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You may be a run of the mill software developer or maybe you were laid off due to the pandemic, or are a victim of an outdated career path. Perhaps you want to branch out and gain some new experience in a different field of software development. Whatever the case may be, if you are wondering if you can become a Cloud Developer – and what it takes to become one – you have come to the right place.
Surely, you have heard about cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and databases. Or, at the very least, you have watched some movies about futuristic robots and upcoming computing technology that possess super capabilities. The new career world of many emerging technologies, including cloud development, has reached its dawn and there will not be a better time to break into some of these realms than now.
With that thought firmly in mind, let us start our amazing career dive into what it takes to be a cloud developer.
What is a Cloud Developer?
To become a cloud developer, you should know the following and perform the following tasks:
- Definition of Cloud Computing: Cloud computing is a new model of online services including computing, networking, web hosting, data storage, and more.
- Basic details about various types of cloud classifications and cloud fundamentals.
- Job Description of a Cloud Developer: A professional role for building cloud software and architecture. This is similar to classic software and web developers, but on virtual systems.
- Make sure that a career as a cloud developer is for you. Examine your previous skills and background. If you are already a developer of software, you have a great opportunity. But even without any technical experience, if you have the passion and the drive, you can still pursue this career path.
- Develop some awareness of technical microservices. Microservices is the development software model that software architects follow. It is the backbone behind the progression of cloud computing.
- Be ready for a continuously changing environment; in this fourth industrial revolution, every technology can become old fashion at any time. So, you need a strong ability to adopt new skills and technologies.
- Love to be a life-long learner: As a normal result of continuous change, there is no time for final graduation as is the case in classic disciplines. Every day there are new sciences and new technologies. If you are afraid of that, do not proceed!
Read: Cloud Computing Types Overview.
Cloud Developer: Education and Skills Required
Typically, the simplest way to become a cloud developer is by studying for a Bachelor’s in Computer Science or something similar, in addition to taking a special focus and training on the cloud, Linux, and new technologies. If your university studying track allows you to choose some additional courses or subdiscipline, you should take advantage of this to get more cloud courses and practice.
If you have an old Bachelor’s of Computer Science degree or your university courses are mostly outdated, do not worry; all you need to have is a solid technology background in order to build more modern computer science skills. If you have access to some new educational curricula, you will easily notice the importance of many older technologies, of which emerging technologies are based off of.
Also, if you have advanced programming skills without a degree, you are also a candidate. You will still need to pass the correct required exams and certifications, however. Additionally, you can build your new career from scratch if you want to transfer from another, completely different, discipline; this way will take longer depending on your general IT skills and ability to self-educate.
Most references indicate the following skills as the main cloud developer career requirements:
- Proficiency in at least one programming language.
- Having over two years of working experience in an IT field.
- Good understanding of software development and deployment.
- Networking skills and cloud infrastructure.
- Basic knowledge of hypervisor and data visualization technologies.
- Basics knowledge of database and software development concepts.
- Setting up and configuration for a cloud environment and solutions.
- General skills in the configuration of access and security.
- Good understanding of the integration of cloud vendor-specific services.
- Good knowledge of the configuration of command-line toolkit and SDK.
If you’re interested in improving your skills or preparing for certification we have great courses to recommend from Udemy, Coursera and TechRepublic Academy!
Cloud Developer Certifications
Since these dynamic new technologies are emerging and developing quickly, even more than usual, academic institutions can hardly keep pace with this rate of development. Due to some bureaucratic restrictions, it has become the norm for major global IT companies to be the first to establish many certification programs for cloud (and every other new technology aspect).
There are hundreds of certification programs – you will need professional advice to dive into what is most suitable for you. Some major certification providers include:
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers AWS Certified DevOps Engineer.
- Microsoft Azure provides Microsoft Azure DevOps Solutions.
- Google Cloud provides Associate Cloud Engineer for individuals at the associate level.
- Cisco offers cloud CCNA and CCNP.
Cloud Developer Career Paths
The new era of cloud career choices are endless. Just a smattering that you can choose from include:
- Cloud Engineer
- Cloud Administrator
- Cloud Architect
- Cloud Consultant
Every career path is different and has its own features, despite many sharing skills and knowledge. Make sure to perform your due diligence before making any decisions with regards to your future career or educational paths.
