Skills Required To Start A Career As a Cloud Engineer
What is a Cloud Engineer?
Cloud Engineer: is the technically proficient IT specialist involved in planning, designing, managing, and maintaining an organization’s cloud computing infrastructure.
With organizations further continuing to shift local and inhouse services, applications, and data into the cloud, this role of a cloud engineer is now integral in making these shifts as smooth and optimized as possible.
Cloud engineers are knowledgeable about cloud architectures and services and design, build, maintain, and secure the cloud systems that meet the needs of an organization.
With cloud computing, organizations can utilize virtual infrastructure that scales up as per their needs, thus flexible and cost-effective.
Therefore, the role of a cloud engineer is to get it set up and then ensure the smooth operation of it along with possible fault-finding.
An individual working under cloud infrastructure can specialize in different areas depending upon his or her skills and the needs of the organization. The major areas are Cloud Architecture, Cloud Development, Cloud Administration, Cloud Security, and Cloud Networking.
This role varies based on the specific needs of an organization.
However, it primarily focuses on ensuring that the said cloud services are available, secure, scalable, and cost-effective.
Cloud engineers should know the cloud computing services offered by vendors such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
These are the most common cloud platforms, and companies across various industries rely on these services in running their daily work.
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Roles of a Cloud Engineer
The roles and responsibilities of a cloud engineer are multifaceted, incorporating all the aspects of cloud infrastructure as well as services. Based on the area of specialization, several roles fall under a cloud engineer; these include:
- Cloud Architect: A cloud architect is responsible for designing the structure and layout of cloud environments.
They make top-level decisions concerning the deployment of applications, storage, networking, and security policies.
In a scalable and secure manner, all pieces of the cloud infrastructure must fit together.
Cloud architecture requires a deep understanding of cloud platforms and services, especially as they interact.
- Cloud Developer: A Cloud developer designs and builds and maintains applications that run in the cloud.
Applications are mostly created and integrated with systems for these cloud environments.
As a result, with most applications now running in the cloud, the applications developed by cloud developers use tools and features that the specific platforms provide to ensure best-in-class functionalities and scalability and optimization.
- Cloud Administrator: It oversees day-to-day activities in the cloud systems.
Cloud administrators are responsible for monitoring the health and performance of cloud infrastructure and resolving all issues related to operations.
Cloud administrators ensure proper utilization of resources in clouds, maintain system uptime at lower costs, and more.
- Cloud Security Engineer: As a result of cloud adoption, security issues within an organization are at the topmost priority.
Cloud security engineers keep the systems safe from cyber threats and protect them by designing and setting up implementation of security protocol and access control mechanisms combined with the encryption of resources to decrease breaches and exploitations.
These engineers make sure that certain regulatory standards are followed as far as data privacy is concerned.
- DevOps Engineer: DevOps engineers play a major role in the automation of cloud operation and integrating development teams with operation teams. They use cloud technologies to streamline the entire development lifecycle of the software by focusing on CI/CD.
The scripting language is used by DevOps engineers to automate infrastructure, manage deployment, and scale it.
These roles require different skills, but in the end, they all come back to understanding cloud computing and the services and tools offered by major cloud platforms.
A cloud engineer, depending on the company size, will be responsible for one or more of these roles.
How To Become a Cloud Engineer
For one to be a cloud engineer, thus proper education, handson experience, and certification are required.
Even though cloud engineering is a niche profession, it can be used by anyone from whatever background related to IT and software development.
Here, following the steps outlines the roadmap to becoming a cloud engineer.
1. Educational Background
Good academic exposure in computer science or information technology, or any closely related discipline, often forms a foundation for becoming a cloud engineer.
While many engineers who work in the cloud have a bachelor’s degree, formal education will provide the familiarity to wellestablished concepts such as networking, databases, operating systems, even elementary programming skills with which, by and large, cloud computing operates.
However, formal schooling does not have to be a one-way entrance.
Many cloud engineers are self-made through study, bootcamps, or special training exercises. Most importantly, one’s understanding of cloud technologies and its application in practice is very valuable.
2. Cloud Basic Knowledge
A cloud engineer’s basic knowledge should be based on fundamental cloud computing basics, such as the service models:
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) : These offer virtualized computing resources over the internet, such as servers, storage, and networking.
Within PaaS, it provides a platform for developers to build, deploy and manage applications without any need to worry about the underlying infrastructure.
Within SaaS, it delivers fully functioning applications over the internet, without the need for installation or maintenance.
Additionally, do understand the differences between public, private, and hybrid clouds:
- Public Cloud: Services delivered over the internet by a thirdparty provider, such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud.
- Private Cloud: Cloud infrastructure that is provisioned behind a firewall and which may exist either in your own premises or at a provider’s premises.
- Hybrid Cloud: A composition of both public and private clouds; enabling the sharing of data and applications between both.
This knowledge of those models and structures is rather very important because the same cloud service varies with different organizations in different configurations according to their needs.
- Hands-on Experience:
Cloud engineering is actually an extremely hand-on discipline. Just having theoretical knowledge is not enough.
To gain experience, you must work on real-world cloud projects.
Most of the newer platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud have free-tier accounts wherein you can play with the services and have the chance to enhance your skillset.
You will get to create, manage virtual machines, set up storage, deploy applications, manage security groups, and explore serverless computing.
You will learn how to design, deploy, and manage infrastructure that’s cloud-based by trying out actual cloud services. This is a big part of any cloud engineering role.
Participating in internships, freelancing projects, and opensource projects related to cloud computing will also provide you with practical experience in your portfolio.
Most companies are looking for candidates who have actual experience in the cloud and other relevant areas, so that you’re one of those people who arrive with a portfolio ready to go is extremely valuable.
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4. Accumulate Cloud Engineer Certifications
One of the most essential aspects of being a cloud engineer is having certifications, mainly because they reflect knowledge and expertise for potential employers.
Major cloud providers AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) offer many different certifications and most of them even support different levels and roles in a company.
Some of the most popular and useful ones are as follows:
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect: Associate and Professional. This will then enable the designing as well as the deployment of scalable and secure applications on AWS.
- AWS Certified Developer: this will be to certify your ability in application development and maintenance capabilities on the AWS platform
- AWS Certified SysOps Administrator: this is to mark your capability to manage the operation of the AWS environments
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals; the basic understanding of Azure services, cloud concepts, and pricing. - Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate : This includes managing services and subscriptions for Azure, delivering virtual networks, and securing identities.
- Google Associate Cloud Engineer: It validates the ability of the candidate to deploy and manage Google Cloud solutions.
- Google Professional Cloud Architect: This involves designing and managing robust, secure, efficient, and dynamic solutions on GCP.
These certifications can prove your expertise to employers. Mostly, they work as a benchmark for measuring your competence.
Many cloud engineering jobs require or prefer relevant certifications, so it is pretty important in your career path.
5. Build a Portfolio
Building a portfolio of your cloud engineering projects is great for demonstrating your abilities to potential employers.
It may consist of multiple, varying cloud-related tasks, from designing scalable architectures to migrating on-premise systems to the cloud or implementing security measures for cloud infrastructure.
When you are able to demonstrate your skills through tangible examples, hiring managers can easily ascertain how you apply your theoretical knowledge to the world at hand.
Another way is by developing a blog or engaging in open-source projects to advance in the sector and attract potential employers or clients.
6. Apply for Cloud Engineer Jobs
Once you acquire a good foundation in cloud computing, relevant certifications, and practical experience, you can begin applying for cloud engineer jobs .
In the process of seeking a job, look for open positions that fit your abilities and competencies under any of the following: Cloud Administrator, Cloud Architect, Cloud Developer, or Cloud Security Engineer.
Networking is another important element of available job opportunities.
You should participate in cloud online communities, attend events or webinars on cloud computing, and engage in industry-related discussions.
Networking will expose you to employment opportunities that have yet to be advertised.
Is it necessary to have Program / Coding Skills as a Cloud Engineer?
Perhaps one of the most common questions facing aspiring cloud engineers is whether they need some programming or coding skills.
To some extent, this will depend on the specific role within cloud engineering: while it is true that being able to code is helpful, it is certainly not always required.
Programming skills are highly valued for cloud engineers in general, especially for application development, automation, or infrastructure as code (IaC).
Nonetheless, the definition does not mean that all experts in cloud engineering need strong programming skills. Let’s break it down into the necessity of programming and where it is not needed.
When Programming is Necessary
- Cloud Developers: In the event that you have a job of developing or maintaining applications that are hosted through the cloud, programming is going to come in handy. These are the developers who write the code to create scalable, efficient, and secure cloud-based applications. Thus, the languages they use would include Python, Java, JavaScript, Ruby and Career. These can be used interaction with the various cloud platforms; creating APIs and development serverless applications.
- DevOps Engineers: Programming and scripting are the key for DevOps as they need automation and efficient management of cloud infrastructure. Some of these tools are Ansible, Chef, Puppet, and Terraform which help DevOps engineers to automate the processes related to infra management. Knowing the language of Python, Ruby, Bash, and PowerShell also helps.
- Cloud Architect: The requirement for coding experience is lower, but even cloud architects must know how to program when designing systems that integrate with cloud services. Architects need insight into how varied services can interact and ensure application performance in the cloud.
Not Necessary to Be a Programmer:
- Cloud Administrators: These cloud administrators will be tasked with management of existing cloud resources, optimization of systems, and monitoring of systems. It can be through the use of cloud management interfaces or some automation tools that do not necessarily require deep programming knowledge. Therefore, learning a little scripting will help but is not necessary.
- Cloud Security Engineers : These are security engineers engaged in securing the cloud infrastructure and ensuring that standards across regulatory compliance are met. Some scripting knowledge may be useful for enhancing automation around security processes or responding to specific incidents, but these roles tend to be more focused on security policies, identity management, and encryption.
Summary
Basic skills in programming may be invaluable for the role of a cloud engineer, though not always required, particularly in administration and security-related responsibilities.
Basic knowledge of programming languages and scripting can be highly valuable in any role as it would be useful in streamlining and automating tasks within cloud operations.
Learning Path: Cloud Engineer
I get to continuously learn new technologies and make necessary adjustments.
The nature of this field is also a development one because the world’s cloud platforms are changing daily, and professionals need to be kept updated on new tools, services, and best practices.
Here’s an in-depth learning path on how to become a proficient cloud engineer:
1. Foundational Knowledge
First and foremost, have good foundational knowledge in computer science and information technology.
You must be familiar with core concepts like computer networks, operating systems, databases, virtualization, and basic programming.
You can source high-quality learning materials for free or at minimal cost on resources like Coursera, edX, Udemy, or LinkedIn Learning.
2. Cloud Platform
I opt to focus on one of the major cloud vendors. There are only three that are large enough to be interesting (Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform).
Between these three, you will have all the certifications you will need, and they all have great beginner documentation.
Each one of the providers offers pretty much the same basic services, so there’s less need to become an absolute expert in one before moving to another (though AWS does have a command-line interface).
All of them have free tiers where you can experiment with minimal costs.
3. Hands-on Practice
Practical learning is the most effective way to become a cloud engineer. Use the cloud provider you prefer to create simple projects.
In other words, you can set up a virtual machine, you can work with cloud storage solutions, you can create a serverless function, or you can deploy an application in the cloud.
The more hand-on projects you do, the smoother you will feel working with cloud technologies.
4. Get Cloud Certifications
As already discussed above, obtaining certifications from AWS, Azure, or GCP is a part of a thorough training process.
Such certification programs that are recognized worldwide come as proof of your cloud engineering skills.
They also offer you well-structured learning paths for everything you need to learn.
5. Stay Updated
It is changing day by day. New services, tools, and technologies are being introduced each day.
Stay competitive with the changing industry trends by keeping updated through cloud communities, blogs, and information coming in from cloud services providers. Useful sites to keep updated include Cloud Academy, Tec Target, and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation.
6. Acquire Specialized Expertise
With experience, you may want to specialise in particular areas of cloud computing like cloud security, cloud automation (DevOps), AI/ML in the cloud, or cloud networking.
Specialization can get you an edge in the job market, and may also open up your opportunities to senior roles or consulting roles.
Cloud Engineer Top Recruiters
Cloud engineers are in big demand by all sectors, and most of the biggest companies look for individuals with cloud computing experience.
Some of the best recruiters of cloud engineers are as follows:
1. Amazon Web Services (AWS)
As the world’s largest company in cloud service providers, AWS is one of the top companies that hire cloud engineers. AWS provides different roles in cloud architecture, DevOps, system operations, and cloud security, among many others.
2. Microsoft
The cloud platform offered by Microsoft is called Azure.
Azure has emerged as a giant in the world of cloud computing and houses growing teams of engineers, architects, and developers working to build, consume, and continually optimize its cloud solutions for enterprise customers.
3. Google
The Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is recognized for innovative yet scalable solutions.
Google is constantly recruiting cloud engineers who are working on data analytics, AI and machine learning in the cloud, as well as hybrid cloud strategies.
IBM is a pioneer company in the hybrid cloud solution space. It offers on-premise solutions integrated with cloud environments for enterprise-based businesses.
IBM utilizes cloud engineers for its customers to deliver secure and scalable cloud solutions.
4. Oracle
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is focused on enterprise cloud solutions primarily targeted towards large-scale database management.
Database and cloud architecture experts are always required by Oracle.
5. Cisco
Cisco is an ace networking solution provider but is also rapidly developing its cloud networking. Cloud Engineers are thus of extreme importance in the development and expansion of the company’s infrastructure of cloud-based networking and security services.
6. Accenture
The research giant consulting firm, Accenture hires a lot of cloud engineers to support clients in the migration process of their infrastructure to the cloud.
Cloud engineers here are primarily associated with cloud strategy, architecture, and implementation for a wide scope of industries.
Conclusion:
Cloud engineering is a field of rapid growth with opportunities being created for IT professionals to specialize in application of cloud computing.
The more that companies and individuals take the option of cloud for their work, the greater the need for cloud engineers will be.
Cloud engineering requires an in-depth understanding in the principles of computer science and IT as well as proficiency in cloud platforms and what actually seems to be changing with time.
Programming skills will not be required for all job roles in cloud engineering, but at the very least, one will need some basic knowledge of coding languages like Python, Java, or Bash to get an appropriate job.
In the face of multiple certification programs offered by AWS, Azure, and GCP, securing at least one recognized industry certification is necessary to prove your understanding of cloud platforms.
Whether you want to be a cloud architect, a cloud security engineer, a DevOps engineer, or even a cloud administrator, there’s more than enough room for you to grow and specialize.
By keeping abreast of industry trends and by continuous honing of skills, you can make yourself a highly competitive candidate in the field of cloud engineering and thus can have a rewarding and dynamic career in one of the most critical areas of today’s technology.
