Unique Ways to Build Credentials and Make a Successful Career Shift to Cloud Computing -

Last updated on May 24, 2023

In the previous post, we discussed whether having cloud certifications is enough to land a job. You can view the article here. In this section, we’ll share some noteworthy activities that you can do to build your credentials and help you land a cloud-related job.

Trying to land a job in the field of cloud computing with no prior work experience can drive people mad. Most entry-level positions on job postings demand at least two years of professional experience. But how the heck can you get experience if you can’t get a job to acquire that experience in the first place? This is a dilemma faced by people hunting for a job every day.

The truth is that you can break into cloud-related jobs even though you don’t have any prior professional experience yet. Usually, the “two-year work experience” that you see on a job description is just a way for employers to screen out people who are just riding the trend and don’t have any skills or credentials to show for it. This makes the company’s hiring process more manageable.

In this article, I will share some ways to increase your qualifications and build your credentials even if you still don’t have the required work experience.

1. Build Cloud Projects

One way to improve your current skill set is to challenge yourself in creating various cloud-related projects. You can use this article as a guide on what projects you can do to gain practical experience with AWS cloud services. Show your hunger to learn technologies in the cloud. Create a project using the cloud services that you’ve learned. It doesn’t have to be flashy. Build something even if it is just a basic application hosted in the cloud. Make an online portfolio or a blog/website about it. Write down the steps on how you made your application and the problems that you have encountered while doing it. Discuss the solutions that you made to solve them. Doing this will show your eagerness, persistence, and the drive to learn more to your prospective employer.

2. Share your Knowledge About Cloud with the Community

Join online communities that have the same passion in cloud computing as you. Interact and discuss cloud-related topics with professionals. This is an excellent opportunity to gain insight into what is happening in the real-world scenario. If possible, be active in the group and help others by answering their questions or giving recommendations. You can list this as an experience on your resume. It will also help if you know people from the industry who can attest to your knowledge and character. These opportunities will help you build a strong foundation and show your future employers that you are a highly qualified professional.

3. Join and Participate in Webinars, Events, and Hackathons

If you’re new to cloud computing, I encourage you to attend virtual events. Finding online workshops and webinars shouldn’t be difficult as most popular cloud service providers offer them free of charge. These events will build your cloud skills and help you grow your network in the cloud. You can also participate in the Hackathons and work with a group of programmers to solve problems using different Cloud technologies and solutions. This is a great avenue for you to showcase your skills and ideas, and be known globally as a high caliber IT professional.

4. Develop Good Communication Skills

Delivering your point across a wide variety of people already makes you an indispensable member of an organization. To become a competent cloud architect, you need to know how to interact with customers with little or no technical expertise, while at the same time aligning your ideas with their business goals.

5. Raise Pull-Request to the Official Documentation

You might stumble upon some incorrect information in the official AWS, Azure or Google Cloud documentations. For instance, you might be following a step-by-step procedure on how to set up a virtual machine to host a website. If you see that there’s something off, feel free to raise a pull-request by clicking the Github’s link, which you can usually find on the page footer. This is an opportunity for you to become an active participant in the cloud community. You can also include the AWS pull-requests you’ve raised in your Linkedin or CV for added credentials.

In the last part of our Introduction to Cloud Computing blog series, we’ll share some interview tips to help you land that dream job of yours.

This article is part of our free Journey to Cloud: A Beginner’s Guide eBook. Click here to get a free copy.

Ready to take your learning to the next level? Become a multi-cloud professional by being skilled in AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. Check out our list of FREE resources here:

Written by: Carlo Acebedo

Carlo is a cloud engineer and a content creator at Tutorials Dojo. He's also a member of the AWS Community builder and holds 5 AWS Certifications. Carlo specializes in building and automating solutions in the Amazon Web Services Cloud.