Boost Your DevOps career: Build Real Infrastructure in this Micro-Internship
Ready to go from learning about DevOps to actually doing DevOps?
Most beginners get stuck in tutorial hell, watching endless videos about infrastructure without ever touching production systems. But what if you could skip straight to hands-on experience building something real?
The Pubmox Micro-Internship gives you exactly that: 2-3 weeks of guided, real-world experience setting up production infrastructure alongside fellow learners, with a seasoned mentor who’s been in the trenches for decades.
Being able to show experience in real-world production scenarios is a huge advantage when you want to level up in your IT role or change jobs. This micro-internship provides you with this kind of experience and is available to members of The Server Room, my DevOps community of practice.
What You’ll Actually Build
Pubmox will be The Server Room community’s own Proxmox service—a virtualization platform that our members rely on daily as their lab environment. You’ll be part of the team that designs, implements, and launches this part of our community infrastructure.
This isn’t a toy project. It’s real infrastructure that real people will use.
I could have set up the system myself within a few hours, but I wanted to create this opportunity for beginners in the DevOps space to acquire real skills and experience.
Your Journey Through the Project
Week 1: Strategy & Planning
- Gather requirements from actual users (our community members)
- Collaborate with your team to design the infrastructure architecture
- Learn how real DevOps projects start (spoiler: it’s not with code)
Week 2-3: Implementation & Launch
- Set up and configure the Proxmox environment (server host, network, backup etc)
- Handle the inevitable challenges that come with real systems
- Document everything (because future-us will thank present-you)
- Go live with a production service
Beyond Launch (optional) — Join the ongoing Pubmox administration team and gain experience with:
- User communication and support
- System monitoring and maintenance
- Incident response (when things break, hopefully not at 2 AM)
- The daily reality of keeping systems running
Why This Experience Will Have Lasting Effect
You’ll Build Confidence That Can’t Be Faked
There’s a world of difference between knowing how to configure Proxmox and having actually done it under pressure, with real users waiting. After this project, you’ll walk into interviews knowing you’ve solved real problems on real systems.
You’ll Get to Show a Portfolio Project That Actually Matters
Instead of another “I followed a tutorial” project, you’ll have:
- Documentation of your role in a production deployment
- Experience with team collaboration and project management
- A reference from an IT practitioner and leader with 30+ years in the industry
- Stories about overcoming real technical challenges
You’ll Learn the Human Side of DevOps
Technical skills are just half the battle. You’ll also improve:
- communication skills for explaining technical concepts
- collaboration techniques in remote teams
- problem-solving approaches that work under pressure
- patience and persistence that separate pros from amateurs
Your Mentor: A Guide Who’s Been There
Hi, I’m Jochen, the Monospace Mentor. I will be your guide through this journey. Over the past 30+ years, I’ve:
- Taught hundreds of Linux system administrators and software engineers
- Led IT operations teams at major internet service providers
- Built my own managed hosting business (which I still run!)
- Helped dozens of engineers advance their DevOps careers
- Learned that the best way to learn infrastructure is by building it
I’m not here to lecture you through slides. I’m here to work alongside you, share what I’ve learned from years of 3 AM production incidents, and help you build the confidence that comes from successfully delivering real infrastructure.
How It Works
The Setup
- Duration: 2-3 weeks of focused work
- Format: Fully remote with asynchronous communication
- Team Size: Just 5 participants (first-come, first-served)
- Tools Needed: Tailscale VPN client and a web browser
- Hardware: I provide all the infrastructure—you bring the curiosity
The Process
- Join The Server Room at the GOLD membership level (€49)
- Apply for one of the 3 micro-internship spots
- Get access to our private project channel
- Work with your team and mentor to deliver Pubmox
- Celebrate your first production deployment!
What You Walk Away With
- Real production infrastructure experience
- A portfolio project that stands out
- Documentation and references for job applications
- Optional ongoing role in system administration
- The confidence that comes from building something real
Ready to Stop Learning About DevOps and Start Doing It?
Important: This opportunity is only available to GOLD members of The Server Room community. Your €49 membership includes access to this micro-internship plus all the other community benefits—forum access, community events, workshops, career guidance, networking, and ongoing learning resources.
With only 3 spots available and selection based on first-come, first-served, the window for this experience won’t stay open long.