We are focused on building your competence and effectiveness to perform in the global workforce. Our Program here at CIL academy is not about taking you through new learning content we have created. Rather, we curate FREE resources for you and then work you through understanding and applying knowledge in real scenarios. You get to solve real world problems, reinforce learning and build experience.
In our ‘
Zero to Techie’ program, we do not assume prior technical knowledge, we start from the very basics. This ensures all participants have the fundamentals locked in and can easily follow more complex topics throughout the program.
With a clear plan and dedication to consistent learning, you can become a proficient cloud engineer. Remember to also consider your own goals and interests as you plan your learning journey. You may want to focus on certain areas of
cloud engineering or specialize in a particular cloud provider. We are here to support you.
Application Developer, API Developer, Platform Engineer, Software Developer, Software Engineer, DevOps Engineer, DevSecOps Engineer, Cloud Developer and Cloud Engineer are all jobs you should be able to perform after successful completion.
Setting up for success
Define your learning goals: What do you want to learn and achieve in
cloud engineering? Do you want to become a certified cloud engineer, or do you want to learn specific cloud technologies? Clearly defining your learning goals will help you focus your efforts and choose the right resources.
Recognise the best learning resources for you: There are many resources available for learning
cloud engineering, including online courses, books, and community resources like forums and meetups. Consider what type of learning style works best for you and place more emphasis on them.
Make time to learn. This is not a fully supervised program, meaning you will not have regular classroom events but rather a lot of individual and group assignments to study and report on. It's important to set aside dedicated time for learning. Consider how much time you can realistically commit to learning and create a schedule that allows you to make consistent progress. We recommend a minimum of 5 hours every weekday for the next 6 months.
Practice, practice, practice: The best way to learn
cloud engineering is to get hands-on experience. Look for opportunities to practice what you're learning, whether it's through online labs or real-world projects of which you will get a good number from our program.
Stay up to date: Cloud technology is constantly evolving, so it's important to stay up to date with the latest developments. Consider subscribing to industry blogs and newsletters, and taking continuing education courses to keep your skills current.
Learning Objectives
- Basics of cloud computing and the key characteristics including elasticity, broad network access, pay-per-use, on demand and self service.
- Cloud deployment models (public, private, community, hybrid).
- Cloud computing service models, such as infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), data as a service (DaaS) and software as a service (SaaS). These concepts will help you understand how cloud services are delivered and how they differ from traditional IT infrastructure in a shared responsibility model.
- Main cloud providers and their offerings, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
- Choose a cloud provider and start exploring their services and tools. Sign up for a free trial or a developer account and start experimenting with the different services. Learn the basics of the chosen cloud provider's platform.
- Understanding how to create and manage resources, set up networking and security, and deploy and scale applications.
- Take advantage of the resources provided by the cloud provider, such as documentation, tutorials, and online courses. Many cloud providers offer free training materials and certification programs that can help you gain expertise in their platform. Each provider has its own set of services and tools, so it's important to understand the differences between them.
- Learn about the core infrastructure components of the cloud, including compute, storage, database, networking, and security systems
- Learn about cloud architecture: Understanding cloud architecture is essential for cloud engineering. Learn about different types of architectures, such as monolithic, microservices, and serverless, and how they can be implemented in the cloud.
- Gain a strong understanding of cloud architecture and design principles, including how to design and build secure, performant, scalable, resilient(fault-tolerant) and cost optimized cloud-based systems. This includes learning how to design, deploy and configure virtual servers, containers and container orchestration storage systems, and networking in the cloud, and how to deploy and manage applications in the cloud. Learn about cloud storage options, including object storage, block storage, and file storage, and how to choose the appropriate option for your needs.
- After you have a strong foundation in cloud infrastructure, consider learning about specific cloud services and technologies. This could include learning about cloud-based databases, cloud-based machine learning and artificial intelligence, or cloud-based security and compliance.
- Learn how to use the command line interface (CLI) and web console of a cloud provider to manage and monitor your cloud resources.
- Learn about cloud security, compliance and governance. As a cloud engineer, you'll need to secure data, networks, and applications in cloud environments and be compliant with industry standards and regulations such as SOC 2 and PCI DSS.
- Learn about cloud security best practices, including how to secure your cloud resources, implement identity and access management, monitor for threats, learn about encryption, data access control, and compliance requirements.
- Learn a programming language: To work effectively with the cloud, you will need to learn a programming language. Some popular choices include Python, Java, Nodejs and C#. Choose a language that you are interested in and start learning the basics.
- Learn about key tools and technologies for managing and automating deployment of infrastructure and applications in cloud environments. This may include configuration management tools (e.g. Ansible, Puppet, Chef), containerization tools (e.g. Docker, Kubernetes), infrastructure as code tools (e.g. Terraform, CloudFormation), and monitoring and observability: tools to help you monitor the health and performance of your cloud infrastructure and applications.
- Get hands-on experience by working on real-world projects setting up and configuring a cloud environment. Set up a cloud environment and start experimenting with different services and tools. You can also participate in online challenges and hackathons to gain practical experience. This will help you apply the knowledge you've gained and develop valuable skills in a practical setting.
- Practice, practice, practice: This might involve setting up and configuring virtual machines, deploying applications, and managing resources on a cloud platform. You can do this by setting up your own cloud environment using a free trial or sandbox account from a cloud provider. Practice what you learn and seek out opportunities to apply your knowledge in real-world scenarios. This could include working on personal projects or contributing to open source projects.
- You can start by building simple applications and gradually increasing the complexity as you gain more experience.
- Consider specializing in a specific area of cloud engineering, such as data engineering, automation, security, DevOps, or application development. This might involve taking additional courses or gaining certifications in these areas. This can help you become an expert in a particular field and make you more valuable to potential employers.
- Consider earning a certification from a cloud provider or a third-party organization to validate your skills and knowledge. This can be a great way to stand out in the job market demonstrating your expertise and enhance your professional credibility to potential employers.
- Major cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, and GCP all offer certification programs for cloud professionals. Consider earning a cloud certification, such as the AWS Certified Solutions Architect or the Google Cloud Certified Professional Cloud Architect, to demonstrate your expertise and enhance your career prospects.
- Stay up-to-date with the latest developments in cloud computing. The field is constantly evolving, so it's important to stay current with new technologies and best practices by reading industry blogs, attending conferences, workshops and meetups, participating in online communities, keeping an eye on the product roadmaps of the major cloud providers, as well as staying abreast of new open-source tools and technologies that are emerging in the cloud ecosystem. This will help you stay current on best practices and new technologies in cloud computing.
- Continue learning about new technologies and best practices in cloud computing by staying up-to-date with industry news and taking additional training courses or certifications as needed. Explore advanced topics in cloud engineering, such as data analytics, machine learning, and serverless computing. Consider earning certifications or taking courses to deepen your knowledge and skills in these areas.
Resources
You can find numerous resources online, including free courses and tutorials, to learn about these concepts.
online courses, textbooks, and hands-on projects.
- Cloud Computing Fundamentals (Coursera).
- Cloud Computing Concepts (edX)
- Cloud Computing Concepts Specialization on Coursera.
- Cloud Infrastructure Technologies Specialization on Coursera.
- AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials (AWS): This course provides an overview of the AWS Cloud and introduces you to the core AWS services.
- Azure Fundamentals (Microsoft): This course provides an overview of Azure and teaches you how to use Azure services to build, deploy, and manage applications.
- Google Cloud Fundamentals: Core Infrastructure (GCP): This course provides an overview of GCP and teaches you how to use GCP services to build, deploy, and manage applications.
- Cloud Architecture and Design (edX): This course covers the principles of cloud architecture and teaches you how to design and build cloud-based systems.
- Cloud Design Patterns (AWS): This resource provides a collection of design patterns for building cloud-based systems, including patterns for scalability, resiliency, and security.
- Cloud Security and Compliance (edX): This course covers the principles of cloud security and teaches you how to secure and comply with relevant regulations and standards in the cloud.
- Cloud Services Specialization on Coursera.
- AWS Security Fundamentals (AWS): This course covers the fundamental concepts of AWS security and teaches you how to secure your AWS infrastructure and applications.