How to Build a Cloud Computing Career?

Cloud Computing is often touted as the future, meaning it is dynamic and on few levels demanding. Also it is constantly growing and the need for professionals with 2-5 years of experience is quite high. For beginners though, experts believe that while specific domain knowledge will accumulate with time, basic working knowledge is a must.  Besides, since businesses are increasingly adopting cloud as their model, fields like marketing, communication and advertising have embraced it too. And, cloud professionals invariably have the need to hone their skills holistically and not just stick to technical acumen.

So here are the specific pointers that help build a Cloud Computing career.

1. Technology and platform expertise

A seasoned, traditional IT expert, or a young beginner – anyone who seeks a Cloud Computing career needs to have developing skills with the well-known platforms.  Hands-on working knowledge in Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure has in fact become a part of most job descriptions. While employers look for versatility, in-depth knowledge of one could be your USP too. On a deeper level though, it is essential to know the basics of the niche applications in your particular domain. For example, automation software is a growing market for cloud- first approach. Here, understanding how tools like Puppet and Chef work could help you stand out.

2. Importance of Certifications

IT resumes for a long time now have depended on accumulating certifications. That said, vendor certifications for cloud is slightly new and in many cases, has helped traditional IT professionals, find a strong footing in the cloud domain. Besides, if you are focusing on mastering a particular platform, relevant certification can be very valuable. Yet, experts believe that when knowledge behind certifications does not reflect in your thought process, employers can see through them. Another factor is how the field is far too dynamic and therefore certification must be a consistent effort as every few months, the old certification can go obsolete.

3. Exposure to different environments

Cloud is more of an umbrella-term today, under which innumerable other domains operate in. Now,  as an IT professional, if you work for a firm that provides Software as a Service  application (SaaS), you may still, yourself  require Infrastructure – as -service  (Iaas) resources. Plus cloud data aggregation, information dispersal, security and accessibility must be aspects you choose to learn about. And, experts vouch for people looking at cloud careers to understand advantages of data aggregation, and try to brush on the different vendors in the market.

4. Organizational skills

Earlier, IT professionals had the liberty to code from the comfort of a very independent space. However, today, communication, collaboration and cooperation have become the three C’s that every cloud professional must develop. Besides, you may find yourself organizing project timelines and will often need to work with the UI developer. Or, in some cases, meeting with the rest of the team and helping them understand the technicalities can be necessary too.

5. Being good with number and analysis

Cloud is a very fascinating space that stands at the confluence of management, finance and IT. Therefore, you will at various points be expected to say, chalk up a project quote in terms of resource allocation, or calculate the performance of your application or spend time on case studies that research on why your stake-holders must invest in your product. Before this sounds too demanding, the crux is simply that, employers have realized that real-time KPIs of a product is best analyzed by those who develop it.

6. Management Skills

No matter what domain you choose, climbing up the ladder of success is what you will aim to do. And, managerial skills are of foremost value on this journey of success.  However, with a cloud commuting career though, this gets all the more important because you will have both in-house as well as external teams that rely on your decisions. Internally, besides collaboration, there can be knowledge sharing sessions on helping teams adapt to cloud-first business models you spearhead. Externally, honing your domain knowledge so as to come across as an effective leader is very important. It is advisable to understand the cost advantages of Cloud Computing, its influence on enhanced ROI and its sustainability.

Versatility could be your key to building a very successful Cloud Computing career. As goes with very technological field, invest in learning and as long as you do not stop testing your new strengths, you will not stop growing.

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