It’s a new year, and many of you will be considering a career move in 2022. If you are looking for a lucrative career with staying power and room for advancement, cloud computing is where it’s at. The 2021 Open Source Jobs Report found that cloud computing skills are the most in demand of any technology area, and with 92% of hiring managers having difficulty finding enough talent, those with these skills are set up for success. Additionally, recent data has shown that salaries for these roles are on the rise.
The problem for most is determining how and where to start. If you are new to the IT sector, jumping straight into cloud technologies will be nearly impossible without first gaining an understanding of the infrastructure technologies on which the cloud is built. That’s why we’ve developed the roadmap below which outlines the knowledge and skills needed to successfully pursue a cloud career.
To start, you need to understand Linux. Over 90% of public cloud instances are running on Linux, and if you aren’t proficient in the Linux command line interface, you won’t get very far working in the cloud. You also need to understand DevOps – a term referring to the combination of development and operations which traditionally were separate in the IT space. The vast majority of organizations today use DevOps practices to deploy to the cloud, so you need to understand those practices.
Once you’ve learned the fundamentals underpinning the cloud, you can start to learn the cloud technologies themselves. 91% of organizations running in the cloud are using Kubernetes, so it’s an ideal technology to focus on.
To get your feet wet, you can start with some of our free courses:
- Introduction to Linux
- Introduction to DevOps and Site Reliability Engineering
- Introduction to Cloud Infrastructure Technologies
- Introduction to Kubernetes
Once you have the basics under your belt, the best way to demonstrate your prowess to potential employers is to show them you have completed formal training and certification around these technologies. Linux Foundation Training & Certification and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) offer the Kubernetes and Cloud Native Essentials online training course, which provides an overview of cloud native technologies and how container orchestration systems like Kubernetes can help to implement and maintain them. The course also gets you ready to sit for the Kubernetes & Cloud Native Associate (KCNA) certification, which demonstrates to employers that you have the knowledge and skills to get to work.
Once you have secured your KCNA, you are ready for an entry-level cloud role, so you can get out there and start applying for jobs. If you want to enhance your skills further, consider our Cloud Engineer Bootcamp if you want a more structured learning program, or check out our full array of cloud training and certification offerings. You can complete these programs while working, and they will set you up for advancement in the future.
And don’t forget to view the Cloud Career Roadmap below for more insights!
