Cloud Computing Careers: Job Roles and Key Skills Needed for 2021

With the rapid increase in the demand for cloud computing in a very short time, businesses are struggling to find professionals with the right cloud computing skills. It’s a great time for beginners to seize this opportunity and pursue recognized cloud courses for long-term career benefits. Cloud provides young professionals with an opportunity to enter an innovative and fast-growing domain. Considering that the technology picked up fast in a short span, there is a dearth of skilled professionals in the industry. Entering the profession today means job security, a high salary, and a long and successful career. 

Table of Contents

• • Key Role of Cloud Computing Employees
  • Typical Job Levels and Responsibilities
  • Top 10 Must-Have Skills for Successful Cloud Computing Career in 2021

Key Role of Cloud Computing Employees 

Cloud computing is now among the most in-demand skills globally, particularly due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 that made cloud-native systems a must-have for businesses. LinkedIn’s 2020 Workplace Learning Report mentioned cloud computing as the second-most important hard skill employers require after blockchain technology. 

You can sum up the role of cloud computing employees as managing the end-to-end lifecycle of a cloud environment, including designing applications for the cloud, planning the cloud architecture, adapting security measures, provisioning resources, and maintaining cloud components. Typically, there are dedicated professionals for each of these duties. Some of these tasks are segregated into sub-roles – for example, designing applications for the cloud involves DevOps, containerization experts, and cloud testers. 

Anyone who wants to make a career in cloud computing should first understand the different job roles that the cloud computing industry offers. Research is key here – refer to different books or articles, go to different Q&A forums, read what your peers are saying, talk to your supervisors and seniors at work, and take stock of the various perspectives. After doing the groundwork, choose a role that sounds exciting to you.

To work in this domain, following these steps can benefit aspirants:

• Build a strong foundation: No matter which position you apply for, companies are more likely to hire professionals with a sound knowledge of basic cloud concepts. Before you start applying, spend a few weeks familiarizing yourself with the types of cloud, the top-most cloud service providers in the industry, cloud architecture, and storage, among other aspects.
• Get hands-on experience: Make sure you get some hands-on practice operating and managing a cloud platform, whether through a short-term internship or a free online trial. The AWS Free Tier is a great place to start.
• Familiarize yourself with the current issues: Learn about upcoming technologies in the cloud and the current challenges that the industry is facing. The digital world is forever morphing — what is relevant today may not be relevant tomorrow. Technology changes with every passing minute, and it is therefore important to keep updating your knowledge in this industry.
• Get the relevant certifications: After understanding the roles, learn about the various certifications you’ll require for the job role of your interest. Today, leading cloud vendors like Microsoft and Amazon offer various certification programs for different roles. However, it’s important to choose the right one. For instance, an AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification is great for someone starting their career. However, a professional with a few years of experience will benefit more from the AWS Certified Solution Architect – Associate certification. A few other options for beginners include Microsoft Certified Azure Fundamentals, Google Cloud Platform Fundamentals for AWS Professionals, CompTIA Cloud Essentials, and Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge.

You can either choose to specialize in the services of one cloud vendor or build multi-platform expertise. While the first approach will lead to becoming a valued expert in a single platform, the other will ensure that you have a broad-based appeal as a versatile candidate in the market. The choice is completely yours.

Learn More: Top 10 Cloud Computing Certifications and Courses in 2021

Typical Job Levels and Responsibilities

If you’re exploring a career in cloud computing, there are several job levels and responsibilities to explore. Let’s look at each one in detail.

Job Roles in the Cloud Industry

1. Cloud administrator

Cloud administrators are responsible for system configuration, maintenance, and provisioning as per the set parameters. Like cloud engineers, cloud administrators require three to five years of experience – but this role is focused more on day-to-day operations than on engineering changes. As a cloud administrator, you will be expected to know the major scripting languages, remote monitoring tools, troubleshooting, and configuration management. 

The main responsibility of professionals in this role is to work with the IT department to develop and support Windows, cloud, or Unix infrastructure. They are also responsible for providing technical assistance for cloud-based systems and resolving any operational problems. 

Here’s a list of certifications that cloud administration aspirants should consider:

• • AWS Certified SysOps Administrators
  • Google Apps Certified Administrator
  • Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert
  • Cloud Credential Council – Professional Cloud Administrator Certification
  • HP ATP – Cloud Administrator V1
  • VMware Certified Cloud Professional
  • Certified OpenStack Administrator
    

2. Cloud developer

This role is the next level in your career as a cloud computing professional, requiring two to three years of experience in app development or managing cloud environments. A cloud application developer creates software platforms that run on the cloud, either as SaaS-based web apps or platforms hosted in a private cloud. 

Cloud developers take on responsibilities that are more commonly associated with technicians, architects, engineers, or analysts, along with application development. Recruiters look for hands-on development experience on major cloud platforms, such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud, when hiring a cloud developer. The more development tools and programming languages you know, the higher your chances of landing a job in this role. DevOps skills are all the more critical for this job role, along with a knack for continuous integration and delivery. 

The following certifications are beneficial for aspiring cloud developers:

• • AWS Certified Developer – Associate or Professional
  • Salesforce Certified Platform Developer
  • Microsoft Certified Azure Developer Associate
  • Google Certified Professional Cloud Developer

Also Read: What Is Hybrid Cloud? Definition, Architecture, and Management Best Practices for 2021

3. Cloud engineer

At this level, you are gradually specializing in cloud technology and must be well-versed in optimization tactics to gain maximum value from the cloud. Cloud engineers should have at least three to five years of experience, and familiarity with application programming interfaces (APIs), integration design, and cloud database management. Cloud engineers mainly address the technical issues of a cloud platform. They are responsible for various tasks related to cloud, such as planning, maintenance, and support. 

Cloud engineers are expected to be familiar with programming languages such as Java and Python. Recruiters commonly look for previous experience in developing and designing cloud-based web services when hiring for this position. Some hands-on experience with OpenStack, AWS, Linux, Microsoft Azure, and Dockers gives these professionals an edge in the market. Experience with DevOps, APIs, and automation is also beneficial. 

Stefano Bellasio, CEO, Cloud Academy, further classifies the role into the following sub-roles:

1. Software Engineer: Builds features and fixes bugs in any type of application.
2. Security Engineer: Provides expertise to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of both systems and application data.
3. DevOps Engineer: Responsible for development operations and system operations in the enterprise.
4. Data Engineer: Develops, constructs, and tests the large databases and the scalable data processing systems that data scientists need to do their jobs.
5. Full-Stack Engineer: Works throughout all phases of the software development lifecycle: writing, testing, and maintaining the code that powers highly scalable cloud applications.
6. QA Engineer: Prevents critical incidents and mitigates support requests by testing existing systems, documenting recovery timelines, communicating with all levels of leadership, and compiling reports.

Certification options for cloud engineers include:

• • AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional
  • Cisco Certified Network Professional – Cloud
  • Google Cloud Certified Associate Cloud Engineer 

4. Cloud architect

The role of a cloud architect is a strategic one, requiring several years of expertise (often more than a decade). Cloud architects are tasked with envisioning a company’s cloud landscape before migration or implementation, coming up with the end-to-end blueprint, which will serve as the execution map for cloud engineers, app developers, security professionals, and administrators.

A cloud architect makes important decisions regarding a company’s cloud computing strategy. They are responsible for overseeing a company’s cloud adoption plans, cloud application design, and cloud management and monitoring. A cloud architect has to keep themselves updated about the current trends in the industry so that they can keep environments running more efficiently. They should be able to develop a future-proof cloud computing strategy for an organization depending on business needs. Considering that the issue of application portability across cloud platforms is one of the biggest that companies face today, developing one’s knowledge about containers is a must for this role. 

Here’s a list of certifications that cloud architects can choose from:

• • AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate or Professional
  • Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect
  • IBM Certified Cloud Solution Architect
  • Red Hat Certified Cloud Architect

Also Read: The Top 5 Cloud Computing Books to Read in 2021 

5. Cloud security professional

This role involves the management of cloud security either for your own enterprise or for a client organization. Cloud security professionals can work with developers to ensure that security is woven into the fabric of cloud apps. To become a cloud security professional, you need formal training and industry certifications. Prior experience may or may not be required. 

To prepare for a career as a cloud security professional, you can explore the following certifications: 

• • Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) 
  • Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) by ISC2 
  • The Cloud Security Engineer Professional Certificate offered by Google Cloud 
  • Courses offered by the Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) body, including: 

– GIAC Cloud Security Essentials (GCLD)

– GIAC Cloud Security Automation (GCSA)

– GIAC Public Cloud Security (GPCS)

– GIAC Cloud Penetration Tester (GCPN)

6. Digital skills officer

A cloud computing expert might choose to specialize in learning & development (L&D), helping organizations address cloud skill gaps. Digital skills officers are highly demanded among independent software vendors (ISVs) and managed service providers (MSPs). They provide training support along with their cloud-based software and service offerings.  

To become a digital skills officer, you typically require a few years of hands-on experience in a cloud role and experience in an L&D position or equivalent certification. While there aren’t too many courses specifically geared for this role, here are a few to explore: 

• Become a Cloud Trainer Course by the ROI Training Institute 
• Google Cloud Platform Authorized Trainer Certification by Google or an affiliated organization
• Adaptable Cloud Education Leader Certification by L-Cloud

7. Chief cloud officer

Finally, the chief cloud officer or CCO is part of the C-suite, responsible for defining the high-level strategic direction for cloud development. Companies with cloud-based products or leveraging the cloud to deliver services (for example, ecommerce) typically have a CCO who brings several decades of experience. You can augment your industry and business experience with strategic learning tracks like the following: 

• Cloud Computing for Business Leaders (an executive program by Udacity) 
• The Cloud & DevOps: Continuous Transformation course by MIT Online 
• Courses by the Cloud Academy such as:
• Cloud Adoption Framework — Cloud Skills for Executive Teams
• Cloud Financial Management — Beyond Just Optimization
• Business-focused courses by Google Cloud such as: 
• Cloud Digital Leader Certification 
• Business Transformation with Google Cloud Learning Path

Also Read: What Is Cloud Encryption? Definition, Importance, Methods and Best Practices

Top 10 Must-Have Skills for Successful Cloud Computing Career in 2021

Recruiters also expect professionals to possess a specific array of skills when hiring someone as a cloud expert. Apart from just the technical skills, companies also tend to look for the right set of business skills. Let’s look at the different skills that can improve your chances of landing a job in the cloud industry.

1. Multicloud management: Because most customers do not understand the services offered in different types of cloud, they would expect any cloud provider to offer a wide variety of cloud services. It helps if you gain some experience in handling multicloud environments.
2. DevOps: It benefits candidates to have some knowledge about Jenkins, Chef Server, and other DevOps tools. Being an expert in programming languages, such as C, C++, or Java, is an additional advantage.
3. Collaboration: Traditional organizational processes seldom work well in the cloud industry. Therefore, siloed teams that don’t communicate with each other are not ideal. Cloud professionals, therefore, need to familiarize themselves with modern work processes.
4. Data integration: It’s of utmost importance that you acquire the skill to integrate the data obtained from various sources and applications. Organizations use data collected from diverse platforms, multiple vendors, and different data centers. It’s crucial to integrate this data to derive useful insights. Possessing data integration skills is especially important for cloud architects.
5. Containerization: Considering that Kubernetes and Docker dominate the containerization domain, expertise in these is a great skill to add. 
6. Database management: The corporate world has realized the importance of big data and derives valuable insights from it. Owing to its scalability, the use of cloud to host databases is increasing. Being skilled in SQL, MySQL, Hadoop, or MongoDB can benefit cloud career aspirants.
7. Automation: It’s good to be familiar with cloud infrastructure automation tools such as Ansible, Chef, or Puppet, mainly for DevOps-enabled cloud environments.
8. Analytics: It’s important to be able to analyze and develop insights based on a large amount of data. A cloud professional should successfully be able to measure the use and cost of cloud resources, monitor application performance in different cloud environments, and transform data into meaningful insights.
9. Programming & coding: Programming languages, such as Perl, Ruby, and Python, have recently been added to the cloud world. Along with these, it will help if you have some expertise in .NET, Java, or PHP.
10. Linux: Today, one-fourth of the servers worldwide power Linux-based cloud platforms. Hence, professionals with Linux skills are the most sought-after. To develop expertise in Linux, professionals can pursue the Linux Foundation Certified Systems Administrator course.

Apart from these, the following skills are also good to have:

• • Business management skills
  • Problem-solving skills
  • Software development skills
  • API development skills
  • Skills to build microservices on cloud
  • Project management skills
  • Skills to handle ad-hoc requests and agile projects
  • Artificial intelligence and machine learning skills

Also Read: Private vs. Public Cloud: 10 Key Comparisons

Takeaway

It helps to understand the different cloud computing job roles before entering the industry. However, when you start applying to these jobs, you may realize that the duties for each role are not always well-defined. There may be an overlap between the responsibilities for different roles. This is especially true for smaller enterprises. So, you may want to be prepared to juggle different responsibilities, especially as a beginner. However, the role may get more defined as you move up the value chain. Whatever your path, this is a career in which continuous learning is pretty much a mandate.

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