A certified cloud professional in the United States can earn over $115,000 per year. In addition, the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated companies’ planned cloud migrations, further increasing demand for cloud talent. If you’re a professional in a traditional IT role, this is the perfect opportunity to break into this field and earn more.
Understand the business strategy behind using the cloud
Position yourself as a candidate who understands why the company is migrating to the cloud. Most enterprises are still developing their cloud strategies. This means they don’t know what exactly they need. By tying your IT role to business objectives, you demonstrate that you understand the big picture and that you’re willing to be adaptable.
Answering questions about your career development and qualifications? Mention that you keep up to date with the latest advancements in cloud computing and that you use this research to structure your professional development and continuous education.
This is especially relevant if you’re an enterprise architect making a move into becoming a solutions architect. On average, cloud solutions architects in the U.S. make anywhere from $75,000 to $162,000 per year depending on their level of experience.
Discuss the importance of cloud native tools and applications
If you’re a software developer looking for a cloud role, emphasize your understanding of building cloud-native applications. Hiring managers are looking for developers who will build applications designed to take advantage of the efficiencies within the cloud.
Instead of building monolithic apps, a software developer working in the cloud needs to be familiar with pillars of cloud-native development such as microservices, containers, orchestration, and continuous delivery. Even if you’re still developing your skills in this space, speaking to these pillars will demonstrate your awareness of this trend, how it’ll help the business, and your own willingness to learn more.
A cloud software engineer in the U.S. can make anywhere from $74,000 to $142,000 depending on their level of experience.
Address the symbiotic relationship between DevOps and cloud computing
Both Development and Operations (DevOps) and cloud computing are essential to digital transformation efforts. In an organization that values DevOps (or aspires to DevOps principles), development teams and IT operations teams work hand in hand to ensure seamless execution. If you’re interviewing for a cloud role, you’ll fall onto either team. As a result, it’s important to have an understanding of DevOps best practices and speak to those in your interview. Demonstrating your familiarity with DevOps will also highlight your soft skills. Hiring managers across all IT roles are looking for candidates that possess that rare combination of technical aptitude, teamwork, and communication skills.
It’s useful to speak to this for any cloud role, but if you’re specifically trying to secure a DevOps role you can make anywhere from $64,000 to $136,000. Familiarity with cloud solutions can put you higher up on this payscale.
Demonstrate familiarity with tools for managing multi-cloud environments
Companies are increasingly embracing multi-cloud solutions for different business goals. As a result, there’s a growing market for professionals and tools that understand how to consolidate solutions from multiple vendors. An easy way to start is to obtain certifications from the most popular vendors such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. Then learn what tools and approaches companies use to manage workloads on multiple clouds.
The average salary of an AWS-certified IT professional is $129,868. Meanwhile, Azure-certified professionals pull in $97,069 on average. An individual who carries certifications in multiple clouds can significantly increase their earning potential.
Recent world events have accelerated companies’ digital transformation plans. This is the perfect opportunity for ambitious and proactive IT professionals to position themselves as promising cloud professionals and secure these lucrative, in-demand roles.
