Starting Your Cloud Journey

Over the past week, many people have reached out to me, curious about starting a career in the cloud and how to begin their journey. As someone who has recently started this journey myself, I understand the excitement and uncertainty that comes with exploring this field. These conversations inspired me to share my early experiences to encourage and guide those considering a career in cloud computing.

In this post, I’ll discuss:

• Finding your role in the cloud
• Educational resources to get started
• Setting realistic expectations

Finding Your Role in the Cloud

The cloud industry is vast, with roles that cater to different skills and interests. Do you enjoy meeting people, understanding their goals, and crafting solutions? Are you passionate about spotting patterns and anomalies? Or perhaps you love developing applications and scaling them globally?

Each cloud role has unique responsibilities and focuses. Personally, I spent over a decade working in Client Solutions roles, where I honed my ability to understand objectives and provide tailored solutions. This background, combined with my education in IT, shaped my aspiration to pursue the Solutions Architect path. I enjoy visualizing business objectives, designing architectural diagrams, and guiding others through potential solutions.

Identifying a cloud role that aligns with your skills and passions can make your journey in this field deeply fulfilling. Whether you gravitate toward designing infrastructure, managing operations, or developing applications, there’s a place for you in the cloud.

Educational Resources

The modern age offers countless resources to learn cloud technologies—many of them free. Here are some I found particularly useful:

Free Resources

• Cloud Provider Learning Platforms: Providers like AWS, Azure, and GCP offer free resources, labs, and tutorials to help you gain hands-on experience.
• AWS Skill Builder: AWS's interactive learning paths and Cloud Quest gamified challenges provide hands-on experience. When I started, these tools helped me master architectural concepts and implementation.
• Developer Roadmaps: This community-driven platform covers essential topics like networking, cloud design patterns, and DevOps fundamentals. It’s an excellent guide for building a learning plan.
• YouTube: Don’t underestimate the wealth of tutorials and walkthroughs available on YouTube. When I built a trading card project using AWS Amplify, YouTube tutorials helped me navigate technologies like TypeScript, React.js, and Node.js.

Paid Resources

• Certifications: Earning certifications like AWS Solutions Architect Associate deepens your understanding of cloud services and validates your skills.
• Bootcamps: Bootcamps are especially useful for those who thrive in structured, intense learning environments. I attended a six-month bootcamp focused on Azure, where I earned credentials and built a cloud portfolio. Shoutout to my instructor and career coach @realcloudprojects, who also taught me the art of professional blogging (hence, this post!).
• Higher Education: While college isn’t the only path, it offers a structured environment to build valuable skills. My degree in Computer Science provided a strong foundation in programming and problem-solving.

Setting Realistic Expectations

You may have heard, “The cloud is not an entry-level role.” I certainly did. Many advised me to gain years of development or tech support experience before considering the cloud. But I was determined to make cloud computing my starting point.

Breaking into the cloud without extensive IT experience is possible but challenging. Many roles are mid- to senior-level, reflecting the responsibility of managing critical infrastructure. Some companies, however, do offer entry-level roles like Cloud Support Associate or Junior Cloud Engineer, which are great stepping stones into this field.

With the industry’s rapid shift to hybrid and multi-cloud solutions, there’s never been a better time to start learning and pursuing opportunities in this space.

Conclusion

A career in the cloud is achievable, even without years of prior experience. With the abundance of free and paid resources available, you can build the knowledge and confidence to succeed. Don’t let doubt hold you back—take the first step and begin your journey.

If you have questions or want to share your own journey, feel free to connect or comment below. Let’s inspire and learn from each other.