How to Become a Cloud Engineering Professional in 5 Steps

In today's fast-paced tech world, cloud engineering has emerged as a highly sought-after profession. As businesses increasingly rely on cloud solutions for their operations, the demand for skilled cloud engineers continues to soar. 

If you're looking to break into this exciting field, you're in the right place. In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through the five essential steps to becoming a cloud engineer, including the importance of comprehensive coursework and hands-on learning you’ll find in QuickStart’s Cloud Engineering Bootcamp.

Step 1: Choose Your Cloud Platform

The cloud landscape is dominated by major players like AWS (Amazon Web Services), Azure (Microsoft Azure), and Google Cloud Platform. Each of these platforms has its strengths and unique offerings. Choosing the right cloud platform is a pivotal decision, much like selecting a smartphone operating system. 

Here's a brief overview:

• AWS: Known for its extensive services and market share, AWS is a popular choice for a wide range of applications and industries.

• Azure: Microsoft's Azure platform is renowned for its integration with other Microsoft products and services, making it a preferred choice for organizations already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem. QuickStart has multiple Microsoft Azure courses available in our training certification courses under Microsoft.

• Google Cloud: Google Cloud is known for its data analytics and machine learning capabilities, making it a top choice for data-driven projects.

When making your choice, consider your career goals and interests. Do some research on each platform and explore their certification paths to align with your aspirations.

Here are some tips when selecting your cloud platform:

• Assess your own career goals: Start by clearly defining your long-term career objectives in the cloud computing industry. Determine the role you want to fulfill, such as cloud architect, cloud developer, cloud security specialist, or another niche within cloud engineering.
• Understand market demand: Research the job market in your region and industry. Different cloud platforms may have varying demand in specific geographical areas or sectors. Explore job listings and consult with industry professionals to gauge local demand and opportunity potential  for specific cloud skills.
• Evaluate skills gaps: Consider your existing knowledge and expertise in technologies, programming languages, and IT domains. Choose a cloud platform that complements your current skills, making it easier to transition and build upon your existing knowledge.
• Consider industry specializations: Some cloud platforms are better suited for specific industries or use cases. For instance, Azure is well-known for its strong support of enterprise applications and hybrid cloud solutions, making it an ideal choice for businesses looking to optimize their IT infrastructure and operations. Assess if an individual platform aligns with your industry of interest.
• Explore integration timelines: Evaluate how well a cloud platform integrates with your organization's existing technologies and tools. If your workplace heavily relies on Microsoft products, Azure might be a seamless fit due to its strong integration with the Microsoft ecosystem. By contrast, Google Cloud can better accommodate a workspace already relying on Google's business tools.

Step 2: Learn the Basics of Cloud Computing

Before diving into a specific cloud platform, it's crucial to grasp the fundamental concepts of cloud computing. Think of the cloud as a vast digital warehouse for your data and applications. Key concepts include virtualization, scalability, and elasticity. These principles form the foundation of cloud technology and will be integral to your success as a cloud engineer.

The top cloud computing bootcamps, including QuickStart’s cloud engineering program offer a comprehensive curriculum that covers the basics of cloud computing, providing you with a strong foundation to build upon as you progress in your cloud engineering journey. You’ll learn basic strategies in fields like programming, infrastructure, and cloud design.

Step 3: Acquire Relevant Skills

To become a proficient cloud engineer, you need a diverse skill set. This includes proficiency in networking, security, scripting, and more. 

A great place to start is by obtaining the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) certification. It's an excellent introduction to cloud concepts and Azure services. Afterward, you can advance to the Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure (AZ-204) certification to deepen your expertise in cloud application development.

Here are a few of the most important skills you’ll need to become a cloud engineer:

• Platform navigation: Master the specific cloud platform(s) you intend to work with (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud). It’s important to understand their services, consoles, and tools while achieving the proper certifications to further validate your expertise.
• Networking: Solid networking knowledge is crucial for configuring cloud resources, designing secure architectures, and troubleshooting issues. Take the time to learn about IP addressing, subnets, VPNs, VPCs, and load balancing.
• Security and compliance: Cloud security is paramount. Gain expertise in identity and access management (IAM), encryption, compliance standards (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA), and threat detection and mitigation.
• Scripting: Scripting languages like Python and automation tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible) are vital for managing cloud resources efficiently. To tackle this, learn to write scripts and create infrastructure as code (IaC).
• Containerization: Containers (e.g., Docker) and orchestration platforms (e.g., Kubernetes) enable scalable and portable applications, so make sure to understand containerization concepts and container orchestration.
• Database management: Database services in the cloud differ from traditional databases. Master the skills in setting up, optimizing, and securing cloud databases, both relational and NoSQL.

Step 4: Virtual Hands-On Experience and Projects

Practical experience is the key to improving your career outlook as a cloud engineer. Consider building personal projects or contributing to open-source initiatives as these experiences not only showcase your skills but also demonstrate your ability to apply them effectively.

At QuickStart, we believe that hands-on learning is essential for building practical knowledge and mastering the skills needed in cloud engineering. Our Cloud Engineering Bootcamp is designed to provide hands-on experience for the purposes of understanding real-life cloud engineer scenarios. Learners complete projects for their portfolio, which serves as tangible evidence of their competence. 

During job interviews, showcasing your portfolio projects and discussing the challenges you overcame can be compelling and speaks to your capabilities in handling specific tasks in the field.

To enhance your practical skills, set up a home lab or use cloud sandboxes. QuickStart also offers lab environments (sandboxes) for various courses in their curriculum, allowing you to practice what you've learned in a real-world setting. 

Step 5: Continuous Learning and Career Advancement

The cloud technology landscape is continually evolving. To stay relevant and advance your career, commit to continuous learning. Consider pursuing intermediate and advanced certifications offered by QuickStart, such as our Microsoft Azure Administrator (AZ-104) program.

It’s also important to stay on top of new developments in networking solutions. We recommend our AZ-700T00 course in Designing and Implementing Microsoft Azure Networking Solutions for the latest in virtual network development and configuring security.

How do I become a cloud engineer?

Becoming a cloud engineer is an exciting and rewarding journey. To recap the five essential steps: choose your cloud platform, learn the basics of cloud computing, acquire relevant skills, obtain hands-on experience, and pursue continuous learning opportunities.

Embark on your cloud engineering journey with confidence, and consider QuickStart's comprehensive cloud engineering bootcamp and courses as your trusted partner in achieving your career goals. Get in touch with one of our admissions advisors to start your transformation into a cloud engineering professional today!