The global cloud computing market is expected to reach: $1.5 trillion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 15.7%, according to market researcher Research and Markets. Meanwhile, IT career site Zippia reports that: 94% of companies researched in 2022 uses the cloud in some capacity.
It’s no wonder that many IT professionals see a bright career future with a cloud services company. At the same time, cloud service providers want to impress their customers and prospects with excellent service levels and product offerings.
Customers and prospects want 24/7 uptime and resiliency from their cloud service providers. If a cloud service provider specializes in a particular niche or industry, such as credit card processing, customers expect in-depth knowledge of their provider’s space.
Good security and governance are also important, as are the hardware and software platforms and stacks that customers need and the experts at the cloud provider who can capably support the customer and, if necessary, execute for the customer.
In this environment, cloud service providers look for best in class people to fill vacancies.
TO SEE: Hiring Kit: Cloud Engineer (Tech Republic Premium)
Top Cloud-Based Career Opportunities for IT Professionals in 2022
Cloud advisor
Businesses are eager to move to the cloud, but for different reasons. In a software as a service environment, for example, a company may be looking for a cloud-based system, but it may also be looking for cloud experts in the industry they are in.
An example of this is a community bank that decides to adopt a cloud-based banking system. Such a system needs a cloud consultant with hands-on banking and technology experience, who can help ensure that the bank is properly deployed in the cloud with the right resources and services.
In other cases, business customers may need help selecting and configuring the combinations of hardware, software, and security they need. These customers are likely unfamiliar with cloud configuration tools, so they should be trained or assisted.
A cloud consultant with a broad knowledge of cloud technology infrastructure and tools can do this. The consultant works with the client company to assess cloud needs, assist the company and even help manage cloud operations for the company.
A cloud consultant needs to understand the entire cloud technology stack and how to best tailor it to each client’s needs. They must be able to sit down with customers to direct customers to the best combination of cloud resources and services for their specific use cases. Cloud consultants also manage cloud-based operations and customer relationships.
When a cloud service provider seeks a consultant, they are looking for technological knowledge, management skills and the ability to interact with people. Individuals with an MBA and degree in IT or computer science are preferred, but candidates with proven management and technology experience can substitute.
A cloud consultant has broad knowledge of cloud technologies and guides companies looking for cloud-based tools. This expert typically assesses a company’s needs and proposes software and services that best meet that company’s technical and budgetary requirements.
The average salary of a cloud consultant in the US is $124,171.
Cloud software engineer
Cloud customers want a wide range of hardware and software. They also want systems that are reliable and current. Tuning hardware and software and maintaining current levels of releases are the domain of cloud software engineers.
These individuals usually specialize in a particular software stack and have in-depth vertical knowledge of the stack. One software engineer may only target the IBM mainframe and another software engineer may only work on Intel distributed platforms.
As more artificial intelligence and big data platforms emerge, there is also a need for computer scientist software engineers who understand how to perform the parallel processing of big data on platforms such as Hadoop.
Cloud software engineers often have degrees in computer programming, computer science, or computer engineering. Ideally, cloud providers look for someone with at least three to five years of experience because of the highly advanced technical issues they have to solve.
The average salary of a cloud engineer is $120,719.
Cloud Security Analyst
In the past 18 months, 79% of companies have experienced at least one data breach in the cloud. Breaches are serious business if you’re a cloud service provider, so you want cloud security analysts to ensure the most secure environment possible.
Cloud security analysts install firewalls, check for viruses and malware, and secure the cloud periphery and subsets of IT assets and networks within the cloud. These analysts review, install, monitor, and manage new security offerings, and mitigate any security threat or breach from the outset. The goal is to intercept a security threat before it hits a customer.
The education requirements for cloud security analysts are a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity or a computer science or IT degree with a specialization in security.
The median salary for a cloud security analyst is $110,407.
Cloud data analyst
Cloud data analysts and administrators specialize in certain database niches. In the cloud, a majority works with SQL and NoSQL databases. However, there are also graphical databases for big data and proprietary databases such as IMS or IDMS that can be found on the IBM mainframe.
Database administrators and analysts must have in-depth knowledge of the databases they work on. They must coordinate with end-business analysts to ensure their clients can combine and transfer data from different databases to support data repositories and applications.
It can take years to develop into a highly competent and well-compensated data administrator, but for those entering the profession, the fundamental educational requirements are a degree in computer science or IT with a database or database architecture concentration.
The median salary for a data analyst is $81,779, but highly skilled data managers can earn upwards of $100,000.
Cloud network engineer
The cloud network engineer designs and implements solutions that meet the customer’s functional, informational, security and compliance needs. The network engineer works closely with consultants and security analysts to ensure cloud resources configured for each customer deliver the expected results and performance.
The average salary of a cloud network engineer is $90,000.
How do you start a career in cloud computing?
Opportunities abound in the cloud and there’s no reason they can’t find you.
First, get the type of experience and/or education in your field that is likely to be a good fit for the cloud. If you’re a technology professional with extensive experience in a particular industry, that’s a combination that’s attractive to cloud providers.
Finally, test yourself on your customer service skills. It is important to remember that the cloud is a customer platform and not an end user platform. Cloud providers expect you to always be responsive, conscientious and diplomatic with their customers.
