DevSecOps: Integrates security into the DevOps pipeline from the ground up, ensuring that compliance and security are embedded, not bolted on.

These roles command higher salaries and greater responsibility and are often the natural progression for mid-level and senior DevOps professionals.

Shaping Your DevOps Narrative

Crafting a career in DevOps isn’t about checking off a list of skills—it’s about solving real problems, embracing continuous learning, and contributing to a broader culture of innovation and automation. With the right mindset and strategic action, you can rise from novice to expert, building systems that are not only reliable and scalable but also elegant in their efficiency.

Conclusion: 

DevOps is not a destination but a dynamic, ever-evolving journey that merges culture, technology, and continuous improvement. Throughout this four-part series, we’ve deconstructed the core principles and practical realities of becoming a DevOps engineer—from understanding its foundational ethos to embracing complex infrastructure strategies that power global-scale systems.

In the opening segment, we uncovered the essence of DevOps as a philosophy. It is not confined to a toolchain or deployment model but represents a mindset—an integration of development, operations, and quality assurance into a unified, streamlined process. This cultural shift fosters agility, transparency, and collaborative ownership, traits indispensable in modern software ecosystems.

The second installment illustrated how DevOps reshapes organizational dynamics. From dismantling silos to automating delivery pipelines, it empowers teams to move from isolated functions to shared responsibilities. Emphasis was placed on CI/CD, monitoring, infrastructure-as-code, and automated testing—all of which are critical to improving reliability and delivery speed. Real-world examples helped demonstrate how these methods reduce friction and support innovation at scale.

In the third part, we transitioned into the pragmatic realm of career building. DevOps engineering is both a technical discipline and a strategic role. Success requires fluency in tools like Jenkins, Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud platforms, but also the soft skills that cultivate teamwork and resilience. Crafting a personal lab, contributing to open-source, and gaining certifications were identified as viable paths to establish credibility and confidence.

The final discussion brought together advanced architectural strategies, highlighting how seasoned DevOps engineers leverage infrastructure modularity, automation, observability, and security to build scalable systems. Real-world case studies showcased how mature DevOps implementations not only drive technical efficiency but also generate business value—accelerating delivery timelines, reducing errors, and promoting innovation.

Across all four chapters, one constant remains: the importance of curiosity, adaptability, and a commitment to lifelong learning. The tools may evolve—today’s popular platforms might be replaced tomorrow—but the DevOps mindset is timeless. Whether you’re just beginning or advancing into senior roles, investing in both technical depth and collaborative breadth will set you apart in a highly competitive digital world.

As organizations continue their transformation toward faster, more reliable software delivery, the demand for skilled DevOps professionals will only intensify. By internalizing these principles and honing your capabilities through experimentation, mentorship, and persistence, you can position yourself at the forefront of a discipline that is redefining the way software is built and delivered.

Your journey in DevOps engineering is not merely about solving technical problems—it’s about architecting trust, scalability, and resilience into every layer of the digital experience. Stay inquisitive, stay adaptable, and remember that the future of DevOps is shaped by those who dare to innovate.