One of the most revolutionary technologies developed after the internet is cloud computing. Without the introduction of cloud computing, the internet wouldn’t be the same, our computing needs would be different, and several tech giants wouldn’t be where they are today. The dependency on cloud services enabled faster access to resources, made our lives simpler, and carved a way for further technological advancements. According to LinkedIn Global Skillset Survey, cloud computing is the most important skill set that companies are seeking.
Whether big or small, every business is leveraging cloud resources to build their digital presence and remain alive during Covid. The havoc wreaked by Covid-19 has caused companies to understand the long-term benefits of cloud service, other than just remotely managing the workforce. According to Research and Markets study, the global cloud computing industry is expected to grow from $371.4 billion in 2020 to $832.1 billion by 2025, at a 17.5 per cent CAGR. This number is sufficient to explain the drastic transformation cloud computing is about to bring across industries. No wonder, it is one of the few recession-proof careers today.
As a domain, cloud computing has a lot to offer in terms of business scalability as well as high-paying employment opportunities to skilled learners. According to PayScale, a fresher with cloud computing skills and an AWS certification annually earns an average of ₹5 to ₹7 lakh, and with over five years of experience, they earn an annual average of ₹12 lakh in India. This number keeps increasing with the years of experience and a more in-depth understanding of the industry.
However, one of the major concerns learners face in their initial stage of upskilling is selecting the resource that would be best for them. According to several experts, some of the key skills that companies nowadays seek in a cloud professional are cloud migration and deployment within a multi-cloud ecosystem, database skills, programming skills and DevOps.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular cloud computing job roles in the market today:
Cloud engineer
With more businesses turning towards cloud services, there is a high demand for technical professionals with sound knowledge of cloud who can help enterprises design, plan, deploy, implement, and maintain cloud-associated projects. To become a cloud engineer, learners need to develop core skills in programming, database management, operating system, and development operations.
Cloud architect
Just like an architect builds physical infrastructure, cloud architects do the same in the cloud environment. They are responsible for designing and building a strong, agile and robust cloud infrastructure that works effectively for a business’s day-to-day functioning.
Cloud administrator
Cloud administrator is basically a cloud expert, with sound practical experience in the cloud ecosystem. They are responsible for system management, troubleshooting within multiple cloud ecosystems, as well as virtualisation. The cloud administrator job role requires expert-level knowledge of concepts such as operating system, configuration management, monitoring the cloud environment and scripting languages.
Cloud security specialist
Security is one of the major concerns businesses and individuals are trying to tackle. Not every business can afford to build their own cloud infrastructure, so they rely on cloud service providers to fulfil their cloud computing requirements. Using a cloud service is not very different from leasing a car, which means that businesses do not have much control over the cloud services they are using. However, it is also their responsibility to keep the data secure. They require cloud security experts who can keep the cloud repository safe, keep track of changes made on the cloud configuration from the service provider, and other cloud security related operations.
The cloud computing domain has ample opportunities for fresh graduates and working professionals. The minimum academic requirement to enrol in a cloud computing certification is a graduation degree with at least 50 per cent marks. Not only does a job in cloud computing come with high remuneration, but the domain is also going to take some giant leaps in the future.
(The writer is Co-founder & CEO, Jigsaw Academy .)