I’ve done both, it’s just a rarity to have someone experienced enough in both to be able to cross the lines.

Those are your gems and they’ll stick around as long as you pay them decently.

Hard to find.

Because the problem is that you need

1. A developer
2. A systems guy
3. A social and great personality

The job is hard to hire for because those 3 in combo is rare. Many developers and systems guys have prickly personalities or specialise in their favourite part of it.

Devops spent have the option of prickly personalities because you have to deal with so many people outside your team that are prickly and that you have to sometimes give bad news to….

Eventually they’ll all be mad at you for SOMETHING….. and you have to let it slide. You have to take their anger and not take it personally…. That’s hard for most people, let alone tech workers that grew up idolising Linus torvalds, or Sheldon cooper and their “I’m so smart that I don’t need to be nice” attitudes.