Darla Kost started as a DevOps engineer at SPK and Associates in July of 2024. Prior to joining SPK, Darla was an engineer in the U.S. military. Now, she works with similar tools and focuses much of her time on managing infrastructure and automating processes.
My Role at SPK
As a DevOps engineer, I try to bridge the gap between development and operations. My work ensures that our clients’ systems are secure and reliable. It often consists of managing a client’s infrastructure and automating processes so things run a bit smoother for the people developing applications. I utilize many different tools in my day-to-day, including GitLab, Bitbucket, Terraform, Docker, AWS, and Sonarcloud.
My daily work changes a lot. Some days, I’m learning a new technology or automating a deployment, while other times I’m improving workflows and reviewing architecture for clients. Most of the time, I work directly with clients, but sometimes work can feel a bit like a game of telephone. Whether a ticket gets sent directly to me by a client or is redirected to me by a coworker, our team ensures the work gets done, and our clients are satisfied.
What Motivates Me
One of my favorite parts of my job is automating processes. I love making things more efficient. Eliminating all the unnecessary, time-consuming tasks is really enjoyable for me. I also love that I am able to help people. Automation makes it nearly impossible to mess up certain tasks, even for new employees. I like that I am able to make things run smoother for everyone involved.
Career Advice
The best advice I have received is “don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.” Don’t overcomplicate things and ensure you don’t panic. Do your best to simplify the problem so you can better solve it. Sometimes issues can seem like the end of the world in the moment, but they aren’t. My military service helped me with this because I’ve been in high-stress situations where I needed to complete a task within a strict time limit. I’ve learned that remaining level-headed leads to success.
The advice I would give to other engineers is that you can’t know everything. While that may sound counterintuitive, the point is that there are so many new things to learn every single day. You can’t expect yourself to have all the knowledge to solve every problem. You will have to learn new processes or how to use new tools, and that idea should be welcomed.
Extracurriculars
In my free time, I love to be outdoors. Sometimes I take my laptop outside to work because it feels better than being at my desk. I’m also obsessed with my dogs, so I often go on hikes and take them out to local trails. In addition to this, I really like to swim and surf. I live near a lake, so I go swimming when I can. While I like being outdoors, I’m also a big bookworm. On occasion, I’ll set focus timers just so I can reward myself with a chapter of my book when it sounds.
Looking To The Future
While Darla has already made a mark at SPK in just one year, we are looking forward to seeing all the clients she continues to help. With multiple webinars under her belt, we are also excited to see her host more in the future. Darla’s experience and mindset make her a valuable asset to the SPK and Associates team. We are fortunate to have an engineer so willing to learn new things!
