Why Cloud Computing is a great career path
Cloud job roles are understaffed and overpaid
A few years ago in 2019, it was predicted that public spending on cloud computing would run up to about $370 billion by 2022. Fast forward to 2021 and what did the projection come out to?
The amount of time, money, and resources spent on cloud computing is substantial, and thanks to a world dependent now more than ever on technology we are showing no signs of slowing. Also, remember that due to COVID many companies accelerated their adoption of various technologies to meet their KPIs, reach larger customer bases, and provide employees with resources to work remotely.
Now that we know there is a massive usage of cloud services, lets not forget that it takes talented teams and individuals to provision and maintain these cloud based services. However there is one problem: Due to the relatively young age of cloud computing, there is a large shortage in skilled workers compared to jobs needed for cloud based solutions.
This is largely a problem because of the fact that a lack of skilled workers is holding back a large amount of cloud based initiatives. So the demand is absolutely real, and as someone who has skills in one of the many career paths in the cloud you can leverage this to get a high paying job with great benefits, and the potential to work remotely, giving yourself the ability to enjoy your life and your job.
By the end of the 2020 decade the money spent on cloud computing is projected to be well above $1 trillion a year. And when companies start to realize how cloud computing can save them money, time, and allow them to focus on innovation instead of provisioning and maintaining hardware that trend is going to only accelerate faster.
So how can you get involved in this career path?
First, find one of the major cloud providers and check out what types of certification paths they have (architect, developer, security, databases, etc. there are a ton of ways to mix and match). The most popular providers to date are AWS, Azure, and Google cloud. These 3 make up about 70% of the total market. I personally prefer AWS as they have extremely clear and concise documentation and labs that help you to conceptually understand their services, get some hands on experience, and troubleshoot when issues arise.
Next, decide which path would interest you the most and find some providers that will help educate you on their services with online lectures, hands on labs, and challenges where you must solve problems in an environment they provision for you. I prefer using Cloud Academy as they have tons of material for each of the 3 providers I mentioned and more.
Finally, register for a certification exam (or a few), pass them and post your certifications online. LinkedIn is a great place to do it, ever since I started getting my certifications and posting them there I get inquiries from companies asking if I would be interested in interviews to potentially join their team. Get certified, let the world know, and the opportunities will come to you on their own.
I wish you the best of luck on your journey through cloud computing. Feel free to reach out to me if you have questions or would like to network a little bit. And remember, an hour of learning a day over the course of 5 years will put you in the top 1% of everyone in your field.
