About Me
I’m Mischa van den Burg. I’m the founder of KubeCraft, a DevOps career accelerator with 700+ members. Our engineers work at Google, Microsoft, IBM, NVIDIA, and hundreds of other companies. Most land roles within 2-20 weeks of joining.
I’m also a 2x Microsoft MVP, Kubestronaut, and Senior DevOps Engineer. I live in the Netherlands.
My Story
I used to be a nurse. No tech background. A 4-year gap on my CV. One of the worst starting points for DevOps you can imagine.
But my fascination with computers started long before nursing. In 2007 I started learning to code to automate video games and build websites. In 2014 I taught myself Linux and used it to run large-scale automation projects. I was always building something on the side.
When I moved back to the Netherlands from Norway, I finally committed to turning my passion into my career. I spent years doing it wrong at first: collecting certifications, watching tutorials, hoping someone would give me a chance. None of it got me interviews.
Then I figured out what actually matters: real projects, a public record of work, and the systems to get in front of hiring managers. I built my homelab, documented everything publicly, and started attracting opportunities instead of chasing them.
In 2021, I landed my first DevOps role. I fell completely in love with Kubernetes and became obsessed with learning everything about it. Today I’ve helped 700+ engineers follow the same path, faster than I did.
What I Believe
Most people are stuck in systems they never chose. They’re trading time for money, following paths designed by someone else, hoping that one day they’ll have enough credentials to be “qualified.”
I believe in a different path: sovereignty.
The word autonomy comes from the Greek “autos” (self) and “nomos” (law). It means to give yourself your own rules rather than having them imposed from outside. The Enlightenment philosopher Kant argued that true freedom means being self-governing, not just following orders or social expectations.
This idea has driven my entire journey.
I became a DevOps engineer so I could work remotely and control my own schedule. Then I escaped wage slavery entirely by becoming an entrepreneur. Now I have complete control over what I work on, who I work with, and where I work. I answer to no one.
This isn’t just about money or comfort. It’s about refusing to let institutions define your path. The Stoics taught that true freedom comes from focusing on what you can actually control: your choices, your reactions, your work. Everything else is noise.
I apply this philosophy to every layer of my life.
Technical sovereignty: I run my own infrastructure. I self-host my applications on my own Kubernetes clusters. I use Linux and open-source tools. I own my data and my systems. No vendor decides when to pull the plug on something I depend on.
Career sovereignty: I built skills that make me valuable independent of any single employer. DevOps engineers are in constant demand. I can work from anywhere in the world for companies across the globe. My income isn’t tied to one boss’s opinion of me.
Content sovereignty: I publish on my own website instead of renting space on social media platforms. Algorithms change. Platforms disappear. But this domain is mine.
The French revolutionaries fought for “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité” because they understood that systems of external control are a form of bondage. Your occupation and life path shouldn’t be determined by circumstances of birth or by gatekeepers who decide whether you’re worthy.
I believe anyone can build a sovereign life. It requires intention, skill-building, and the courage to reject the default path. DevOps is one of the best vehicles I’ve found for this: high salaries, remote work, constant demand, and work that rewards genuine competence over credentials.
That’s what I teach at KubeCraft. Not just Kubernetes. A path to sovereignty.
Living on the Command Line
I’m a nerd. I use Neovim for all of my text editing. I have a fully customized setup with dozens of custom keybindings, and this entire blog is written on the command line using Vim.
I love UNIX-based operating systems and I’ve built my custom setup in Arch Linux. Customizing and maintaining my tailored operating system is a creative activity to me.
In the words of Rob Muhlenstein: “Using the Linux Bash terminal command-line is coding. Every command you type on every line is part of an interactive, ongoing program interpreted by Bash and processed by Linux.” Having this dialogue with the computer through commands is one of the most fascinating things on this earth to me.
Why I Take Notes
“Your professional success and quality of life depend directly on your ability to manage information effectively.”
Tiago Forte
We consume far more information than we can remember. Taking notes forces me to clearly formulate my thoughts and convert them to written form. When I want to reflect on a topic or write an article, I go through my collection of notes and link them together. This process stimulates new connections and ideas.
I use my Zettelkasten as a vehicle for reflection, learning, and creativity. Many of these notes are available in my public Zettelkasten.
About This Website
When I changed my career to DevOps, I started this blog to document the journey. I found writing about what I was learning to be an enjoyable practice, and I’ve kept it going ever since.
My style is a mixture of micro-blogging where I share useful tricks I learn, and long-form articles which are more refined.
Why bother with a personal website instead of just writing on social media? Because I believe in owning your own platform. Sovereignty applies to your content too.
KubeCraft
If you’re looking to land a DevOps role, KubeCraft is the system I wish existed when I was starting out.
We give engineers the complete stack: production-grade homelab projects, LinkedIn systems that attract recruiters, interview preparation, and a community of 800+ engineers helping each other get hired. Live coaching, daily support, peer accountability.
If you’re serious about accelerating your DevOps career, book a call with my team.
