If you are considering taking a diploma in Cloud Engineering, you are already an advanced thinker. And most likely, you have some background on IT. Perhaps just want to learn core cloud and want to grab a lucrative hundred thousand salary job.
Stop. Please stop for a moment. Do you have practical idea of what is expected from a cloud engineer? The other way around, do you know what you should learn if you are undertaking a diploma in Cloud Engineering?
To be clear, it is almost unlikely to get a senior level cloud engineering job instantly after completing a diploma. Therefore, you should have a balanced learning of the basic, core, and supplementary things related to cloud engineering.
Let’s start with the basic. A thorough experience of System Administration is the prerequisite to understand and manage cloud efficiently. Most of the time, a cloud engineer is expected to be a full-fledged Linux / Unix Administrator. While managing the cloud, there are underlying layers. For this reason, Linux/Unix networking and virtualization become important. MySQL, PHP, Python and scripting are widely used in managing cloud. Knowledge of clustering and software testing are useful too.
Now you should consider the core cloud technologies – AWS and OpenStack. AWS is a comprehensive and evolving cloud computing platform provided by Amazon. AWS is relatively easy to understand but OpenStack is a bit more complicated. Knowledge of vSphere helps to understand OpenStack functionalities better and helps you to work as a Linux/Unix Administrator in a virtualized environment.
Next, you may think about the additional things. These days, IT profession is like a pizza, more toppings you have, more demanding it gets!
Do you need Solaris? Modern day cloud run mostly on Linux. You may think that you don’t need Solaris but a good knowledge of Solaris will get you 15k to 20k more salary annually than a Linux/Unix Administrator! Automation skills are much required now. So, familiarity with DevOps/Ansible/Puppet are nice to have skills. Basic understanding of Agile & Big Data Management helps, it is not unusual to see SAP HANA hosted in a cloud. Clustering may give you competitive advantage since many companies that use Solaris are using VERITAS products too. A combination of networking knowledge (CCNA), Shell programming, Software testing will help to boost your resume. You also need to understand the best practices for delivering IT services. ITIL is a set of detailed practices for IT service management to align IT services with the needs of business.
Finally, you must not forget the soft skills! There is a perception that engineers lack in soft skills. Employers are looking for a blend of both hard skills and soft skills in a person. Soft skills like leadership, adaptability, and creativity not only help to retain the job and but also assist to grow as a team leader eventually.
Canadian College for Higher Studies offers a comprehensive advanced diploma in Cloud Systems Engineer that includes all the mandatory and supplementary courses needed for cloud engineering. It is not a surprise that Canadian College for Higher Studies(CCHS) has produced many graduates who are working as consultants at salary ranging from 75K to 200K.
Why don’t you check the program outline and persuade your dream of becoming a cloud engineer with CCHS!