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Cloud Engineering at the Entry level: Building Tomorrow's Infrastructure

Cloud Engineering at the Entry level: Building Tomorrow's Infrastructure

This article provides a roadmap for individuals seeking to enter the cloud computing field as entry-level Cloud Engineers, detailing the role's evolving responsibilities in the AI era while offering specific guidance on required skills, learning resources through AWS, and career preparation strategies.

Alvarez, Elsie

According to recent research from Draup, over 44,930 job postings sought entry-level Cloud Engineers last year. Demand is projected to grow by 9.5%.
As AI transforms this role, it's becoming more accessible than ever for newcomers to tech. Imagine deploying complex cloud infrastructures with a few clicks or optimizing entire systems through AI-powered insights. Welcome to a new reality for Cloud Engineers.
In this article, I'll share details on how to go from cloud novice to Cloud Engineer with tips that can accelerate your path into this exciting field.
'How to break into the cloud?' was a common question I heard in my previous role as a Technical Instructor at AWS. As an instructor, I delivered training classes to AWS customers, internal employees, and sometimes in the  AWS Skills Center . I was fortunate enough to come across an AWS entry-level role with a six month development program known as  AWS Tech U . I didn't have a cloud background, I didn't even know what AWS was.
When I first heard of the 'cloud', I thought it was regular old storage. Somewhere online, someone was hosting storage services for my pictures, videos, or documents. Like iCloud or Dropbox. That was the extent of the cloud as far as my understanding.
AWS offers over 200+ cloud services, the information and documentation to learn was overwhelming. There can be an excessive amount of information, blogs, videos and more to address this concern. However, it may be helpful to focus on a specific job role your are interested in pursuing.
As a Cloud Engineer, your day-to-day responsibilities may look like:
  • Provisioning and managing cloud infrastructure resources
  • Automating deployment and scaling using Infrastructure-as-code (IaC) tools
  • Monitoring and optimizing cloud environments
  • Integrating cloud services into application architectures
  • Collaborating with developers and IT teams
With the assistance of AI, I can deploy an IaC template with a basic beginner level architecture in seconds. As a beginner, I certainly could have used the assistance of AI when it took me hours (maybe days) to create my own IaC templates or troubleshoot issues.
How AI is changing the role:
  • AI is being integrated into cloud infrastructure management and assisting with optimization. In fact, 90% of early-career workloads are cloud enabled.
  • Anomaly detection with self-healing cloud environments
  • Focus on serverless architectures and microservices
  • Shift towards strategic cloud architecture work and cost optimization
  • Automated infrastructure provisioning
If you are just starting out in your cloud journey, take a look at relevant cloud services for some sought out skills as a Cloud Engineer.
Top in-demand skills:
  • Familiarity with major cloud providers like AWS
Applying cloud skills to the real world can be seen from ordering food through an app or placing an online shopping order.
Real-World Applications:
  • Scalable, cloud-native content delivery platforms in Media & Entertainment - For example, streaming movie or show content through Amazon Prime or your even your favorite sports event live!
  • AI-powered anomaly detection and self-healing for cloud environments - For example, anomaly detection in the automotive industry to reduce vehicle failures.
These examples showcase how even entry-level Cloud Engineers can drive significant business impact across diverse sectors. AWS customers span from all types of industries, whether it’s Technology, Education, Financial, Automotive, etc. Regardless of industry, you'll find common concerns: Security, Cost optimization, High availability (HA), and performance.
If you are wondering if the Cloud Engineer role is for you, ask yourself these questions:
  • Am I passionate about staying up-to-date with the latest technologies?
  • Do I enjoy problem-solving and have strong analytical skills?
  • Do I have good communication skills and the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders?
Future Cloud Opportunities Having transferable cloud skills can help if you are thinking about alternative roles or growing beyond entry level. Here are some additional roles to think about.
  • Entry Level: Cloud Support Associate / Junior Cloud Engineer
  • Mid-Level: Cloud Engineer / DevOps Engineer
  • Senior Level: Senior Cloud Engineer / Cloud Architect
  • Leadership: Cloud Engineering Manager / Director of Cloud Operations
The job search can be exhausting, especially if it spans weeks or months. In the meantime, you may want to continue refining your skills. Perhaps, build a portfolio showcasing your skills to stand out. Before I applied to AWS, I had a blog detailing my studies, projects, certifications. I was using the Alexa Skills kit to build my own custom Alexa Skill. I started with small AWS projects showcasing HA architecture with failover, load balancing, and serverless apps. I joined online tech communities for networking, advice and guidance.
Building a portfolio:
 AWS Skill Builder  didn't exist when I started my cloud journey but it would have been an invaluable resource to start learning with. Skill Builder has put together a variety of training materials over the years that I use to regularly to continue learning about AWS.
Here are some courses with hands-on learning opportunities to help you get started with your cloud journey. Interactive training can help simulate real-world examples you may encounter when working with customers. Not only does AWS Skill-Based training help align with employer expectations, it can help you put into practice or conceptualize the cloud services.

Getting Started with AWS:

  • Hands-On Game-based Learning - Have fun first, AWS Cloud Quest is a 3D role-playing game that lets you build real world solutions, earn Credly badges, read architecture diagrams and more. Start with creating your avatar and help virtual customer solve their problems.
  • Experiment with AWS SimuLearn - AWS SimuLearn uses simulated scenarios designed to resemble real world scenarios using Amazon Bedrock Generative AI.
  • Learning Plans - Enroll in a Learning Plan designed to help with specific domains or job roles. Learning plans include a mixture of digital courses and labs. Learning Plans can help with preparation for AWS exams as there may be some overlap.
  • Get certified - Exam preparation is available on AWS Skill Builder. Take full practice exams or sample sets to prepare before taking your AWS certification.
The journey for knowledge is never ending, especially when technology is constantly changing. AI can integrate to change the day-to-day for jobs but can also change how learning takes place. For example, SimuLearn mentioned above includes an AI support bot to assist you during your tasks.

Have questions about starting your cloud journey? Connect with me on  LinkedIn  or follow  AWS Training & Certification . Your future in the cloud begins now, let's build it together!
# career# learning-and-development# aws-skill-builder# cloud-operations
Any opinions in this article are those of the individual author and may not reflect the opinions of AWS.
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