Cloud Architect Career - One More Time

zhk89 on 10/06/2021 - 12:15

Hello everyone

Sorry i come up here after every few months and post something similar but this time with some updates and more suggestions needed.

For those who will bring up my prev post let me tell you already that currently I have got secondment in existing organization only with a better role than the previous role i had. This will be 7-8 months and will either stay if opportunity remains or have to return to the previous role. I am content for now so no issues currently.

For a long term been thinking to switch career to IT due to the demand i see and the ongoing development it has. People around me have gone for different courses from zero and have now got suitable work with it.

I am after some suggestions on Cloud Architect studies. where should i start from? I have Zero IT knowledge. Happy to spend my time and effort for it and in no Hurry for it. Cost is important as cannot afford fancy 7-8K courses but still let me know if thats the only option. I understand its not simple to just be anything you want. Have to start from base and spend years. Any suggestions/pathways you can suggest me for it please. How much time should i need to be able to start a L1 role and where should i start from now.

Thanks

Education & Work

Comments

  • MrHyde on 10/06/2021 - 12:27
    +6

    The criteria in our organisation when hiring Cloud Architects is that they have had atleast 7 years hands on experience in IT systems management and development plus 5 years experience of which atleast 2 years in a Designer role in a cloud platform like AWS or Azure. At that level, education is not relevant - its the hands on experience that counts.

    The key skills required in an Architect are:
    - Able to make decisions based on pros / cons that require experience of past implementations
    - Communications - needs to be able to explain to customers why certain design decisions are being made - to both business and technical people
    - Sizing and Estimation - needs to be able to size and cost a project based on incomplete information

    Saying that, I know there are also organisations out there where recent graduates with Computer Science degree and a few AWS certificates are being called Cloud Architects.

    • mskeggs on 10/06/2021 - 12:39
      +13

      This is same in my business, or at least similar. We are small so have flexibility if somebody was great but less experience etc.
      It is currently hard to fill these positions, and competition is intense, but it was the same for web staff in 1999, and 3 years later lots of people who moved into the industry chasing dollars were jobless.

      TBH, I have never met a senior IT person who chose the career for money. All of them are really into tech, and would do it as a hobby if it wasn’t their job.

      Saying “I want to be a cloud architect” and saying you aren’t a skilled IT person is a bit like saying “I want to be a Neurosurgeon, what is the cheapest way to become one”.

      To be well paid you will need many years of experience after you have proved you are talented…The architects are typically very senior technical people (developers or admins) who are also good communicators.

      • zhk89 on 10/06/2021 - 13:25

        @mskeggs: I understand. May be i put that title of Cloud Architect as way too much. since i have not much knowledge what can be a good start to reach there?

        • POSITIVEVIBESONLY on 10/06/2021 - 16:18
          +3

          You're looking at junior software engineer/data engineer roles or even interns but with no experience with IT systems it'll be hard to land those roles since you'll be competing with fresh grads. You'll need strong fundamentals on all aspects of software including networking, databases, security and design. Experience with at least one mainstream framework would help also.

          Most of all you'll need to learn how to code first, if you're not willing to get an university education you will have to learn off online resources. Build a portfolio on Github or Bitbucket with projects you created doing things you like. There's heaps of resources online, I would go through subreddits like r/learnprogramming and get familiar with all of that. Once you have your projects up and working locally move them to AWS or a cloud platform and see how containers are run and communicate to each other. Most likely you'll like to score an internship or junior role by now to just ride that all the way to architect.

          You may want to note most software engineers never reach a role of architect, we all reach for the skies but not all of us make it.

          • zhk89 on 10/06/2021 - 16:50

            @POSITIVEVIBESONLY: thank you for detailed information on it. sorry i didn't get that part " I would go through subreddits like r/learnprogramming and get familiar with all of that". can you kindly rephrase

            • POSITIVEVIBESONLY on 10/06/2021 - 21:03
              +1

              @zhk89: reddit is a website that has lots of learning resources, just google "r/learnprogramming" and read all their resources. They have heaps of guides for beginners.

    • zhk89 on 10/06/2021 - 13:24

      So any middle path to follow? cant bring 5-7 yrs of experience but will keep working to do so in years. What should be done right now

      • MrHyde on 10/06/2021 - 13:29
        +6

        If you know nothing about IT; you could try to get an entry level position in an IT help desk and move up to systems administration from there. With any luck, that company will be using cloud infrastructure; so your system admin role will expose you to some cloud work. You then work up from there and in 10-15 years, you will have the experience needed to qualify as a Cloud Architect.

        Alternatively, do a programming course like full stack development combined with AWS deployment and management - then find a role in that area and work up from there. Again in 10-15 years, you've have the experience needed to qualify as a Cloud Architect.

        As MsKeggs also said, an architect is a very senior role - you can't get there with studies alone - experience is what is needed.

  • SF3 on 10/06/2021 - 12:30
    +3

    Have Masters in Business Administration

    Working as Customer service agent for more than 3 yrs in a health related company

    Whats Trending Tomorrow?

    Yes, but no…

    studying does not mean higher pay, this seems to be what you chasing. Being really good at what you do (you'll move up in rank) or even being a tradie could earn you more $$$.

    • zhk89 on 10/06/2021 - 13:22

      yea so motive for IT is not just money but its one part of it. Happy to give time money and effort due to the interest,

      • Icecold5000 on 11/06/2021 - 22:54
        +2

        Like seriously dude, in your previous post you didn’t understand what reddit was. This is something you could have googled in 5 seconds. To learn coding you need to be able to teach yourself from online resources. Its not like doing an MBA and talking crap to make it sound like you know something, with coding your deliverables need to work. I don’t think you are cut out for this at all if you need to be spoonfed.

  • o53djz7qTPY4der on 10/06/2021 - 12:35
    +8

    Sign up for a free AWS account and play with the free-tier.

    • mskeggs on 10/06/2021 - 12:40
      +1

      Good start. You can find out for free if you have an aptitude.

    • zhk89 on 10/06/2021 - 13:21

      thank you. will do

      • No Username on 10/06/2021 - 13:55
        +2

        Make sure you know what you're doing. It's very easy to go over budget on the free tier. I would use a pre paid master card to be safe.

  • AndyC1 on 10/06/2021 - 12:35
    +1

    Udemy posts.

  • MS Paint on 10/06/2021 - 14:15

    Probably a HECS free course at UTAS

  • MrHyde on 10/06/2021 - 14:31

    I'm curious though - what is your base degree in. What did you do your Bachelors in before your MBA?

    Also, how much work experience did you have prior to doing your MBA?

    • zhk89 on 10/06/2021 - 14:34

      bachelors was in Business admin as well. only had 6 months experience prior to MBA

      • MrHyde on 10/06/2021 - 15:09
        +4

        I'm sorry, but I can't see how you got any value from your MBA at all.

        When I did my MBA, one of the admission criteria was atleast 5 years of professional experience in any field and after doing it; I can understand why. A lot of the course was experience base reflection of different scenarios. If one had never been in a real working environment, one would not have learnt anything in the course.

        • Icecold5000 on 11/06/2021 - 22:56

          Sounds like one of those dodgy ‘institutes’ international students use to secure a work visa after graduation that let anyone in as ling as they have the $$$.

  • FSTB on 10/06/2021 - 15:04
    +3

    Cloud Architect is the endgame. You should be looking at level 1/2 cloud focused IT support roles first for at least 5 years.

    • zhk89 on 10/06/2021 - 15:41

      and for that should i just go for cert / diploma in IT?

      • FSTB on 10/06/2021 - 16:17
        +2

        Yeah Cert IV in Information Techonolgy would be the minimum for an entry level role without any experience.

  • buckerooni on 10/06/2021 - 18:18

    another path I've seen is really good BAs (Business Analysts) can move into architecture.

    if you've got an MBA, would may be able to get a BA role, move up (and focus on tech BA roles) honing your tech tech skills along the way into architecture

    Communication, stakeholder management and influencing are skills you have to be good at.

    I'm a solution architect of 9 years, having moved up via dev/engineering route.

    good luck!

    • dimitryp on 11/06/2021 - 11:19

      This is OP's best bet. With existing education getting a BA role would be possible, and while doing "business type stuff" for IT projects you'd pick up some IT knowledge as well.
      I dont mean to sound too negative, but having a passion for IT is key for success in the IT industry. THis includes doing IT stuff as a hobby on the side, tinkering with computers, coding, photoshop, etc etc.
      If you're after good money then pursuing something your MBA qualifies you for will net you much more $$ over next 10 years, as you wont have to spend 5yrs being an
      IT junior.
      Just my 2c.

  • kanter on 11/06/2021 - 07:29
    +1

    Start with the Azure free sessions that Microsoft are running regularly. With the Azure fundamentals one you get a free training day and voucher for the AZ-900 exam. They run it at least once a month so you can have a few attempts

  • BetterValue on 11/06/2021 - 09:53

    Cloud Architect is a position you work towards. You are going to struggle to get from zero to cloud architect. Gain some certification, become a cloud engineer and work you way up.

    Pick a technology and go down that rabbit hole. Personally I'm committed to the Microsoft Azure cloud offering.

    Microsoft Learn have plenty of free tutorials for you to get started and offer free certification from time to time. Since you have zero IT experience you can now decide where you want to go. My suggestion to many starting out is focus on security. Other areas where demand is going to be huge is for instance AL, ML, IOT. Do a bit of research.

    There are plenty of Youtube channels to follow. Look up John Savill. He really explain stuff well. For me anyway. CloudSkills.io have plenty of content and a good community. There is a fee but well worth it.

    • zhk89 on 11/06/2021 - 10:28

      Getting into cyber security can be a good start for it?

      • o53djz7qTPY4der on 11/06/2021 - 10:59
        +1

        I did a grad cert in CS last year. Whilst it did introduce me to cloud solutions, I was nowhere near ready to sit the SA exam. I took the Cloud Solutions unit and we focused on AWS and the design, security etc of IAAS, SAAS etc. But, it was wholly inadequate in preparing me for the workforce. There were people on the same course with 5, 10, 20 years experience in IT. They were doing it for the 'piece of paper', not the content. They already have everything they need to do their jobs. What they wanted was a formal qualification.

        What is clear, after graduation, without this experience I have no chance of landing a role in CS, AWS etc. My point is, I get the impression you have 0 formal experience in IT. A qualification is not going to improve your employability in the sector as you are competing against others who have years of experience.

        Focus on gaining practical, hands-on experience, irrespective how low down you start. Then… When you have that, look at formal qualifications.

        In the meantime, check out Udemy, AWS/Azure etc exams. There are heaps of free resources, fun labs and whitepapers online.

  • securityppl on 11/06/2021 - 11:40
    +1

    Any reason for ruling out Fog Architecture?
    https://www.nist.gov/publications/fog-computing-conceptual-m…

    • zhk89 on 11/06/2021 - 14:12

      never even heard of this but again the starting point looks same. As above i need to work on skills rather degree for these isn't it?

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