Cloud Computing Career Strategies

Stop Collecting Courses. Start Building Systems. I’ve reviewed hundreds of cloud resumes, and here’s the pattern I see: What doesn’t differentiate you: • Another AWS certification • Completed online courses • Theoretical knowledge of services What actually gets you hired: • A GitHub repo showing you deployed a three-tier application on AWS • Evidence you’ve solved real architectural problems • Infrastructure-as-code that demonstrates you understand security and scalability The Learning Trap: Too many aspiring cloud engineers get stuck in perpetual learning mode—jumping from course to course, certification to certification. Meanwhile, the market is screaming for people who can actually build. What Building Projects Actually Teaches You! When you deploy real infrastructure, you encounter: • IAM policies that are too permissive (and how to fix them) • Cost overruns that teach you resource optimization • Network configurations that don’t work , until you understand VPCs deeply • CI/CD pipelines that fail will for e you to master automation. • Monitoring gaps that teach you observability. These lessons don’t come from videos. They come from breaking things and fixing them. Start Here Build something you’d actually use: → Deploy a containerized app with ECS/EKS → Automate infrastructure with Terraform → Create a CI/CD pipeline that deploys on merge → Implement monitoring with CloudWatch and alerting → Document your architecture decisions Then make it public. Write about what you learned. Share your code. The Reality Hiring managers don’t care if you watched 400 hours of tutorials. They care if you can design a VPC, write secure IAM policies, and automate deployments without breaking production. Your GitHub profile is your portfolio. Make it count. What projects are you currently building? What challenges are you running into? My is on the comment section #AWS #CloudEngineering #DevOps #CareerAdvice #TechCareers #CloudComputing #InfrastructureAsCode #LearningByDoing #BuildInPublic #SoftwareEngineering

I analyzed 200 Cloud Project Manager job postings. The insights are a gold mine, especially if you're job searching or trying to break into cloud roles in 2025. Here's what's really happening in the market: The patterns I uncovered could reshape how you job hunt, and how you position yourself for 6-figure cloud roles in 2025. Let's break it down 👇 ▶️ What employers really want: ✔️ Cloud experience > Cloud certification • AWS: 35% of postings • Azure: 16%, GCP: 8% • But cloud certifications? Mentioned in fewer than 5% of listings. Hiring managers want PMs who've led delivery in cloud environments: migrations, deployments, integrations. Certs help. Experience closes. ✔️ PMP still rules. • Asked for in 1 of 3 job postings • SAFe and Agile frameworks are mentioned often, but less frequently required ✔️ Soft skills win offers. • Stakeholder management (71%) • Communication (66%) • Leadership & influence across functions ▶️ Who's hiring Cloud PMs in 2025? It's not just tech anymore. We saw roles across: • Telecom (e.g., Nokia) • Healthcare (UnitedHealth) • SaaS & Fintech (Alkami, Google) • Consulting (Capgemini, Infosys) They're not just hiring task managers. They want PMs who translate cloud strategy into business value. ▶️ The sweet spot: • Experience: 5–7 years • Locations: Toronto, Seattle, SF, Atlanta, Montreal • On-site/hybrid: 84% • Remote-only: Just 16% (Surprising, right?) If you're stuck in your job search, it's not your fault. You were told to "get certified", but it's not enough. You were told to "learn Agile", but that's the floor, not the ceiling. You need to repackage your story. ✅ Align your resume to the cloud business impact ✅ Show leadership across functions ✅ Position yourself as the bridge between cloud tech and business value 📌 Want help positioning yourself for 6-figure cloud PM roles? Go to the top comment and apply to work with me 1:1. → Repost ♺ to help others in your network. Follow Jesus Romero for weekly PM career strategies.

“𝗜’𝗺 𝟰𝟬+ 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗹𝗱… 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱?” I got this message yesterday from a 44-year-old Network Engineer: “Broadus, I feel like I missed the window.” And honestly… I hear this 𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸. Usually it’s someone with years of exp in tech or another industry who feels like the tech industry is moving faster than they are. They see 30-year-olds talking about Kubernetes, Terraform, and prompt engineering and they start thinking: “𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝗜’𝗺 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲.” But let me point something out... Cloud engineering isn’t just about writing YAML files. It’s about 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. And companies care about one thing above all else: “𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴?” A company will often trust a 𝟰𝟮-𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿-𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 more than a 22-year-old who can script a deployment but doesn’t understand the business impact of downtime. Because when systems go down, the company doesn’t need a prodigy. They need someone who 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲. If you’re 40+, you've seen some stuff. You have advantages many younger engineers don’t yet have: ✅ 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗿𝘀 - You’ve seen systems fail in ways juniors can’t imagine. ✅ 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 - You can explain a Sev-1 outage to leadership without panicking. ✅ 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 - You document your work because you know someone else has to maintain it. The engineers making $𝟭𝟱𝟬𝗞+ 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 are the ones who can solve the 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀. If you’re over 40 and thinking about cloud, here’s a simple 𝟵𝟬-𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲: 1️⃣ 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Focus on Linux, networking, and IAM. Not 20 damn certifications. 2️⃣ 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 Deploy a real multi-tier application in AWS or Azure. Then break it on purpose and document how you fixed it. 3️⃣ 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 Don’t hide your 15 years in IT or somewhere else. Position it as the foundation that makes your cloud skills 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲-𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲. Stop competing on speed. Start competing on 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺. I’m curious though: If you’re 𝟰𝟬+ 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱, what’s the biggest thing making you hesitate right now? Drop it below 👇🏾 I read every comment.

🌩️ Cloud Engineer: "I love being a hands-on Cloud Engineer. How can I progress my career without doing less of what I enjoy?" 🤔   This is a real challenge. Something many Cloud Engineers battle with.   Because in many companies, the only path to a raise or promotion is climbing the ladder into leadership, solution architecture or having some form of commercial target.   But what if you want to progress AND stay close to the tech?   It is possible!   But you have to be proactive in showing the value of staying technical while being paid more.   Here’s how to level up your individual contributor Cloud career:   🧱 Become a wizard with IaC & automation   Master Terraform, Bicep or CloudFormation; aim to automate everything. Make infrastructure clean, repeatable and resilient with zero manual steps.   🛡️ Add another technical specialism   Cloud + Cybersecurity. Cloud + App Dev. Cloud + FinOps. Pick another specialism and become the in-house expert that others lean on across multiple domains.   🧠 Be the person who solves problems, fast   Take initiative. Tackle tough tasks others avoid. Be the escalation point for anything Cloud. Build a rep as someone who gets things done.   ⚙️ Add value through innovation   Find ways to improve workflows, automate processes or reduce costs... then implement them. Show tangible business value.   The truth is, the default path still leans toward leadership or commercial responsibilities = progression.   So if you want to grow while staying technical, you need to show the impact of your work.   When it’s time to talk raises or promotions, don’t just say what you’ve built.   💡 Show how it specifically made the business more innovative, efficient or profitable.

If you're a B.Tech. student graduating in 2024, 2025, or 2026 and interested in entering the field of cloud computing, here's a simple explanation: Cloud computing is one of the most exciting and high-paying fields in tech. What is Cloud Computing? Cloud computing means using the internet to store data and run programs instead of using your computer’s hard drive. Big companies like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure provide these cloud services to businesses around the world. Why Choose Cloud Computing? 1. High Salaries: Cloud engineers earn an average of ₹10-15 LPA in India, and it can go higher with experience. 2. Job Demand: More companies are moving to the cloud, so cloud skills are in high demand. 3. Interesting Work: You'll solve challenging problems, design systems, and work on cutting-edge tech. Steps to Get into Cloud Computing 1. Learn the Basics of IT and Computer Science - What to Study: Programming (Python, Java), databases, networks, and Linux. - Resources: YouTube tutorials, college courses, or online platforms like Coursera and Udemy. 2. Learn Cloud Platforms - Start with popular platforms: - AWS: Basics of EC2, S3, and Lambda. - GCP: BigQuery and Compute Engine. - Azure: Virtual Machines and Azure Functions. - Take free or beginner-friendly courses to explore these tools. 3. Earn Cloud Certifications - Beginner certifications to aim for: - AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner - Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) - Google Cloud Digital Leader 4. Build Projects - Create small projects to learn hands-on, like: - Setting up a website on AWS. - Building a database in Google Cloud. - Managing virtual machines in Azure. - Add these projects to your resume and portfolio. 5. Gain Experience - Internships: Apply for IT-related internships in cloud-focused companies. - Freelance: Offer to help small businesses move their systems to the cloud. 6. Network with Professionals - Attend tech meetups, hackathons, and cloud computing webinars. - Connect with professionals on LinkedIn to learn about their career paths. 7. Apply for Jobs - Look for roles like Cloud Engineer, Cloud Architect, or DevOps Engineer. - Update your resume with certifications, projects, and any IT experience you have. Skills You Should Learn - Programming: Python, Java, or JavaScript. - Databases: SQL, MySQL. - Cloud Tools: AWS, Azure, GCP. - Networking: Basics of how data travels online. - Linux: Command-line skills. - Security: Learn how to protect data in the cloud. Free and Affordable Learning Resources - IBM’s “Introduction to Cloud Computing” (Coursera) - Google Cloud Fundamentals (Coursera) - AWS Free Tier: Practice real-world tasks for free. Start Now 1. Pick a cloud platform. 2. Take a free beginner course. 3. Practice by building simple projects. With focus and effort, you can become a cloud computing professional and build a successful career in this growing field! 🌥️  Follow Vikram Gaur #cloud

Want to Build a Career in Cloud, DevOps or SRE .But Don’t Know Where to Start? You’re not alone. Most people jump straight into Kubernetes, Terraform, or AWS certifications… and end up feeling overwhelmed. The truth is the cloud has layers. And when you learn in the wrong order, everything feels confusing. That’s why this visual is powerful: It lays out the exact progression path to master Cloud roles: 1. Linux — Terminal, File system, Shell scripting 2. Networking — DNS, TLS, HTTP/S, Ports, Load Balancing 3. Cloud Platforms — AWS / Azure / GCP core services 4. Security — IAM, Encryption, Zero Trust fundamentals 5. Containers & Orchestration — Docker → Kubernetes → Service Mesh 6. Infrastructure as Code — Terraform, Ansible, CloudFormation 7. Observability — Metrics, Logging, Tracing (Grafana, Prometheus, ELK) 8. CI/CD & GitOps — Jenkins, GitHub Actions, ArgoCD, Flux. If you’re serious about Cloud / DevOps / Site Reliability Engineering: Focus on understanding the each layer not just the tools. Because tools change but foundations don’t. hashtag #cloudcomputing hashtag #devops hashtag #sre hashtag #aws hashtag #azure #gcp #kubernetes #learning #career #techjobs #cloudarchitecture #infrastructureascode #observability #cicd

The Ultimate Cloud-Native Skills Roadmap for 2025 I want to share a comprehensive roadmap for mastering cloud-native skills as cloud technologies evolve. Here's your structured path to becoming a proficient cloud professional: 1. Linux Fundamentals    - Master Terminal & Bash Scripting    - Key distributions: Ubuntu, Red Hat, Debian, Fedora    - Essential for automation and system management 2. Networking Foundation    - Protocols: HTTP/S, FTP, SSL, TLS, SSH    - Tools: NGINX, pfSense, Wireshark, Nagios    - Critical for understanding cloud infrastructure communication 3. Cloud Services    - Multi-cloud expertise: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle    - Understanding service models: SaaS, PaaS, IaaS    - Focus on cloud-native architectures 4. Security    - Tools: Prisma, Open Policy Agent, Kube-Hunter, Kube-bench    - Encryption fundamentals    - Authentication & Authorization    - Security-first mindset for cloud deployments 5. Containers & Orchestration    - Container technologies: Docker, Podman    - Orchestration: Kubernetes    - Service Mesh: Istio    - Service Discovery: Consul    - Load Balancing: Linkerd 6. Infrastructure as Code (IaC)    - Configuration Management: Ansible, Puppet    - Infrastructure Provisioning: Terraform, CloudFormation    - Automation: Chef, Crossplane    - Version-controlled infrastructure 7. Observability Stack    - Monitoring: Splunk, Grafana, Prometheus    - Logging: Papertrail, Elastic Search, LogStash    - Full-stack visibility and troubleshooting    - Performance optimization 8. CI/CD & GitOps    - Version Control: GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket    - CI/CD Tools: Jenkins, Azure DevOps, Argo    - Pipeline Automation: Flux, Spinnaker    - Continuous deployment practices Pro Tips: - Start with strong Linux fundamentals - Practice each tool in real-world scenarios - Build personal projects using these technologies - Join cloud-native communities - Stay updated with the latest trends Which areas do you find most challenging, and what strategies helped you master it?

If you're aiming to become a Cloud Engineer — check out this roadmap! This role goes beyond simply learning tools ~ It's about understanding how all the components work together to design, build, and deploy effective cloud systems. Here’s a simple breakdown of the key areas you should focus on: 1/ Core Service Models IaaS, PaaS, SaaS ↳ Understand the foundational layers of the cloud stack. 2/ Compute & Storage VMs, Containers, Serverless + Storage Types ↳ Choose the right compute & storage for performance and cost. 3/ Networking & Delivery VPCs, Subnets, VPNs, API Gateway, CDN ↳ Build secure, performant, and scalable connections. 4/ Security & Compliance IAM, Encryption, Compliance (GDPR, HIPAA) ↳ Protect data and meet regulatory requirements. 5/ Architecture & Design Scalability, Resilience, Microservices ↳ Design systems that handle growth and failure gracefully. 6/ DevOps & Automation Terraform, Git, CI/CD, Infra as Code ↳ Automate infrastructure and streamline deployments. 7/ Cloud Observability Logging, Monitoring, Tracing, Analytics ↳ Detect, diagnose, and prevent issues early. 8/ Data & Analytics Pipelines, Warehousing, Kafka, BigQuery ↳ Move, store, and analyze data effectively. 9/ AI & ML in the Cloud SageMaker, Vertex AI, MLOps ↳ Integrate intelligent systems into your stack. 10/ Cost Optimization Auto-scaling, Right-sizing, Spot Instances ↳ Build smart to save money. 11/ Governance & Strategy Tagging, Policies, Multi-cloud Management ↳ Align cloud with business and maintain control at scale. Beyond cloud services themselves - cloud engineers also focus on seamless integration with on-premise infrastructure, multi-cloud setups, various open-source tools, and other critical systems - this makes the field incredibly diverse. How to Start? I'm dropping a newsletter this Thursday, focused on these topics and resources you can use to up-skill. Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/dBNJPv9U Just remember: tools come and go, but fundamentals and principles last. Be the engineer who sees the whole picture — not just what's on the dashboard. If you found this useful: • • • I regularly share bite-sized insights on Cloud & DevOps (through my newsletter as well) — if you're finding them helpful, hit follow (Vishakha) and feel free to share it so others can learn too!

Ever feel like your cloud career is stuck in JIRA quicksand? 🌪️ Amy, a Cloud Engineer at a top enterprise....came to me with a question: How do I advance my career or land a high-paying job, without getting stuck in the daily grind? I thought back to a pivotal moment in my career mentoring an L5 Engineer at AWS. We spent a year navigating tough challenges together, building trust, and achieving NIST CSF compliance for a client. Let's call him Sujoy. He approached me, eager to move from L5 to L6. Mentoring him was eye-opening; I realized that career growth is about changing your mindset more than anything else. The Learning I had observing Sujoy's career grow from L5 to L6 at AWS taught me about intentions and focus than anything else. So Here’s what I told Amy: **The Slow, Boring Path:** - Adding random skills without a focus - Being everywhere, yet nowhere - Fear and indecision - Following the crowd - Over-reliance on social media for learning **The Intentional, Enriching Path:** - Specialize in a niche, like Cloud Security or AI Security - Think backward from where you want to be (for eg. What does a cloud security engineer do) - Shift your mindset; it’s about perspective, not just skills - Understand how your niche operates in enterprises - Dive deep into the functions of relevant teams ( for eg. how does cloud security, infrastructure and other teams work together to drive business) - Understand your current mindset and know what it takes to see things differently and from one level up - Craft a 4-month action plan using the prism of understanding of where you want to reach - Look for mentors who have done and gone through all this following an organic journey. Peek into there mind spaces.. - Start the journey !! Don't be impacted by any thing.. Push forward !! **What's your strategy for intentional career growth?** #CloudSecurity #AISecurity #CloudCareers #Niche

The Mistake I Made Jumping Into Cloud When I first got into cloud computing, I thought AWS certifications were the end all and be all. I stacked them up, proud of the shiny badges, thinking I was ready to solve any problem thrown my way. But reality humbled me. I quickly realized that certifications alone don’t prepare you for the real-world challenges engineers face daily. I struggled with: - Understanding Linux fundamentals -Troubleshooting when things went wrong -The basics of networking and how traffic actually flows in a system -Managing and working with virtual machines in production That’s when it hit me: certifications are valuable, but they’re not a substitute for technical expertise. If you’re starting out, don’t make the same mistake I did. Invest time in: - Learning Linux hands-on (spin up an EC2 instance and practice every day) - Building troubleshooting skills (break things on purpose and fix them) - Grasping networking concepts (DNS, TCP/IP, firewalls, routing) - Running small projects where theory meets practice Once you’ve got those foundations, certifications become way more powerful because you’ll understand why things work, not just what the exam says. To anyone starting their cloud journey: don’t chase the badge before the basics. The real growth happens when you combine both. What was your biggest wake-up call when you started working in tech? #CloudEngineering #AWS #Linux #Networking #DevOps #Troubleshooting #TechCareers #CloudComputing #AWSCertified #CareerGrowth #LearningInTech #CloudJourney #AWSCommunity #TechWithManny