What is a Cloud Engineer? A Beginner’s 2023 Guide

If you’re new to the cloud space, try a foundational certification—like the Google IT Support Professional Certificate. Certifications are a qualification awarded for passing one or more cloud platform proficiency exams from the respective cloud provider. Each major provider has a certification for their platform, with AWS and Azure being the most sought after by recruiters. These have quickly become a requirement for new cloud engineers and at least one is expected before a candidate will receive an interview.

If you’d like to learn more about this topic, check out our guide to cloud computing with AWS. Cloud services are a more efficient and cost-effective way to manage your IT environment. Because you only pay for what you use, you can keep your operating expenses low until you’re ready to scale up as your company grows. Cloud computing is a type of internet-based computing that provides shared computer processing resources and data to computers and other devices on demand. Nurture your inner tech pro with personalized guidance from not one, but two industry experts.

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Dynamic auto-scaling, on the other hand, spins up instances on the fly based on target metrics decided by the cloud engineer. Some common metrics are CPU usage, requests per minute on the program, or container resource usage. Most high level dynamic auto-scaling implementations utilize all of these metrics to ensure a sufficient number of instances. The cloud is best understood if we divide it into the frontend (the client’s computer) and the backend (the cloud system). The backend consists of monitoring, databases, block storage, networks, computing power, queues, containers, runtime, and object storage. On the backend, there are multiple data storage systems and servers that host applications.

Some organizations may not require this, but most will require you to show this foundational expertise. A good place to start gaining cloud computing skills is by learning a programming language such as Java, C++, or Python. You can also look into developing a broader set of skills in networking, virtualization, and storage through your current company. While there are a how to become an aws cloud engineer few specific cloud computing degree programs, a background in computer science or IT is often required. But even with high job seeker interest in these roles, employer demand still outpaces the number of qualified candidates available, according to the report. Searches for the terms cloud computing and cloud engineer have risen 141% in the past two years, Indeed found.

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For more information on cloud technologies and careers, read our definition of cloud computing and our essential guide on starting your cloud career. You can benefit from a wide range of expert insights, resources, and programs as you progress toward achieving AWS Certification. Whether you’re just starting out or adding another certification, AWS can help you effectively validate your cloud expertise. Whoever invented the phrase “Nice work if you can get it” must have seen the salaries for AWS engineers!

• Learn about what to expect with scheduling your exam, identification requirements, exam functionality, relevant policies, and more.
• Dive deeper and position yourself as a trusted advisor to your stakeholders and/or customers in these strategic areas.
• Most high level dynamic auto-scaling implementations utilize all of these metrics to ensure a sufficient number of instances.

You’ll typically be updated with the latest cloud computing developments, including new products and services AWS offers. This role requires extensive technical expertise and knowledge of cloud computing. Cloud engineers have a median base salary of $96,449, according to data from Glassdoor. The average salary of cloud engineers in the US at the time of publication was $118,586, according to Indeed.