What Does A Cloud Engineer Do (including Their Typical Day at Work)

Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Cloud Engineers

A cloud engineer maintains and manages an organization's cloud infrastructure. They are also involved in planning, designing, and building cloud-enabled infrastructures.

Salary

$122000

Personality

The Thinker

What they do
What is the job like
How to become one
Should you become one

According to a Gartner forecast, the cloud computing industry is exploding. The market is expected to reach $266 billion in 2020. Cloud engineers are vital to developing and maintaining cloud services to reach market demands. CIO reports that cloud engineers are in the top ten most in-demand tech jobs of 2020.

To meet demand, many IT professionals are getting certified to make the switch to cloud engineer. But certification isn’t easy and requires dedicated individuals who have strong analytical and organizational skills. Do you have what it takes to become a cloud engineer?

What they do

A cloud engineer maintains and manages an organization's cloud infrastructure. They are also involved in planning, designing, and building cloud-enabled infrastructures.

Oversee an enterprise’s cloud computing strategy

Cloud engineers oversee an enterprise’s cloud computing strategy which includes application and infrastructure design, management and monitoring.

Build cloud-based software applications

One of their main responsibilities is to program and develop cloud-based software applications. They are also responsible for maintaining any existing cloud computing systems.

Implementing security measures to protect critical data and apps

As cyber attacks increase, protecting the enterprise’s data, applications, infrastructure and sensitive information in the cloud is vital to any organization. Cloud engineers also design security solutions that encompass control-based technologies and follow regulatory compliance standards.

Managing and monitoring cloud-based applications and infrastructure

Cloud engineers are also system administrators who manage and monitor cloud-based applications after they are designed and developed. Cloud engineers run audits and deploy fault-tolerant systems to monitor the integrity of the application.

What is the job like

Pros

Higher earning potential

Cloud engineers have a higher earning potential over traditional IT engineers and administrators.

Job security

Cloud engineers enjoy tremendous job security because of the market demand and the rapidly evolving landscape of the cloud. ZDNet identified cloud engineers as one of the most in-demand jobs of 2020.

Cons

Requires continuous learning about technology advancements

Because cloud technology is fairly new in the IT industry, cloud engineers must be vigilant on staying knowledgeable about advancements and be flexible with the lack of standardization.

How to become one

1.Know the basics

Prerequisites to becoming a cloud engineer include having relevant work experience and a degree in management information systems or computer science. You should know:

Several programming languages
Databases
Networks
DevOps
Quality Assurance
Security
Architecture

You also need to gain knowledge in networking, computer security, computer architecture, database, PL/SQL, and Linux fundamentals.

2.Understand cloud computing fundamentals

There are many ways to become knowledgeable in cloud computing:

Take online or in-person training courses.
Attend cloud computing conferences.
Become knowledgeable in APIs, web services, software configuration management (SCM), and agile development.

3.Utilize cloud platforms for practical implementation

All of the cloud service providers offer official certifications and many of the PasS providers offer free resources to practice developing in the cloud. GitHub is an excellent environment for building prototypes.

4.Become Certified in Different Cloud-Based Computing Technologies

CIO identifies the top cloud computing certifications available to IT professionals. The more certifications you have, the more marketable you become as a cloud engineer.

Should you become one

Best personality type for this career

The Thinker

People with this personality likes to work with ideas that require an extensive amount of thinking. They prefer work that requires them to solve problems mentally.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

To become a cloud engineer, you need to:

Have strong technical skills and experience in computer programming languages and platforms.
Be very analytical when solving business problems.
Have an intellectual curiosity for new technologies and new ideas to find ways to eliminate information gaps and solve problems.
Be extremely organized in how you solve problems and perform tasks.

In an industry of constant advancement, you must be flexible and adaptable to be a successful cloud engineer.

Take this quiz to see if this is the right career for you.