Move Your Career to the Cloud

In the past few months, we have shared a few articles that touched on jobs that deal with cloud computing.  In early November we posted an article, The Forecast for Cloud Computing Careers, in which we talked about the promising growth in cloud related jobs.  And in an article we posted just last week, 2013 Cloud Predictions Roundup, we briefly discussed how some analysts are actually predicting a shortage of employees with cloud computing skills.  So if you are looking to make a career change in 2013, or simply update your skillset, adding some cloud computing knowledge to your arsenal might be a wise choice.  Today we would like to share some thought from InfoWorld writer, David Linthicum, on how to get a job in the field of cloud computing.

As we have already stated, the availability of cloud computing jobs appears to be on the rise, and this obviously creates a need for qualified employees. Linthicum suggests that many jobs can be pursued by those with a sound knowledge of specific technologies such as Amazon Web Services, OpenStack, Salesforce.com, or Azure. He refers to these types of positions as “cloud technology specialists” because the skills they require focus on a specific cloud technology: development, implementation, management, etc.

Linthicum offers this advice to those who wish to explore a career in cloud computing: “Those looking to break into cloud computing will have the best luck by learning a specific technology, then taking a cloud technology specialist job. The trick is getting the initial experience. The most ambitious candidates will begin their own shadow IT projects using a hot cloud computing technology, then soon find their way to a formal and high-paying cloud gig. Cloud computing is littered with stories about self-taught successes, due to the lack of formal training offered.”

There are also cloud computing jobs that fall into the planning or architecture categories in which employees would be responsible for the configuration of new cloud systems or migrating existing systems to a new cloud platform.  While these types of jobs are in demand, they may be harder to come by as many organizations are inclined to fill these roles with existing IT staff.  However, this would of course require that these existing IT staff members have the proper expertise to fill these rolls, so don’t discount a job in this area just yet if you have the proper qualifications.  At the same time, if you are already an IT staff member, this may be an area of skill building that may prove lucrative for you to explore.

As for this type of cloud planning position, Linthicum has this to say: “Those seeking higher-level jobs such as cloud planners and architects won't entertain as many options, but they can be found. The best way to prepare for these jobs is to understand all you can about the technology, including use cases and existing architectural best practices and approaches.”

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