Finding Your Path in the Kubernetes Community
Published in November 2025
TL;DR: This report presents findings from a four-week survey of the Kubernetes community about their journey into the Kubernetes ecosystem. The LinkedIn survey, which received over 100 responses, reveals the discovery/engagement patterns of the Kubernetes community.
In a four-week survey, we asked the Cloud-native community about their journey into Kubernetes — how they got started, built credibility, invested their time, and focused their efforts.
The 100+ responses we gathered on LinkedIn uncovered patterns on how these professionals discovered, learned, and how they keep up with the Kubernetes community.
If you'd like a denser, intuitive, and an engaging take on finding your path in the Kubernetes World, you can download our latest ebook for free: Kubernetes World: Finding Your Path
Kubernetes from 2014 till now
The Kubernetes ecosystem has evolved from its initial release in 2014 as an orchestration platform to a full-fledged community of contributors, maintainers, advocates, and users.
Yet, for many professionals, the path to meaningful participation remains unclear.
Should you be a code contributor? Or focus on getting certifications? Are there options that don't need technical depth?
Seeking answers, we conducted a community-wide survey to find the real pathways into the Kubernetes community, interviewing leaders such as Bob Killen and Jorge Castro from CNCF, Cortney Nickerson (CNCF Ambassador and Head of Community at Nirmata), and Prasanth Baskar, an LFX mentee to a KubeCon India presenter.
How People Enter the Kubernetes Community
We asked respondents how they first engaged with the Kubernetes community to understand the initial touchpoints that draw people into this ecosystem.
The question aimed to identify whether code contributions, in-person networking, online community participation, or other paths served as the primary entry point for professionals.
The data reveals that events and meetups serve as the dominant entry point, drawing half of all respondents into the ecosystem.
This finding aligns with Bob Killen's observation that Kubernetes is more than just code - it's people.
The physical and virtual gathering spaces create accessible on-ramps that don't require existing technical expertise or code contributions.
Interestingly, code contributions and community participation through forums tied for second place at 16.7% each.
This suggests multiple viable entry paths exist, with technical contributions representing just one option among several.
The equal representation of those still figuring it out indicates that discovering your place in the community takes time, and that uncertainty is a regular part of the journey.
What this means for you: If you're looking to engage with the Kubernetes community, attending a local meetup or KubeCon may be more approachable than immediately diving into code contributions. The community values human connection and learning as much as technical contributions.
Building Credibility in the Ecosystem
After understanding entry points, we examined what actually builds credibility once someone is engaged with the community.
We asked what had been most valuable for establishing professional recognition and trust within the Kubernetes ecosystem.
Community relationships emerged as the most significant credibility builder, chosen by 40% of respondents.
This validates Cortney Nickerson's insight about networking being the most underrated accelerator.
The relatively low percentage for official roles (13.3%) is striking.
While positions like maintainer or CNCF Ambassador certainly carry weight, they represent the outcome of credibility rather than the primary mechanism for building it.
Prasanth Baskar captured this dynamic well: "Formal recognition puts you in the spotlight, but you need informal credibility to get there - they're two sides of the same coin."
Nearly a quarter of respondents (23.3%) indicated they're still figuring out how to build credibility.
This suggests that the pathways to recognition in the Kubernetes community aren't immediately obvious, even to engaged participants.
Combined with content creation and visibility at 23.3%, this shows a diverse set of strategies people employ.
What this means for you: Focus on building genuine relationships before pursuing formal recognition. Engage authentically in community spaces, share what you're learning, and connect with others who share your interests.
Official roles and visibility will follow from this foundation.
The Time Investment Reality
Understanding the time commitment required for community participation helps set realistic expectations.
We asked respondents how much time they actually invest in engaging with the Kubernetes community, from casual participation to full-time involvement.
The responses show a remarkably even distribution across time commitment levels, with no single pattern dominating.
One-third of respondents invest 2-10 hours per week, representing steady but manageable engagement alongside other responsibilities.
This moderate investment level appears to be a sustainable sweet spot for many professionals.
Equally represented at 22.2% each are minimal engagement (under 2 hours weekly), full-time professional involvement, and other responses that likely represent variable or project-based participation.
Jorge Castro's emphasis on sustainability resonates here: "We have to take the project seriously... but we can't have maintainers crashing and burning."
The distribution suggests there's room in the community for various levels of participation.
Not everyone needs to make Kubernetes their full-time focus.
Castro's advice about setting specific goals - meet 3 people, attend 3 talks - acknowledges that even small, consistent contributions matter.
What this means for you: You don't need to dedicate massive amounts of time to meaningfully participate in the Kubernetes community.
Even a few hours per week can build lasting connections and credibility.
Find a sustainable rhythm that works with your other commitments, and remember that consistency matters more than intensity.
Where People Focus Their Credibility-Building Efforts
For the final poll, we asked where respondents were focusing their efforts to build credibility.
This question aimed to understand which activities people prioritize when actively establishing their presence in the ecosystem.
Content creation and visibility emerged as the overwhelming focus, with 70% of respondents prioritizing writing, speaking, or other forms of content.
This represents a dramatic shift from entry points, where events and networking dominated.
The data suggests that once people are established in the community, they channel their efforts into more visible, shareable contributions.
The minimal focus on code contributions (10%) is particularly notable.
Despite Kubernetes being an open-source software project, direct code contributions ranked as the least common focus area. This aligns with the broader pattern throughout the survey: success in the Kubernetes community depends more on communication, relationships, and knowledge-sharing than on technical contributions to the codebase.
Significantly, no respondents indicated they were still exploring options for building credibility.
This suggests that by the time professionals reach the point of actively working on their reputation, they have clarity about which path to pursue, even if execution remains challenging.
What this means for you: If you're ready to establish your presence in the Kubernetes community, consider starting with content creation.
Write about what you're learning, share your experiences at meetups, or create tutorials based on problems you've solved.
These activities provide visibility while reinforcing your own understanding and helping others on similar journeys.
Summary
- The path to success in the Kubernetes community is more social than technical.
- Half of respondents entered through events and meetups, not code contributions.
- Community relationships proved most valuable for building credibility (40%), while official roles like maintainer or ambassador mattered least (13.3%).
Time investment varies widely, from under 2 hours weekly to full-time engagement, with no single pattern dominating.
This suggests the community accommodates various commitment levels, making it accessible to professionals at different career stages.
When actively building credibility, 70% of respondents focus on content creation - writing, speaking, and sharing knowledge.
Only 10% prioritize code contributions, despite Kubernetes being an open-source software project. The message is clear: in the Kubernetes ecosystem, communication and relationships matter more than technical contributions to the codebase.
These findings validate what community leaders emphasized throughout the interviews: Kubernetes is fundamentally about people, not just technology.
Whether you have two hours per week or make it your full-time focus, success comes through authentic engagement, sustainable participation, and consistent knowledge sharing.