11 Must Have Skills To Succeed As A Cloud Computing Engineer

1. Programming Skills

As a cloud engineer, it's important to have a strong foundation in programming, as this will enable you to build and manage cloud-based systems more effectively. Some programming skills that are particularly valuable for cloud engineers include:

• Python: Python is a popular programming language widely used in cloud computing, as it is easy to learn and has a large, active community of users. Python is utilized for the widest variety of tasks in cloud engineering, including automation, data processing, and machine learning. A comprehensive Python programming tutorial will help you understand basic to advanced concepts of this language.
• Java: Java is another commonly used programming language in the cloud engineering field. It is a powerful, object-oriented language that is well-suited for building scalable, distributed systems.
• C++: C++ is a high-performance programming language often used in cloud computing to build custom tools and optimize system performance.
• Bash/Shell scripting: Bash and other shell scripting languages automate tasks and manage systems in cloud environments.

In addition to these languages, it can also be helpful to have experience with other programming languages, such as C#, Ruby, or Go, as well as with frameworks and libraries that are commonly used in cloud computing, such as AWS SDK, Google Cloud Client Libraries, and Azure SDK. Strong programming skills will enable you to build and manage cloud-based systems more effectively and make you a valuable asset to your team and organization.

2. DevOps and Containerization

It is important for a cloud engineer to have a strong understanding of DevOps principles and practices, as well as knowledge of containerization technologies such as Docker.

DevOps implies a set of practices that aims to improve collaboration and communication between software development and IT operations teams, to deliver software updates and applications faster and more reliably. It involves using automation, monitoring, and testing tools to streamline the software delivery process and reduce the time it takes to go from code development to deployment. A DevOps tutorial will help you acquire detailed knowledge of it.

Containerization is a way of packaging and deploying applications in a consistent and portable manner using containers. Containers allow you to package an application and its dependencies into a single, self-contained unit, easily moving between different environments, such as from a developer's laptop to a test environment or from a test environment to production. Docker is a popular containerization platform that allows you to build, run, and manage containers.

DevOps practices and containerization technologies in the cloud are often used together to enable a more agile and efficient software delivery process. For example, you might use a continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) pipeline to automate your application's build, test, and deployment, with containers being used for packaging and deploying the application.

3. Cloud Service Providers

As a cloud engineer, you must understand the various cloud service providers (CSPs) and their services. This includes both infrastructures as a service (IaaS) providers, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and platform as a service (PaaS) providers, such as Heroku and Cloud Foundry.

Each CSP offers a different set of services. It is important for a cloud engineer to understand the capabilities and limitations of these services, as well as how they can be used to build and deploy applications in the cloud.

In addition to knowing the various CSPs and their services, it is also important for a cloud engineer to be familiar with the tools and technologies used to manage and automate the deployment and management of applications in the cloud. This may include configuration management tools such as Ansible and Terraform and container orchestration tools such as Kubernetes.

4. Web Services and API

As a cloud engineer, you must understand web services and APIs (application programming interfaces). Web services are a way of providing access to functionality and data over the internet. They allow applications to communicate with each other and exchange data and functionality in a platform-agnostic manner using standard protocols such as HTTP and XML.

APIs are a way of exposing the functionality of a web service to external consumers. They define the methods and parameters used to interact with the service and often include documentation and examples to help developers understand how to use the service.

In the cloud, web services and APIs are often used to enable a wide range of scenarios, such as communication between different cloud-based applications or providing access to data and functionality to external developers.

As a cloud engineer, it is critical to understand web services and APIs, including how to design, implement, and consume them. This may involve knowledge of REST (Representational State Transfer) and SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) and tools and frameworks for building and consuming APIs, such as Swagger and Postman. Clear all your doubts about the REST API wrapper here.

5. Understanding the Linux OS

If you want to build a career as a cloud engineer, you must have a strong understanding of the Linux operating system (OS). Linux is a widely-used, open-source operating system that powers a large number of servers and devices around the world. In the cloud, Linux is often used as the underlying OS for infrastructure as a service (IaaS) offerings, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure.

Having a strong understanding of Linux is important for a cloud engineer for several reasons. Including that many cloud-based services and tools are built on top of Linux, and knowledge of the OS is necessary to use and manage these tools effectively. Knowledge of Linux is essential for troubleshooting and debugging issues that may arise in the cloud. Also, understanding Linux is an important skill for building and deploying applications in the cloud, as many cloud-based application hosting platforms, such as Heroku and Cloud Foundry, are built on top of Linux.

6. Networking and Internet Protocols

As a cloud computing engineer, it is important to have a strong understanding of networking and internet protocols.

Networking refers to the technologies and practices used to connect computers and devices over a network, such as an internet. This includes knowledge of different networking protocols, such as TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), and technologies for routing and switching data between devices.

Internet protocols are the rules and standards that define how data is transmitted. These include protocols such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and HTTPS (HTTP Secure), which are used for communication between web servers and clients, and FTP (File Transfer Protocol), which is used for transferring files between computers.

In the cloud, networking and internet protocols are essential for connecting and communicating between different cloud-based resources and services. For example, knowledge of networking protocols is necessary for setting up and configuring virtual private clouds (VPCs) and virtual networks. Internet protocols are essential for building and consuming web services and APIs.

7. Understanding Virtualization

As a cloud engineer, it is important to have a strong understanding of virtualization and what full virtualization is ideal for in cloud computing to run the systems smoothly. 

Virtualization refers to creating a virtual version of something, such as a computer, a server, or a network, that can be accessed and used as if it were a real, physical resource. Virtualization allows you to create and run multiple virtual resources on a single physical host, enabling you to use and manage computing resources.

Virtualization enables a wide range of scenarios in the cloud, such as creating and running virtual machines (VMs), setting up and configuring virtual networks, and creating and managing virtual storage.

As a cloud engineer, it is important to have a strong understanding of virtualization technologies and practices, including creating and managing virtual resources and troubleshooting and debugging issues that may arise in a virtualized environment.

8. Security and Recovery

As a cloud engineer, it is important to have a strong understanding of security and recovery practices.

Security in the cloud refers to the measures and practices used to protect cloud-based resources and data from unauthorized access or attacks. This includes knowledge of security best practices, such as using encryption and implementing access controls, as well as tools and technologies for detecting and responding to security threats.

Recovery refers to the processes and practices used to restore access to cloud-based resources and data in the event of a failure or disruption. This includes knowledge of disaster recovery and business continuity best practices, tools, and technologies for backing up and restoring data.

Security and recovery are critical considerations in the cloud, as cloud-based resources and data are often mission-critical and must be highly available. As a cloud engineer, it is important to have a strong understanding of security and recovery practices and to be able to implement and maintain them effectively.

9. Problem-Solving and Communication Skills

Strong problem-solving and communication skills are essential for cloud engineers. You will create, build, and maintain complex systems as a cloud engineer. You will often need to troubleshoot and resolve issues that arise, which requires strong problem-solving skills.

Effective communication is also important for cloud computing engineers. You must work closely with team members and stakeholders to understand their needs and communicate your plans and progress. You may also need to document your work and explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences. Good problem-solving and communication skills can help you more effectively solve issues and collaborate with others, leading to better outcomes and more efficient work. Employers also highly value these skills and can help you stand out in the job market.

10. Knowledge of Databases

As a Cloud Engineer, you must help businesses transfer their database onto the cloud. For that, you must know about data storage and migration. Prior to the cloud, many organizations used to store their databases in a physical center, which was expensive. Migrating a database to the cloud means there’s no physical limit to the amount of data you can store; it also saves money since there’s no need to invest in physical servers or data storage devices.

11. Critical Thinking

As a Cloud Engineer, you’ll need to resolve daily issues, for which you’ll have to think of the best possible solution. You must think creatively to help resolve your employer’s issues by offering cost-effective, efficient, and less time-consuming solutions. From day to day, your critical thinking skills will be tested using diagnosing problems, testing and debugging cloud integrations, knowing risk mitigations inside the cloud security, and consistent strategy planning for optimization of the cloud infrastructure.