Whether you call it DevOps, Cloud, or Platform Engineers (or whatever the next hot title is), one thing remains constant: there will always be a need for engineers dedicated to making things easier for other engineers. We’re the ones behind the scenes building tools and infrastructure to support those focused on products or services. The path to getting here is rarely clear-cut. For me, I started as a backend engineer, slowly taking on more DevOps roles at a small startup until I dove headfirst into being a full-time DevOps engineer. Others I’ve worked with have come from frontend or IT backgrounds. The point is, there’s no single route.

# Letting Junior Engineers Fail

The toughest part of mentoring junior engineers? Letting them fail. I’ll admit, it’s not easy. Sometimes I know the answer off the top of my head, and it’s tempting to just give it to them. But when I do that, I rob them of the opportunity to really understand and grow. Creating an environment where it’s safe to fail is vital for their development—and it takes restraint to let them stumble.

# Fostering Problem-Solving Skills

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned in my years as a mentor is that technical skills alone aren’t enough. Cloud engineers need to be problem-solvers, first and foremost. So, I emphasize critical thinking. Instead of giving answers, I encourage junior engineers to work through real-world scenarios. For example, if we’re dealing with a broken Kubernetes deployment, I’ll guide them through diagnosing and troubleshooting the issue themselves, stepping in only when they hit a dead end. This hands-on experience teaches them to approach the unexpected with confidence—something you can’t just pick up from a textbook.

# Learning from Mistakes

Another big part of my mentoring philosophy? Learning from mistakes. When a mentee makes a mistake—say, bringing down production due to a misconfiguration—it’s not about the failure. It’s about what we learn from it. Mistakes are expensive but invaluable. Over time, these lessons create a more careful, thoughtful engineer.

# Building a Blameless Culture

I also make it a point to create a blameless culture during postmortems and documentation. If there’s blame coming down on the team, I take it upon myself to absorb it. My team needs to feel safe bringing their mistakes to the table, or else they’ll try to hide them—and we can’t grow from that. By fostering this culture of continuous learning, I can ensure that my team grows, rather than stagnates.

# Encouraging Open Communication

Our work as cloud engineers is tough. We context-switch more than most other engineering roles—jumping between Kubernetes, Terraform, CI/CD, and everything in between. With so many moving parts, it’s easy to feel lost. That’s why I’m big on open communication. Junior engineers should always feel comfortable asking questions, no matter how small they might seem. Clarifying doubts isn’t a weakness; it’s a strength. It shows they’re proactive and invested in getting things right.

# The Importance of Ownership

I also stress the importance of ownership. It’s crucial for junior engineers to take full responsibility for something, whether it’s a project or a deployment. Having something that’s theirs to grow, to troubleshoot, and to improve gives them a sense of pride and accomplishment. It also allows them to look back and see how far they’ve come.

# Continuous Feedback for Growth

Feedback is another key to growth. I don’t believe in waiting for annual or even bi-annual reviews. Feedback should be consistent and actionable. During every one-on-one, I make it a point to provide constructive feedback, always privately to maintain a blameless environment. But when a junior engineer achieves something great, that’s when I make sure to celebrate it publicly. Recognition is just as important for growth as constructive criticism.

# Completing the Mentorship Loop

Finally, when my junior engineers reach a certain point in their career, I encourage them to start the mentorship loop themselves. Whether they’re mentoring a new team member or leading workshops on our tooling, teaching is one of the best ways to deepen your own understanding. Continuing this mentorship cycle fosters a culture of continuous learning.

# Mentoring is a Long-Term Investment

At the end of the day, mentoring is a long-term investment. It doesn’t just pay off for the mentee, but for the entire team. Building a supportive, problem-solving culture benefits everyone. I’m passionate about this because having a team that trusts and learns from each other is far more powerful than having one or two unicorn engineers with all the answers.

As cloud engineering continues to evolve, so must we. By mentoring and learning from each other, we ensure that the next generation of engineers is not only ready to keep up—but to lead.

# TL;DR

Mentoring junior cloud engineers is all about creating a safe space for learning, allowing failures, and encouraging problem-solving. The key is fostering critical thinking, ownership, and consistent feedback to help them grow. Mistakes are part of the process, and it’s important to build a blameless culture where learning from errors is embraced. Open communication and proactive question-asking are encouraged, as well as guiding mentees to mentor others when they’re ready. Mentorship benefits the entire team, and as cloud engineering evolves, so must the next generation of engineers.