6 Cloud Computing Professions And Which One Should You Choose?

It is true that over the past several years, there is a lot of advancement happening in the cloud world and everything in the traditional IT is moving to the cloud at flash speed. Also, recently there is no other area in the technology industry apart from cloud computing that has attained so much hype, attention, and investment. Cloud computing has revolutionized the IT industry like never before. This brings the right opportunity at the right time for any aspirant entering the cloud computing careers. This also offers a bright career option for many aspiring professionals looking to either move ahead or making a career shift to the cloud.

This basically means that there is a good opportunity for the professionals to land great jobs that aren’t influenced by volatile market conditions and it is only possible if we gain the latest skills in cloud computing. This is mainly because there are many organizations who find it difficult to find the IT professionals with the cloud computing skills they need. However, the path to cloud computing is vast and still not clear to many who are trying to pursue it and there is a lot more to know for everyone. There is a path to explore for every professional in the technology industry and numerous profession to choose from. We will look at the top 6 cloud professions that are of great demand and which one should choose and how it maps a path from your current state and role in the technology field.

Cloud Architect

The role of the cloud architect is to lead the development team. The area of focus for the architect is mainly solution-based and implementation of specific cloud services. They also must take on measures to ensure that the enterprise systems are scalable and reliable enough to achieve business requirements. It also requires good experience in designing and administration of the virtualized environments and significant exposure in large scale multi-platform networks. A piece of good working knowledge in either of the scripting languages i.e. Shell, Perl or Python is also desirable. Lastly, most of the organizations wants an architect who has a working experience and is a subject matter expert (SMEs) in either of the popular cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure with expert understanding of security system, firewalls and load balancing concepts which will certainly enhance the overall solution with the cloud technology.

Cloud Network Engineer

The networking is an essential aspect in the cloud domain as it helps the services connected and so becomes a vital component for all the aspiring cloud network engineers. The obligations of a network professional have various activities which include to perform the implementation and operational support and to ensure the overall maintenance and optimization of network software, hardware, and communication links of the cloud infrastructure. It also requires experience in-depth network engineering and deep understanding of TCP/IP and other networking protocols like sub-netting, DNS, DHCP, NAT, and routing. Strong knowledge of layer 2 network protocols and layer 3 IP routing is also preferred skill for a network engineer. The prime value for professionals who are considering network engineering role in the cloud is design, optimization, and management of the network and devices. These skills are highly desirable as the days when networks used to go down all the time are no longer in existence and hence the networking professionals are expected to focus more on cloud-based networking for specific clouds. For example, if we consider the networking services by Amazon Web Services platform services, it provides a DNS service which has the ability to monitor network traffic in and out. Thus, network engineers who can hook into such type of services, and offer resilient and robust practices with the use of networking tools have the finest path moving forward.

Cloud Database Administrator

The path to the cloud database administrator for an enterprise database admin is simple, straightforward and easy to make a move. It basically requires a detailed understanding of the databases and then maps those skills in the cloud environment by design as per the requirements based on the cloud workload. For instance, if a DBA is working on Oracle and has good knowledge of this database, he can very well continue his career in the cloud which runs Oracle. However, on the other hand it would be beneficial for an Oracle database admin to also learn about way to administer other databases as well in parallel, as they are various databases in the cloud markets who offer either cheaper or modern database services and urges the large enterprises to adopt them because of its efficiency in performance and cost-effectiveness. The database admins generally do not require to try something unusual, but all that is needed by them is to sharpen their skills as per the market needs.

Cloud Consultant/Cloud Developer

Software development is always considered as one of the most niche skills in the technology industry but when it comes to cloud it takes this skill to the next level. The advantage of a software developer is that it provides them the opportunity to code on any platform and leverage the benefits of various programming languages. Moreover, in the cloud platform, it pays them to have a deep understanding of various services provided by the cloud and use them in the correct fashion. The knowledge on a specific public cloud like be Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud or Azure also has added benefits as they help the developers to understand the platform very well and further enhance their skills to create cloud-native applications and build the multi-platform customer-facing tools that serve as the gateway for the end users to consume underlying cloud services. The provisioning and de-provisioning of cloud resources and the use of services such as security services, queues, I/O services require a detailed understanding of the programming languages used by the developer and also to be aware of the when and how to calls these native interfaces provided by the services in their applications.

Cloud System Administrator

A Cloud System Administrator plays an important role when the traditional systems are moving to cloud and they are also able to see and experience most the changes while migrating to the cloud. So it makes the role of the system admins vital in terms of cloud and they should be proactive. System administrator roles are in demand nowadays because of the changes in the systems that are residing in the on-premises data centers. These data needs to move and system admins contribute to finding their way into public clouds. The cloud career map for a sysadmin deals with more into cloud operations, or better known as cloudops. This new role of cloud operations for the system admins adds some key responsibilities like backup, recovery and performance monitoring and basic tasks like configuring and maintain the system that comprises the underlying cloud platform. Further, it also includes SLA management and gives an opportunity to work on all of the cool stuff like troubleshooting when any issues are reported and plan for future cloud capacity requirements. This gives them exposure to all that comes along with operating sets of cloud-based virtual servers Hence, it is a good opportunity for system admins in the near future to gain more insight on cloud and work as cloud system admins else they could likely be out of a job.

Cloud Product Manager

The cloud product managers are accountable for managing their entire portfolio and various cloud-based offerings. Their activities include performing product planning, creating product concepts and thereby identifying the right product positioning in the market. They also should review various strategy documents, creating requirements specifications, and enable the sales processes. It requires to conduct a good study and evaluations of business areas and requirements and recommends or provide suggestions with the appropriate cloud technology options to higher management. A good presentation and strong communication skills along with a deep understanding of the business are also desirable qualities for working as a cloud product manager in large organizations.

Conclusion

In the recent past, cloud technology has transformed the way big businesses and industries function. Today, both big and small companies depend on public cloud platforms to host and implement critical applications. The demand for cloud computing professional will continue to grow over the year and so as long there are many small scale organizations as well as large corporations who are constantly considering software professionals who are carrying a good exposure towards their skills and considerable years of experience with enormous hands-on training in cloud computing and contribute to the companies in implementing a robust and seamless cloud environment into their infrastructure. This doesn't only provide a good deal for cloud professionals but also provides a great deal of exposure to those who are working with traditional IT skills for several years like the developers, enterprise architects or maybe networking engineers to drive themselves into a cloud computing career that will provide will not only with better pay but also a job protection.

So, whether we're planning to actively make an entry into this sphere of cloud or just looking to grow our horizon in a cloud computing career, a certification will help us gain the most-recent competences and contribute in moving forward in our professional career. It not only proves our expertise but also promotes credibility with the employer and peers who are working with us. It also gives us an added advantage and boosts our confidence in this vast cloud arena. Finally, the trick to land a dream job or pursue a great career in the cloud is to keep ourselves updated on what is trending in the cloud ecosystem and then simultaneously prepare and train ourselves in obtaining those specific skills to comply with the needs of the products and organizations.

Written By

Kamal Jacob