The skills gap in tech is huge. The pandemic has massively accelerated digital transformation for organizations around the world, making cloud technologies a candidate-driven market. So, while companies compete to attract the best talent, here’s how you could take advantage of the skills gap and land a lucrative career in the cloud.
Want to skip straight to the technology or role you're interested in? Use the links below:
Why choose a career in cloud technologies?
The World Economic Forum estimates that 50% of workers will need reskilling by 2025, while 94% of business leaders now expect employees to pick up new skills on the job, compared to just 65% back in 2018. If you want to get ahead of the game and stand out in the job market, it makes sense to think about cross-training.
Hands down, the best skills you could develop are in the cloud. Globally, more than $1.8 trillion in IT spending is expected to shift to the cloud by 2025, making it a virtually future-proof career choice with impressive salaries for qualified specialists. In addition to the enviable job prospects, there are also fully-funded opportunities to cross-train and become a cloud specialist, allowing you to earn while you learn.
Deciding to become a cloud specialist is one thing—but where should you start? The first step is probably working out which cloud technology you wish to specialize in, and having a rough idea of specific roles that are suited to your existing experience, skills, and career aspirations. Cloud-based tech is a huge market with tons of specialist roles being advertised every day, so it’s easy to get lost and overwhelmed with information. To help you get started, here’s an overview of the three largest cloud-based technologies and the most in-demand roles in these.
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Thanks to its feature-rich applications spanning AI, media, VR, analytics, and more, AWS currently powers almost one-third of all cloud-based applications. It’s favored and used by global giants like Netflix, Slack, Nintendo, Airbnb, Adobe, and SoundCloud.
Reports estimate that almost 60% of all cloud computing jobs already require AWS skills in one form or another. This means that AWS cloud specialists are in huge demand with a wide range of jobs available that are specific to the platform.
Some of the most sought-after specialists in AWS are AWS Cloud Security Architects, AWS Cloud Operations Engineers, and AWS DevOps Engineers. Here’s an overview of their roles, salary expectations (according to Jefferson Frank’s Careers and Hiring Guide), and essential certifications.
AWS Cloud Security Architect
AWS Cloud Security Architects design and implement solutions that protect cloud-based systems and data from unwanted intruders.
AWS Cloud Security Architect role overview
If you’re passionate about data security, then you could soon become one of the most in-demand cloud professionals in the job market today. AWS Cloud Security Architects design, develop and implement security systems for AWS cloud-based data and computing storage systems. Day-to-day, they test existing cloud security solutions and develop new ways of improving network security, while protecting data and operational systems.
AWS Cloud Security Architect salary expectations
United States
$162,500 – $225,000 per year
United Kingdom
£81,750 – £102,000 per year
AWS Cloud Security Architect certifications
Here are some of the essential AWS training certifications you’ll need to kick-start a career as an AWS Cloud Security Architect. While you don’t need all of these, it’s a good idea to get at least the Foundation certification under your belt as a starting point.
Cross-train with Revolent, earn essential AWS certifications, plus crucial work experience on our fully funded two-year AWS Cloud Security Architect program.
AWS Cloud Operations Engineer
AWS Cloud Operations Engineers wear many hats. They’re not only cloud experts but effective managers and communicators, too.
AWS Cloud Operations Engineer role overview
If you’re someone with a keen interest in online infrastructure, who likes to build existing processes and adopt innovative new ones, then a career as an AWS Cloud Operations Engineer is for you. From overseeing the process of migration to cloud-based solutions to maintaining a new system, Cloud Operations Engineers need effective communication and project management skills. Day-to-day, they communicate with different teams, which can include negotiating with vendors, coordinating the project of migration with other members of the IT team, and relaying progress updates to the senior leadership.
AWS Cloud Operations Engineer salary expectations
United States
$119,900 – $173,400 per year
United Kingdom
£39,000 – £66,250 per year
AWS Cloud Operations Engineer certifications
Here are some of the essential AWS training certifications you’ll need to kick-start a career as an AWS Cloud Operations Engineer. While you don’t need all of these, it’s a good idea to get at least the Foundation certification under your belt as a starting point.
Does this sound like you? With our AWS Cloud Operations Engineer cross-training program you could get certified and progress on to a paid work placement with a global brand.
AWS DevOps Engineer
Outstanding communicators, AWS DevOps Engineers typically have a cross-disciplinary skill set.
AWS DevOps Engineer role overview
They have extensive knowledge of AWS services and best practices, and are familiar with various automation tools. AWS DevOps Engineers are equipped with strong programming skills, expertise in networking, security, and software reliability engineering. They also have a strong understanding of containers and container tools like Docker, Kubernetes, and Amazon EKS.
AWS DevOps Engineer salary expectations
United States
$125,000 – $195,000 per year
United Kingdom
£57,500 – £91,250 per year
AWS DevOps Engineer certifications
Here are the AWS training certifications that qualified AWS DevOps Engineers typically hold. While you don’t need all of these, it’s a good idea to get at least the Foundation certification under your belt as a starting point.
If you’re a cloud expert with a few years of DevOps experience under your belt, you could take the most advanced AWS certification in this career path: AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional.
How to get started as an AWS DevOps Engineer?
If you want to fast-track to become a qualified AWS DevOps Engineer, then why not consider our fully funded two-year cross-training program? With our AWS-accredited course, you could earn three essential AWS certifications, complimented with consultancy training and paid work experience with one of our market-leading clients.
The Microsoft Cloud
With 21% of the total cloud market share, Microsoft Azure is the second most popular vendor amongst cloud infrastructure services. Some of the most sought-after Microsoft Azure specialists include Azure DevOps Engineer, Microsoft Azure Engineer, and M365 Engineer.
Here’s an overview of their roles, salary expectations, and essential Microsoft certifications. To get a full picture of Microsoft Azure salaries, certifications, and career paths, we recommend downloading the latest Nigel Frank Careers and Hiring Guide: Microsoft 365 and Azure Edition.
Azure DevOps Engineer
Microsoft Azure DevOps Engineer role overview
Azure DevOps Engineers are highly in-demand, covering a wide range of responsibilities. Some of these include adhering to Azure Policy, managing dedicated physical servers to host Azure VMs, configuring network security groups, as well as VNet Peering, VPN gateways, and networking routing.
Microsoft Azure DevOps Engineer salary expectations
United States
$131,000 – $195,250
per year
United Kingdom
£44,250 – £93,500
per year
Canada
C$105,000 – C$145,000
per year
Microsoft Azure DevOps Engineer certifications
In order to become a sough-after Microsoft Azure DevOps Engineer, you’ll need to earn these Microsoft certifications:
If you’re a big fan of Microsoft and want to specialize to become a Microsoft Certified Azure DevOps Engineer, check out our cross-training program!
Microsoft Azure Engineer
Microsoft Azure Engineer role overview
Microsoft Azure Engineers are experts at deploying and using Azure VMs. They can perform configuration management and disaster recovery tasks and will monitor data and perform log searches to drill into the specifics that need reviewing, all whilst working within best practice guidelines.
Microsoft Azure Engineer salary expectations
United States
$127,460 – $158,502 per year
United Kingdom
£45,000 – £75,000 per year
Microsoft Azure Engineer certifications
If you’re brand new to this area of cloud technology, these two Microsoft Azure certifications will help you become a qualified Microsoft Azure Engineer:
How to get started as a Microsoft Azure Engineer?
Microsoft 365 (M365) Engineer
Microsoft 365 Engineer role overview
Microsoft 365 Engineers work as part of a team to develop Microsoft 365 infrastructure with modern workplace services, as well as enterprise mobility and security. They also review the existing application environment, with a focus on business projects, technical operations, and maintenance.
M365 Engineer salary expectations
United States
$80,700 – $122,900 per year
United Kingdom
£33,600 – £47,700 per year
M365 Engineer certifications
There are eight certification options, depending on how much experience you currently have, across three levels: Fundamentals, Associate and Expert. While you don’t need all of these, it’s a good idea to get at least the Microsoft 365 Certified Fundamentals under your belt as a starting point.
If you need some help navigating the best certification path to become a qualified Microsoft cloud specialist and earn while you learn, check out our fully-funded Microsoft 365 Engineer Training Program.
Salesforce
As the world’s leading CRM, Salesforce is estimated to create another 9.3 million jobs over the next five years. There’s a huge range of career opportunities in the Salesforce ecosystem, with enviable salaries on offer too and plenty of free training resources on Salesforce Trailhead to get you started.
Some of the most lucrative Salesforce careers include Salesforce Business Analyst, Salesforce Developer, and Salesforce Consultant. Here’s an overview of these roles, salary expectations (according to Mason Frank’s Careers and Hiring Guide), and essential Salesforce certifications you’ll need to help you get there.
Business Analyst
Salesforce Business Analyst
If you love problem-solving, improving processes, and you’re a people person who enjoys communicating with various stakeholders, then training as a Salesforce Business Analyst may be the right choice for you!
Salesforce Business Analyst
As the name suggests, Business Analysts are data-driven and organized. They’re excellent communicators with a creative spark who work with a range of stakeholders to analyze, discuss, present, and implement new solutions that make a business thrive. Their day-to-day tasks can range from having discovery meetings with clients to creating data flow diagrams to help teams better understand their proposed solutions, to training team members and documenting processes to help the business implement these changes.
Salesforce Business Analyst salary expectations
United States
$94,750 – $149,750
per year
United Kingdom
£48,500 – £76,500
per year
Australia
A$111,000 – A$152,750+ per year
Salesforce Business Analyst certifications
If you’re thinking about becoming a Salesforce Business Analyst, then it’s crucial to get the Salesforce Admin certification that will give you a foundational knowledge of the Salesforce platform, including how to customize and configure it, how to manage users, and harness its full potential.
But to become a Business Analyst you need more than certifications. To get onto this lucrative career path, you also need practical experience and a range of crucial consultancy skills – all of which we provide as part of our fully-funded Revolent Business Analyst cross-training program.
Salesforce Developer
Salesforce Developer
In this role, you’ll focus on building coded solutions for the Salesforce platform. Typically, Salesforce Developers will specialize in one particular aspect of the world’s #1 CRM. For example, they could become Salesforce Field Service Developers, OmniStudio Developers, Commerce Cloud Developers, Salesforce Industries Developers, and more. They can also specialize as Copado, MuleSoft, or nCino Developers.
Salesforce Developer
Salesforce Developers love solving problems, can present multiple solutions to fix issues, have experience of software development and object-oriented programming. Coding experience in either Java, JavaScript, C#, PHP, Python, C or C++ is also highly desirable. Depending on the job, you may have to create and optimize workflows, analyze project outcomes, suggest software upgrades, test applications, and more.
Salesforce Developer salary expectations
United States
$99,250 – $174,500 per year
United Kingdom
£38,000 – £88,500+ per year
Australia
A$126,250 – A$167,750+ per year
Salesforce Developer certifications
There are a range of different certification paths open to Developers, depending on which area of Salesforce you wish to specialize in. Salesforce itself lists eight certifications for aspiring Salesforce Developers. While you don’t need all of these, it’s a good idea to get at least one under your belt as a starting point.
Looking to train in a fun, supportive and challenging environment? We’re a Salesforce Authorized Training Provider, and our expert trainers have their finger on the pulse when it comes to the latest Salesforce releases and updates. And they’ll be more than happy to teach you everything they know and help you work out which specialism is more suited to you through our fully funded Salesforce Developer training program.
Salesforce Consultant
Salesforce Consultant
Salesforce Consultants are in high demand too. Their role is to find technical solutions to complex business challenges. Salesforce Consultants can also specialize as Salesforce Industries Consultants or Salesforce Field Service Consultants.
Salesforce Consultant
As a Salesforce Consultant, you’ll map out business processes, identify risks, as well as design and/or implement solutions. The ideal Salesforce Consultant has a good understanding of the cloud and marketing automation tools. Having strong communication and interpersonal skills is also very important. This is a highly technical role, and the salary reflects that, so be prepared to work with cutting-edge tools, such as the OmniStudio platform and DataRaptors.
Salerforce Consultant salary expectations
United States
$115,000 – $162,750 per year
United Kingdom
£49,250 – £82,750 per year
Australia
A$111,000 – A$152,250+ per year
Salesforce Consultant certifications
Depending on the area of Salesforce you wish to specialize in, there are plenty of certification tracks you could take. It’s crucial to start with the Salesforce Admin certification if you’re completely new to the platform.
And, while you don’t need all of the certifications listed below, it’s a good idea to get at least one under your belt as a starting point.
How to get started as a Salesforce Consultant?
There’s plenty of free resources on the Salesforce Trailhead website to get you started. As a Salesforce Accredited Training Provider, we know that upskilling on your own can be a daunting task. That’s why Salesforce have given us special powers to impart expert knowledge onto anyone who wishes to become a Salesforce Consultant. Check out our accredited Salesforce Consultant training program.
