Is A Cloud Career Right For You?

You want to get your first job in the cloud

But have you stopped to ask yourself if the cloud industry is right for you?

I am a senior solutions architect with over 6 years of experience in the cloud industry, and I have helped dozens of cloud beginners get their first jobs.

I have also seen a lot of people waste time and money trying to break into the cloud industry, only to realise that they were miserable because it just wasn’t right for them.

What if I told you there are 3 simple questions you could answer that will help you know if you are making the right choice by chasing a cloud role?

By answering these questions you will not only feel more confident about making the career change, but you will also gain a better understanding of exactly what you need to do to get that first cloud job

The Cloud industry uses the most innovative and cutting edge technology that  is constantly changing and evolving. As an aspiring cloud professional you need to understand this for one key reason.

To be successful in the cloud industry, you need to be excited about learning new technologies.

Your ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn is essential to keep up with changes in the industry.

For example you could work at a cloud consultancy, where on one project you might use Terraform as your infrastructure as code tool, and then you could get put on a different project where you need to use Cloudformation as your infrastructure as code tool.

This leads to the first question you need to ask yourself:

Do you enjoy learning new things?

As a cloud professional, your success depends on your ability to learn new technologies like Linux, Git, CICD, Terraform, serverless, and more.

If you find yourself shying away from learning, ask questions like, “Do I need to learn programming to get a cloud job?”

Then I’m sorry to say that this industry might not be right for you; But if you find that you enjoy taking on new challenges, learning new things - spending hours researching and troubleshooting issues until you find a solution.

Then congratulations, the cloud industry is right for you and you can move on to the next question.

A couple of days ago, a cloud beginner contacted me to ask about joining my cloud career accelerator program.

She asked if she could go from having zero cloud experience to getting a job in just 3 months.

She NEEDED to get a job in three months, or she’d run out of money.

This set my alarm bells ringing because I could see she had unrealistic expectations of the cloud journey, and I didn’t want to see her in financial difficulties, so I told her the truth. 

That 3 months just isn’t a realistic timeline. 

The truth is that it takes between 6 months to a year to go from being a complete cloud beginner to securing your first cloud role

The problem with thinking it will take 3 months is that you are more likely to burnout, give up and fail because it just isn’t realistic

So the second question you should ask yourself is this:

Do you have a realistic timeline for breaking into the cloud industry?

Here's a quick breakdown of what the timeline should look like:

• Your first 3 months is all about getting your head around cloud fundamentals and creating some high quality projects
• Your next 3 months involve sending your resume out and begin getting contacted by recruiters 

You then another three months to start getting interviews until you receive an offer.

This is a rough estimation because some people move quicker or slower depending on certain factors but I believe this is a good timeline to think through your cloud journey

This timeline estimations assumes that:

• you have a good learning framework
• You are completing high quality cloud projects
• And you are putting in the work everyday towards your goals

If you want to learn about the proven framework I recommend to cloud beginners to set them up for success, then I’ll talk about it more at the end of the video Linked to this post, so keep watching to the end

So if you NEED to get a cloud job in the next 3 months, then this career might not be right for you

But if you are willing to have patience, set realistic expectations and most importantly if you are in this for the long haul, then a cloud career is right for you

There is a common misconception that all you need to be successful in the cloud industry is to be really technical.

That if you do all the labs and get all the certifications, employers will come knocking at your door with job offers

But what if I told you that there is a skill that’s just as important as your technical abilities that no one talks about.

This is a skill that if you fail to master, will stop you from getting a cloud job even if you are the best technical candidate

This is a skill that, if you master it, it

can open the door to cloud jobs even if your technical skills are not the best - The skill I am talking about is your communication skills

Your ability to effectively communicate your projects and experience in a confident and engaging way

The first time these skills become relevant are when you write your resume. Your ability to communicate your projects and experience effectively on your resume is what influences if a recruiter calls you for an interview or not.

If you are lucky enough to secure that interview, then your ability to talk confidently and competently about your skills and experiences in the interview is what impresses hiring managers enough to offer you that job.

Which means the third question you need to ask yourself is this:

Are you willing to work on your communication skills?

This is probably what makes the biggest difference if you get a cloud job or not and it is also the most overlooked aspect of breaking into the cloud industry.

By improving your communication skills you are improving your chances of getting a job offer.

Now that you’ve successfully answered the three questions and have decided that the cloud industry is right for you.

You might be asking yourself, what are the next steps?

I have created a proven framework I recommend to cloud beginners to set them up for success as it walks you step by step through the key things you need to do to improve your chances of getting that first cloud job

If you want more details on this process and how it works, then watch this video right here