My only feedback is that this is unrealistic because today developers wouldn’t try to debug something, they’d just destroy the instance, push a commit and hope it fixed something infra related then recreate it.
Why would you need to understand how something works? Just use containers. /s
Developers just need to understand everything because we need developers to do everything and meet all deadlines. We wouldn't dare consider a support role that could troubleshoot it because then there would be no point to having developers that can do everything! /s
If most developers can't debug a VM, then anyone who can will be able to charge a premium. If you have a proficiency in ops, remember that the next time you negotiate a compensation package.
[Edited my compensation numbers to avoid down votes - yikes]
I feel like you definitely have to target particular companies and more specifically specific titles and skills to offer to do so.
My guess is trying to sell high end services as a "principal software engineer" isn't going to be enough to justify that cash comp to a lot of people hiring.
I wouldn't think of it as trying to sell yourself as a "principal software engineer" on an open market.
I'd make a list of the companies where hiring/scaling the ops team will make or break the business's value delivery, and filter by companies aware of this.
You can knock this out at the recruiting step, just by asking about open developer headcount vs. open SRE ops headcount. Ask which direction that ratio seems to be going, and if there's anyone you can talk to whose job it is to change that ratio (director or VP mandate).
The referral network from working at a hyperscaler co in ops is a great way to break into the space.
Why would you need to understand how something works? Just use containers. /s