We get it—taking charge of your learning to further your professional development is easier said than done.
It requires dedication, motivation, and consistency, and can feel as overwhelming as it is time-consuming. Wow, we really haven’t sold it well so far…
But the truth is, this commitment to your own development will see you accelerate your career path and race past your peers.
For example, despite almost half (47%) of hiring managers in the Jefferson Frank Careers and Hiring Guide: AWS Edition telling us that a willingness to learn is the main thing they look for in an AWS candidate during a job interview, just 28% of permanent professionals we surveyed reported receiving training and development opportunities as an employee benefit.
This tells us that tech professionals willing to go the extra mile to further their development by learning, upskilling, and knowledge-sharing outside of their daily roles—or proactively incorporating it into their day-to-day work—are best positioned to skyrocket their career progression.
In such a rapidly evolving tech ecosystem like AWS, it’s easy for your finger to fall off the pulse. This can have significant consequences, too—knowledge can quickly become outdated, best practices can soon change, and skills can even become obsolete.
To put it simply, your learning journey has the power to level up your career journey.
This mantra is evidenced in Cloud Career Journeys, a book by Prasad Rao, Principal Solutions Architect at AWS, and Ashish Prajapti, Senior Technical Instructor at AWS. In this exploration of different career paths across the cloud, Prasad and Ashish interview a number of thriving tech professionals who have reached peaks via different routes, including groups they call ‘The Accelerators’ and ‘The Liberators’.
‘The Liberators’ guide newcomers, bridge gaps, and empower those around them through mentoring, teaching, and community-building, opening new roads into tech. ‘The Accelerators’, meanwhile, are the ones soaring to new heights in the cloud and related technologies by elevating key competencies and helping their followers progress rapidly in their careers by advocating and impacting crucial knowledge and skills.
These two groups have a whole library of invaluable insights and advice about learning, development, and training in tech—and the good news is that we’ve curated all these unmissable tips into one handy post.
According to Prasad and Ashish, here’s what these tech experts had to say about how your learning journey can accelerate your progression in the cloud.
Taking charge of your learning journey can feel pretty intimidating. It’s tough to know where to start, and with so much to cover, it’s even tougher to stay on track and keep moving toward your development goals. Here’s what those who have been there (and got the T-shirt) advise.
The Accelerators
“One of the trademark qualities possessed by The Accelerators is the complete embrace of continuous learning—they believe not only that everything can be learned with dedication and hard work, but that there’s something new to be learned every single day,” Prasad tells us.
This requires adopting a proactive mindset that considers every new experience an opportunity to learn. Learn from your mistakes, consider alternative viewpoints, and experiment with trial and error. Remember that the tech landscape is constantly evolving, so you must keep up with the latest in Kubernetes, Docker, Ansible, and more, and be prepared to adjust your path when new developments and emerging technology demand it.
“This willingness to be receptive to new ideas is at the very heart of The Accelerators’ success,” added Ashish. Whether a seasoned professional or a novice, it’s essential to stay open to new ideas from various sources, and be receptive to further knowledge, methods, trends, and inspiration—even if you think you’ve mastered it all.
Of course, hands-on experience plays a pivotal role in your learning, too—in such a technical space, book learning can only get you so far! Seek hands-on learning opportunities to solidify your learning, whether it’s through personal projects, internships, or in your current job role.
But don’t overlook your passions when pursuing knowledge and hands-on experience. Ultimately, if you’re stuck in a role that doesn’t resonate with what you love, you’ll likely not last long. Plus, the more passionate and purposeful your learning is, the more engaged and motivated you’ll be along your learning journey.
Don’t be discouraged if this passion isn’t apparent to you immediately. In these instances, take the time to self-reflect and examine your strengths to help find the most suitable role or area of expertise for you. For example, perhaps you enjoy working on abstract concepts, meaning that design- or architecting-based roles will probably be best suited for you. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, a programming or operations role will suit you better if you want to acquire specialized skills.
The Liberators
“The Liberators place great emphasis on laying solid foundations,” shares Ashish. However dull or time-consuming it may be, getting a comprehensive grasp of the basic building blocks of your chosen technology is the only way to start learning.
From there, plan a focused learning path toward a tangible outcome. Track your progress through essential milestones and use this path to keep your learning focused and purposeful, resisting the urge to drift too far off-track.
Once you’re confident you’ve got a foothold, you can begin exploring where you want to deep-dive. According to The Liberators, it’s good to remember that certifications aren’t the be-all-and-end-all of the Cloud, meaning it’s always worth exploring the various streams and verticals within any given area. Be sure to share your findings too. After investing in learning something new, create and share content documenting your learning journey and summarizing your discoveries—something Prasad describes as “a cheat code for double value.”
Finally, The Liberators advise not shying away from bold steps—be an early adopter and don’t be afraid to take the fork in the road. The comfort zone is a silent killer that gets in the way of your professional growth. So, when presented with a new career opportunity that surprises you, don’t be afraid to lean into it—you’d be surprised at just how many new and exciting ways you can apply your experience and skills. Plus, being among the first to recognize and experiment with new applications, tools, devices, processes, and platforms is a surefire way to accelerate your progression by staying ahead of the curve. Sure, not all of these will succeed—but at least this way, you’ll be prepared if they do!
Unmissable insights and career advice from across the AWS ecosystem
It’s one thing to talk the talk, but at some point, you need to walk the walk. Here are the Accelerators’ and Liberators’ plans of action to accelerate your career progression through learning and development.
The Accelerators
Beginning at—uh, well, the beginning—The Accelerators recommend setting out your objectives before making your first move. This isn’t just a one-and-done activity, though. Set goals at the beginning of every week or month to ensure these targets remain realistic, time-bound, and measurable, and ensure you always have a clear vision of what needs to be achieved.
With your objectives set in stone, it’s time to start working towards them. According to The Accelerators, the best way to do this is by embracing project-based learning—and embracing it early. Instead of just passive listening and boring ol’ memorization, consider building a project at every stage of your journey to reinforce and showcase your skills. Whether deploying a simple app using Docker or setting up a Kubernetes cluster, getting hands-on will help you acquire more profound knowledge by actively exploring real-world challenges.
Of course, there’s still plenty of value in ‘book-learning’. Pursue relevant certifications in AWS, Kubernetes, or Terraform not just to brush up on your skills but to validate them too. Then, complement this approach by joining technical user groups and meetups. Local user groups, events, and meetups are unmissable opportunities to discuss your newfound knowledge and workshop new ideas with your peers. Not only does this power up your learning, but connecting with people (in person!) is undoubtedly the best way to build an invaluable professional network.
But don’t expect everything to go smoothly. Your learning journey is a long and winding road, meaning that the occasional failure is almost inevitable. You won’t always be moving forward on your career path—sometimes, you’ll need to take a side-step, and sometimes, you’ll need to take a step back. But know that if you fail any certification or an interview, it’s not the end of the road. Try again, and eventually, you’ll pass it by developing a better understanding. Embrace the mantra ‘fail early and fail fast’. This will allow you to reconsider your approach and avoid repeating previous mistakes. After all, every day’s a school day…
The Liberators
“The Liberators stressed the importance of scheduling specific times for learning,” Prasad told us. “It’s clear that this can really make a difference in helping you achieve the consistency that’s so important.”
So, don’t leave learning to chance or keep it on the back-burner for when you have nothing else on (we all know that something always comes up in the end). Find a regular time in your weekly calendar and block this off as dedicated learning time. Remember: the key is consistency.
So, what should you be working on during these learning hours? The Liberators recommend always being on the lookout for new information on topics of particular interest and value to you. Use alerts, periodic searches, RSS feeds, newsletters, and other subscriptions to your advantage to ensure you’re amongst the first in the know. Of course, pairing this with practical work will only enhance your learning. Instead of just reading an article or watching a video, perform the task yourself and practice, practice, practice…
Additionally, try to learn alongside other tech fanatics whenever and wherever possible. Learning together is a great way to build social support, so if you have a friend or a team on this learning journey with you, embrace collaboration!
“Perhaps the most important takeaway from The Liberators’ actionable advice is to welcome newcomers,” Ashish emphasized. Making new tech professionals feel welcome in meetings, groups, and networks you curate and participate in ensures the community remains an inclusive, collaborative, and supportive hub. And remember: you were in that position once!
Eager to hear first-hand from The Accelerators and The Liberators who have advanced their career progression by leveraging their learning journey? For more unmissable tips and insights, grab your paperback copy today, or click here to pick up the Cloud Career Journeys eBook with 50% off and click here for 50% off a Starter Kit, featuring the eBook, mentoring, and additional learning resources!
