In my opinion, a formal degree is not strictly necessary to enter a DevOps career, but it can definitely make the learning path smoother by giving a strong foundation in areas like programming, networking, and operating systems. That said, DevOps is a highly practical field where hands-on experience, problem-solving ability, and familiarity with tools and real-world workflows matter much more than academic qualifications alone. Today, many professionals successfully enter DevOps through self-learning, certifications, online labs, and personal projects that demonstrate their ability to work with CI/CD pipelines, cloud platforms, and automation tools. Employers are often more interested in what you can actually build and manage rather than just your educational background. However, having both a degree and practical skills can be a strong combination, but if someone is consistent with self-learning and gains real experience, they can absolutely succeed in DevOps without a formal degree.