Advance your career in: Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is no longer just a buzzword or a trend; it's the backbone of the modern digital economy. According to Gartner, more than 70% of enterprises will use industry cloud platforms to accelerate their business initiatives by 2027, up from less than 15% in 2023. In a recent survey of North America- and Europe-based enterprises, almost 39% of respondents said they had started to adopt industry cloud platforms, with another 14% in pilots and 17% considering deployment by 2026.

In an era where agility, innovation, and efficiency are not just valued but required for organizational success, cloud computing has emerged as the critical catalyst for transformation – and now, the demand for skilled cloud computing professionals has soared to unprecedented heights. This isn't merely a shift; it's a revolution in how we think about, interact with, and innovate in the digital space

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Global market intelligence firm International Data Corporation Worldwide forecasts that spending on public cloud services will reach $1.35 trillion by 2027.

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As more and more companies switch to cloud-based environments, hiring for cloud engineers is top of mind for many IT teams. Network cloud engineer is one of this year’s 15 most in-demand tech jobs based on Robert Half Technology’s 2024 IT salary report.

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Cloud computing experts can be at the forefront of an organization’s digital innovation, whether overhauling operations for greater productivity, adopting AI, or increasing data collection and analysis. For engineers who are feeling restless or stuck, specializing in a rapidly shifting space like cloud computing could provide exciting new challenges, expose you to various experts and essential tech, and offer plenty of room for personal and professional growth.

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What is cloud computing?

Cloud computing—the process of building and maintaining infrastructure and storage over the Internet, otherwise referred to as the “cloud”—is seeing increased adoption for a good reason: With cloud computing, businesses can access crucial information—be it customer transactions, internal documents, or relevant code—from anywhere, making it easy to work effectively globally and remotely. It’s also often cheaper, more efficient, and requires less maintenance than storing data locally.

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A cloud computing engineer or architect typically works within a company’s IT arm, designing, deploying, and managing its cloud services so the rest of the business can focus on what they do best without interruption or risk of exposure to cyber threats. They might focus on one or several services of cloud computing, including:

• Infrastructure-as-a-service, where a cloud services provider supplies computing resources;
• platform-as-a-service, where developers have access to a cloud environment that allows them to build, run, and manage applications;
• software-as-a-service, where software is centrally hosted and licensed on a subscription basis and
• serverless computing, where developers can build and run applications without managing servers.

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They could manage private clouds only accessible to their company—the benefits being more robust security and greater control and customization—or function via a hybrid cloud environment, where they’re building across the Internet and private clouds.

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Below, we’ll outline how to advance your career in cloud computing and the opportunities available to technologists in this field.

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Study up on key programs and languages

Cloud computing engineers should be proficient, if not experts, in languages often used in cloud software development, including Python, JavaScript, and Ruby, as well as database-specific languages such as SQL. They should also understand how to use cloud service providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, and operating systems such as Linux.

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There are various ways to refine these skills on your own time and at your own pace. Google, Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon provide online training courses on their specific platforms. To fully dive into cloud computing, try a certification or degree through the University of Texas at Austin or MIT. Or, if you need a quick refresher course or niche training, online education resources such as Coursera, edX, and LinkedIn Learning offer many free or affordable options.

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The Andela Skills Race supports technologists throughout their journey to becoming AWS-certified cloud practitioners with live training sessions with certified cloud experts and self-paced learning modules. Beyond building foundational knowledge of AWS cloud, the program covers core AWS services and use cases, billing and pricing models, security concepts, and how the cloud positively impacts business to help anyone kickstart their dream career in cloud computing.

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Document your work

A cloud platform certification or computer science degree will only get you so far in cloud computing. When it comes to landing a job or promotion in this industry, it’s all about showing you can do the work and do it well.

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A portfolio is a huge asset. Whenever you get hands-on experience or create a project in, say, AWS, showcase that work on a personal website (you can use a website builder like Squarespace or WordPress or create your own website from scratch), developer platform like GitHub, or publishing platform like Medium, YouTube, or LinkedIn where other cloud experts tend to be. You’ll want to include screenshots or links to your work, the steps you took, the languages you used to create that project, and how you overcame any significant hurdles. This gives potential employers a peek inside your thought process and problem-solving and communication skills, often just as important when vetting candidates.

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Find mentors and leadership opportunities

Moving up the ladder in cloud computing requires deep knowledge of the most popular and recent frameworks and strong soft skills like communication, time management, and critical thinking. These skills help teams work well together and stay on target. To hone these skills regularly, be open to raising your hand for new assignments and taking the lead on solving crucial business problems in your current role.

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Consider finding a mentor who can help you through business or management challenges and share their unique expertise. If you don’t have a robust network within your company, you could attend conferences like IEEE Cloud or networking events through AWS or use a platform like MentorCruise or The Mentoring Club to connect with experts online.

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The possibilities with cloud computing

Andela’s Cloud Adoption Framework, powered by the latest SRE and DevOps practices, reduces complexities and accelerates project delivery by creating a dynamic, optimized environment. This framework guides businesses through their cloud journey — from strategy and planning to expansion and optimization — with the help of Andela-certified technologists. Companies trust our global talent marketplace to ensure minimized disruptions and maximized efficiency when it comes to application and data migration and security and risk management in the cloud.

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With increased spending and global enterprises’ adoption, cloud engineers are in high demand. These roles come with many titles — site reliability engineer, applications developer, and systems administrator — with varying levels of expertise. Aspiring cloud engineers may want to start in a general IT administrator or developer job, then move into a specialty such as security or DevOps, or adopt a more senior role as the lead on a specific system or manager of junior engineers. Andela helps technologists upskill, reskill, and succeed in their chosen fields to have impactful careers. No matter your path, it’s essential to keep an open mind at work and outside of work regarding new technology and approaches — you never know what innovations could improve your business outcomes or put you on the map as a leader in cloud computing.

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Advance your cloud computing career with Andela. Learn more.

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