Whenever you’re going through job listings in the hope of landing a new career, you will inevitably be hit with the dreaded words: ‘Experience is required’.
The great irony is that the demand for experience is even found in entry-level roles. Yet, how do you gain this experience without actually working in such a position? Fortunately, there are various ways in which you can walk into a new career without prior experience.
This is even the case with a specialized role such as a cloud professional. Plus, with the growing prevalence of cloud computing in the business world, it makes a lot of sense to journey along this rewarding and exciting career path.
Even if you have no experience, here are four steps you can take to make it a reality.
1. Focus on a platform
When it comes to cloud computing, it is important to realize early on there are multiple platforms available. While the function of each one is generally the same at their core, these platforms have notable differences – and most employers focus on a particular one for their business. As for what’s available, the three main options are:
- Microsoft Azure
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
Even though you will want to focus on just one, to begin with, don’t feel as if you have to be locked into a single platform. Those proficient in multiple cloud providers are highly desirable, in fact, so it makes sense to broaden your horizons once you have become skilled in one area.
2. Begin your education
If you’re a complete beginner to the world of cloud computing, don’t worry – there are many resources available to educate you on the subject.
Say you want to become a Microsoft Azure professional. For this, you will need to gain enough knowledge to acquire an AZ-900 certification. Fortunately, you can study courses built by professionals that zone in on specific areas, like the AZ-900 certification, and are easy to follow even for complete novices.
3. Gain practical experience
As part of your education, it makes sense to gain practical experience by working on cloud-based projects. After all, there’s no better experience than crafting something from scratch. The good news: major cloud providers offer a range of tools and services that allow you to work on projects right away.
Don’t wait around for opportunities to gain experience. Simply grab the initiative and start when you’re ready.
4. Search for freelance projects
You might be early into your cloud adventure, and you may not have the right qualifications and experience to land a full-time position just yet, but this doesn’t mean you cannot start earning money right away. Due to many freelance platforms like Upwork, there’s essentially a limitless potential to work on paid projects.
Of course, you shouldn’t be focused on financial rewards at this stage. Freelance cloud projects can be especially competitive, which means you will likely have to offer your services at a price lower than what you’d hope to gain. However, you should view freelance projects as an excellent way to build your knowledge, gain hands-on experience, and bolster your cloud computing CV. Any money you receive is simply a bonus.