Cloud computing was the number one most in-demand hard skill of 2019, according to LinkedIn, followed by artificial intelligence.

And it is not surprising. The “cloud” has become increasingly important in recent years – for individuals and companies alike. People are storing music on the cloud, hosting websites on the cloud, and running entire corporate operational infrastructures in the cloud. Everything from eCommerce platforms to supply chain management is now in the cloud, and the demand for experts to implement and maintain these systems is high. The number of candidates in the field is also increasing given the attractiveness of benefits packages. Which is good for tech recruitment professionals like us, but sometimes difficult for younger developers who aren’t entirely sure what they need to succeed.

Most cloud developer positions have a vast and diverse range of responsibilities, such as designing, building, creating, analyzing, and maintaining cloud systems. With such a broad scope of required skills, it sometimes can be difficult for candidates to know how to tick the right boxes. And for many, it isn’t even clear what the right boxes are. Here we offer our thoughts on the key areas of expertise a cloud developer will need to maximise the chance of getting a truly exciting job offer.

1. Technical Skills

Any type of cloud developing professional is going to need core technical skills. All cloud positions require some level of software engineering proficiency and the technical ability to develop cloud-ready applications. Moreover, you are likely going to need to be certified in one of the major cloud platforms, if not several. The skills we most often see as ‘required’ include the following:

• Database skills: Database languages such as SQL, MySQL, or MongoDB are usually required.

• Programming skills: Ability to successfully code and create cloud computing applications is essential for a cloud developer – particularly using programming languages such as Python, Ruby, and Pearl (but particularly Python).

• Linux: Cloud professionals skilled at Linux are in particularly high demand at the moment.

• Cloud Platforms & Certifications: You will need to be familiar with the main cloud platforms (Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, IBM Cloud, Salesforce) – and ideally have some certifications.

• Information security: Cloud platforms come with their own share of security risks and threat. Cloud Security certification is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after certifications in the field.

2. Organization & Planning Skills

The ability to plan ahead is critical for cloud developers. You must be able to plan out your requirements and utilize the cloud technologies that specifically help achieve your company’s overarching business objectives. Without appropriate planning, you could find that you do not have the resources needed.

In addition, learning how to deal with disasters in case of outages from operational failures is key to cloud developer roles. This means planning ahead and designing a stable Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery strategy (BCDR).

3. Cloud Storage Solutions Knowledge

The third area a first class cloud developer should have expertise in is cloud storage solutions. In 2016 alone, cloud storage services global revenue hit $4.04 billion, which means if you want to succeed in a cloud developer role you must understand the various types of storage solutions out there—and there are a lot.

Even within Amazon Web Services, there are many different cloud storage solutions available, not all of which will be suitable for an organisation and its specific needs. The most common AWS storage services are Elastic Block Store (EBS), Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), and Elastic Files System (EFS).

There are endless opportunities for cloud developers and IT professionals seeking employment in the cloud-computing industry—particularly those with the skills listed here. It is an incredibly exciting field, and one with a huge amount of momentum. If you want to learn more or are interested in our current cloud developer roles, email me at alex.thompson@oliverparks.com today.

About Oliver Parks

Oliver Parks Consulting offers search-based recruitment solutions to the technology sector, specialising in the ERP, CRM, CMS, ECM, BI and Open Source Technology spaces. The firm’s multilingual consultants operate in narrowly-defined niche market segments, enabling them to gain extensive knowledge of the people and companies operating in each technology. Oliver Parks has a proven track-record with more than 100,000 candidates worldwide and more than 300 clients globally.