There’s never been a better time to pursue a cloud career—the latest Gartner forecasts indicate that we’re currently on the precipice of a new dawn in which cloud computing shifts from a technology disruptor to becoming a necessary component for maintaining business competitiveness.
But what if you’re not from a technical background? Of course, it’s never too late to learn a new skill and explore a new profession, but knowing how to start a career in cloud computing with no experience is easier said than done.
Where do you start when it comes to kicking off your cloud career in this prosperous yet intimidating industry? How do you start learning about cloud computing, and how do you take your first step down this new exciting career path?
Principal Solutions Architect at AWS, Prasad Rao, and Senior Technical Instructor at AWS, Ashish Prajapti, are co-authors of Cloud Career Journeys, a book that charts the stories of those who’ve taken that path—and according to these experts, there isn’t just one correct answer:
“There isn’t one set roadmap to follow when launching a cloud computing career. There are so many professionals working in the cloud who have come from a wide range of unconventional backgrounds, a group we call The Pathfinders”, Prasad told us.
“These are the individuals who have shown resilience and grit to charter into cloud computing despite having no technical background, and in doing so proved that you can carve a cloud career path from any starting point”, added Ashish. “They’re a real inspiration!”
Unmissable insights and expert advice from across the AWS ecosystem
Finding your cloud career path
In Cloud Career Journeys, the first piece of advice offered by Prasad and Ashish that any budding cloud professional needs to follow is to prepare for a marathon, not a sprint. With so much to learn and so many different avenues to explore, it’s vital to understand that your cloud career won’t happen overnight—and nor do you want it to!
You need to approach your cloud career journey armed with endurance and a long-term plan. To extend the marathon metaphor a little further, ensure you’ve eaten a hearty breakfast and done your stretches before you start running! This helps you to avoid rushing into decisions, taking unnecessary detours and wrong turns, or trying to reach your end goal too quickly—all sure-fire ways to run out of steam before you’ve made it to the finish line (OK, we’re done with the marathon metaphor now, we promise).
That’s not to say you can’t be ambitious with your end goal—quite the opposite! Don’t be afraid to dream big and set your targets high just because you lack the necessary knowledge and experience today. And when working towards those goals, it’s key that you don’t give up easily, even when the going gets tough.
Learning a new thing is never plain sailing, especially when it’s something as technical, so don’t be discouraged by finding your learning path challenging. With your goal in mind, keep trying different paths until you find the one that helps you achieve it. As the old saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
But to start building, you need to lay your first brick—so champion progression over perfection and just get started.
5 tips for finding your cloud career path
- Prepare for a marathon, not a sprint
- Dream big
- Don’t give up easily
- Try different paths
- Champion progression over perfection
How to start learning cloud computing
With so much to learn, it’s tough to know where to start—so to take your first step forward, Cloud Career Journeys recommends that you discover your passion.
But don’t feel pressured to discover this straight away. There’s no harm in a bit of a trial and error until you work out the route you want to take, just as long as you’re committed to pursuing it with both grit and persistence.
To help you uncover the direction you want to take in your learning journey, widen your knowledge search, exploring various resources and styles of learning until you find the one that works best for you.
To get you on your way and keep your learning focused and effective, you could work towards earning a certification—for those new to IT or cloud technology, the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification is the best place to start!
Don’t be afraid to document this experience, either. In fact, you should share your learning journey on platforms like LinkedIn, Medium, and YouTube. Learning and building in public empowers your learning in so many ways, from reinforcing your understanding by explaining concepts to others, to overcoming hurdles with the help and support of the community.
To ensure you’re never cutting corners, always practice what you learn. Apply the knowledge you have gained to real-life scenarios by taking part in hands-on labs, for example, helping you to retain what you’ve learned and understand how this know-how translates into tangible skills and problem-solving. AWS Builder Labs is a good place to start making your learning more interactive!
That being said, don’t overdo it by trying to learn too many things simultaneously. Cloud computing is a huge branch of technology that encompasses many different services, solutions, and specialisms, so prioritize learning a specific area over everything at once.
Be sure this isn’t accompanied by complacency, however.
As a cutting-edge technology, innovations, capabilities, and best practices in the cloud are evolving day after day. This means it’s vital that you keep your finger on the pulse. If you’re not staying up to date with all the latest updates within your space, your knowledge will quickly become old news.
A good way to stay not just aware of, but involved in, the conversation is to build your network. As in many professional industries, it’s not what you know but who you know, but this isn’t all about using connections to open new doors.
Cloud communities like AWS champion collaboration and collective growth and are packed full of passionate evangelists eager to help you learn. This means your network is just as important to your learning as it is to your career progression. Connect with people who are already in the role you aspire to be in, as well as others at the same stage as you in their learning journey, to get as much exposure as possible.
This could be done by following top influencers online or getting out there and shaking hands with your peers at cloud events. It’s all about making worthwhile connections that help you to understand the skills and knowledge you need, and motivate you to strive to attain a similar level.
Finally, to get the very most out of these relationships, don’t be afraid to ask questions—this is undoubtedly one of the most effective ways to learn and grow, so never be shy about asking for help, regardless of hesitation, ego, or position (you got this!).
10 tips for learning cloud computing
- Discover your passion
- Widen your knowledge search
- Share your learning journey
- Practice what you learn
- Take part in hands-on labs
- Don’t try to learn too many things at once
- Be wary of complacency
- Build your network
- Get as much exposure as possible
- Ask questions
How to start your cloud computing career
To kickstart your career in cloud computing, you need to take purposeful actions that drive meaningful progress. And according to Cloud Career Journeys, this all starts with setting tangible targets. This might be a job role, a certification, or a technology you want to master—whatever your goal, write it down and map out the specific steps you need to take to reach it.
To keep you focused on moving forward, invest your time wisely to avoid being dragged in multiple directions and taking too many wrong turns. The trick is to make sure you’re always taking a step towards your long-term goal.
But achieve it the right way. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it’s worth reminding you one more time that your cloud career is a journey, not a destination, and with that in mind, learn rather than memorize and avoid taking shortcuts.
Sure you could try learning the answers for a certification without understanding the full context of their application, but ultimately you’re only cheating yourself, and this will come at the inevitable cost of your progression and understanding further down the line. You don’t want to land a job you’re not sufficiently qualified for—it won’t go well!
On the flip side, avoid ‘I know everything’ syndrome. However much you think you’ve mastered a topic, there’s always more to know (and someone who already knows it), and not understanding this is sure to stunt your professional prospects and career growth.
That’s not to undermine any successes in your learning. These are a testament to the time, hard work, and dedication you’ve put into your cloud learning journey so far and of course should be celebrated, but be aware that these don’t always translate to success in your cloud career journey.
For example, earning a certification unfortunately doesn’t always mean you’ll land the job you’re after right away, but it’s important that you don’t let self-doubt overpower you in these situations. Keep learning, keep growing, and keep applying—once you’re ready, your time will come!
Think of these early knockbacks as further learning opportunities or practice runs to build up your confidence for your next interview. If you’re struggling to land an interview, keep expanding your network to expose yourself to more opportunities, or you could consider working with a specialized recruiter who will do all the hard work for you.
5 tips for starting your cloud career
- Set tangible targets
- Invest your time wisely
- Avoid taking shortcuts
- Avoid ‘I know everything’ syndrome
- Don’t let self-doubt overpower you
Coming from under-represented backgrounds, non-technical careers, or challenging environments doesn’t mean the cloud is out of reach. While some paths may be more unconventional than others, there’s no one set starting point or direction to a successful career—you just need to know where to start learning and how to take your first step. That’s how you become a Pathfinder exploring an exciting new career in the cloud.
Want to see how people like you have applied the advice in this post to launch thriving careers in the cloud? Click here to pick up a copy of the Cloud Career Journeys eBook with 50% off today, or click here for 50% off a StarterKit featuring the eBook, mentoring, and additional learning resources!
