Career Spotlight: Cloud Engineer
What Is a Cloud Engineer?
Cloud engineers are IT professionals who lead the design, management, and maintenance of cloud computing systems. They develop and optimize cloud solutions to support their organization’s IT needs.
Careers in cloud engineering are growing in number and variety as cloud computing continues to dominate information technology. More and more technology infrastructure and applications are moving to the cloud, making the role of cloud engineer all the more crucial in ensuring that systems operate efficiently and can scale.
What Does a Cloud Engineer Do?
Cloud engineers perform a variety of cloud computing tasks, including:
- Collaborating with business leaders, software developers, IT teams, and cybersecurity pros
- Selecting, configuring, and deploying cloud infrastructure
- Managing migration from on-premises to cloud
- Automating work flows
- Optimizing data storage
- Integrating cloud solutions into current IT systems
- Ensuring that systems are secure and compliant
- Monitoring systems to improve performance
- Troubleshooting any issues and minimizing downtime
- Reporting on current operations and helping plan for future ones
You will need a combination of technical, management, and problem-solving skills in this role. These include:
- Proficiency in the most common cloud computing platforms, such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform
- Mastery of networking protocols and technologies, such as TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, routers, switches, and firewalls
- Understanding of security frameworks and best practices
- Competency in scripting and programming languages, such as Python and Bash
- Expertise in infrastructure as code (IaC) tools, such as Terraform and AWS CloudFormation
- Knowledge of DevOps methodologies
- Strong analytical thinking and troubleshooting capabilities
- Eagerness to continually learn, evolve, and optimize as the field changes
Salary and Career Outlook
Given the rapid expansion of cloud computing, the demand for people in cloud engineering is exploding, with employment of computer network architects, a group that includes cloud engineers, growing by 13% from 2023 to 2033, according to government figures. Those same statistics put the median salary you can earn in this category at $129,840. Statistics from the commercial job site Indeed point to higher numbers for cloud engineers specifically, with a national average salary of $130,417 and a high above $197,000. With a cloud engineering background, you are also equipped for roles in software engineering, systems architecture, full-stack development, and data science.
How to Become a Cloud Engineer
Like most careers in IT, becoming a cloud engineer is a journey of many steps.
It starts with education like a bachelor’s degree in information technology or a degree in computer science. You will learn IT, networking, and security fundamentals, along with cloud architecture, data management, and systems administration.
Gaining practical experience is a must. Some bachelor’s degree programs include internships and encourage contributions to open-source projects. Building a portfolio of actual work experience sets you up for success.
While you gain familiarity with programming languages in your degree program, fully developing skills in computing languages such as Python, C++, Java, and Ruby will make you much more valuable as a cloud engineer. You should also develop expertise in Apache Hadoop, Microsoft Azure, and others. Coding boot camps and online courses will help you with these skills.
This is a rapidly evolving field, so getting a bachelor’s degree and coasting from there is not enough. Invest in your future by obtaining certifications that demonstrate your knowledge and skills. Hunger for learning new things is critical to a cloud engineering career.
Working as a cloud engineer is a varied, fascinating, and rewarding occupation. Learn more about how Excelsior University can give you a running start and support you throughout your career.
