Swarnalatha is the Director of Emerging Technology at UNext. She has 25+ years of experience and has served in various organizations such as Infosys, Unisys and more. She comes with strong technical and program management background. She has provided technical learning solutions and delivered trainings to many corporates at all levels and has a proven track record in program management as head of the program for very large corporate accounts. Her Technical expertise falls in multi cloud (AWS,Azure and GCP) and Full Stack Java technologies.
The introduction of Cloud Computing as a part of the digital revolution has changed how we look at data storage and accessibility. Every aspect of our daily lives involves interaction with Cloud Technology. We use Cloud in our day-to-day activities such as banking, email, media streaming, e-commerce, and more. On the business side, applications, infrastructures, and storage to CRM- all have their presence in the Cloud as it provides agility and flexibility.
The global pandemic has propelled and expedited the adoption of Cloud Technology manifold to keep data accessible at all times and not disrupt business processes, thereby enabling agility. In its recent report, Gartner predicts that by 2025, over 95% of new digital workloads will be deployed on Cloud-native platforms, and 85% of organizations will adopt a Cloud-first principle. It’s no secret that the Cloud Industry is booming.
This thriving domain is also in need of skilled professionals. More than 72,000+ open Cloud Computing jobs are available in the country only on job portals like LinkedIn. While it’s an exciting domain with several prospects, it can also be challenging to break into without prior expertise. Are you contemplating a career in the Cloud domain but facing the conundrum of how to start or what it takes? Here are 8 to-the-point tips to help you jump-start your Cloud career.
- Have a Broad understanding of Cloud providers: As a cloud aspirant, firstly, you must know the options of cloud providers available in the market and understand what services they provide. Choose a suitable Cloud provider to begin your cloud journey. The best way to do this is by figuring out what you want to achieve and researching cloud providers to understand how they have performed in the previous years and their demand in current and future years. While several platforms are available, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) are the prominent ones and market leaders. Do your homework to begin your cloud journey.
- Becoming a certified Cloud Professional: Pursuing a certification course is always a great way to gain knowledge and skill sets and showcase your expertise to potential employers. Today, several online Cloud Computing certification courses are available in the market. You can enroll in any individual platform-based course or go for multiple platform-based certification courses. While selecting a certification course, it’s essential to look for a hands-on experience program, like the placement assisted* PG Certificate Program in Cloud Computing offered by Manipal Academy of Higher Education, which offers hands-on experience through case studies, 2+ mini projects & 1 capstone project and helps you prepare for 4 Cloud Certifications: AWS Cloud Practitioner, AWS Developer, AWS DevOps Engineer, Azure Fundamentals.
- Getting practical experience: Nothing compares to a ‘do & learn’ experience when it comes to sharpening your skill sets. You can build useful capabilities and earn hands-on training by working on projects linked to the type of platforms you wish to pursue. Gaining practical knowledge in LoadBalancers, Autoscaling, PipeLines, NoSQL DB, Datawarehouse, DevOps, and Kubernetes will allow you to grab different lucrative opportunities.
- Building your portfolio: A portfolio is the best way to showcase your expertise and receive an opportunity to work with potential employers. It shows the employers what you bring to the table and helps them decide whether you’re the perfect fit for the profile or not. It’s vital to create your portfolio with all the links to projects that show your expertise in all facets of Cloud Computing and as a Cloud Expert.
- Keeping up-to-date with current trends: Staying updated on the latest trends and innovations within the Cloud Computing domain will allow you to enhance your skillsets, stay relevant & provide a competitive edge in this ever-growing market. You can achieve this by following blogs and news sites dedicated to Cloud technologies.
- Feeding your curiosity: Pursuing a Cloud Computing certification program already shows your curiosity in the domain. It’s vital to keep feeding that curiosity, leading you to experiment with various Cloud applications and services.
- Building credibility: After earning your Cloud Computing certification, it’s pivotal to have credible references to kick-start your career in the domain. Having good references goes a long way in establishing yourself as a credible Cloud Professional. The best references are from your current supervisors and mentors who can vouch for your proficiency, skill sets, expertise, and drive.
- Networking: Last but not least, networking plays a vital role in building your career and keeping your skills sharp. Many platforms, such as LinkedIn allow you to connect with professionals from any domain. But remember to connect with professionals from the Cloud domain here. Joining Cloud Computing groups will allow you to build connections, stay on top of the latest Cloud trends, and explore opportunities available in the field.
Earning a Cloud certification is not the destination of your journey; it’s only the beginning that offers you a competitive advantage. Following the above-mentioned tips and tricks while immersing yourself in putting your knowledge and skills into practice will ensure career advancement and will help you land your dream job.