Why should developers learn cloud skills for the future?
Cloud technology is the backbone of the modern digital age. It represents a paradigm shift that has transformed how data is stored, processed, and accessed — all in less than a decade.
It’s no surprise that with the rise of the cloud came the rise in demand for individuals with cloud skills. Today, I want to touch on just how important these skills are for devs.
Our CloudLabs are a great way to gain hands-on experience interacting with AWS cloud services. There are over 110+ CloudLabs to choose from, varying in difficulty and focus.
Try guided labs covering all major topics including Compute, Database, Machine Learning, Storage, Analytics, Containers, Management and Governance, and others, all without any cleanup or complexities. It’s a great tool to use if you’re aiming to expand your cloud skillset in 2024.
At Educative, we believe that the best way to learn new skills is to practice them in an applied setting. Educative CloudLabs are crafted to ensure that you're not merely absorbing information about cloud services. Instead, you're actively involved in using and experimenting with them, gaining practical skills with real-world applications.
Now, let’s get into why cloud technology is so important to learn right now — and how a working knowledge of AWS cloud will help you level up your career.
The Rise of Cloud Technology#
The concept of the cloud has its roots in the 1960s, with the development of the first rudimentary computer networks. However, it was not until the late 1990s and early 2000s that the term "cloud computing" gained prominence.
The rise of virtualization technology and increased internet accessibility paved the way for the inception of cloud services. In 2006, Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), a pivotal moment that turned cloud computing into a practical reality, offering scalable online computing power.
AWS quickly expanded its services and became a comprehensive cloud solution. Today, with over 200 services, AWS serves millions of customers worldwide, playing a vital role in digital transformation and supporting businesses of all sizes.
Nowadays, cloud technology underpins much of the tech landscape. Most apps today are hosted on cloud infrastructure, so it’s critical for every developer to have at least a working knowledge of cloud services.
Users can access cloud services from anywhere with an internet connection, making it a foundation for modern digital infrastructure. This technology opens a whole new door for businesses that can now use the cloud to streamline operations, enhance collaboration, and focus on innovation rather than managing complex IT infrastructure.
Cloud in Action (Real-world Use Cases)#
Today, the cloud is the organizational foundation of every large-scale online business. And as internet users and online consumers, we all interact with the cloud in some way every day. Here are a few ways that the cloud enables unprecedented levels of scalability and accessibility for today’s leading enterprises.
Streaming Services & Entertainment#
For all movie lovers, Netflix and Hulu would not be what they are today without the cloud.
These apps primarily rely on AWS to host its vast library of streaming content. This ensures the platforms can scale seamlessly, handle high traffic loads, and deliver a consistent streaming experience to users worldwide.
These entertainment platforms can dynamically adjust their resources based on viewer activity, ensuring smooth streaming experiences during peak usage times, such as evenings and weekends because of AWS’s worldwide network. The way the cloud platform is spread out helps keep delays low and performance high, making sure the entertainment streaming stays reliable.
Getting to Know AWS Lambda is a great CloudLab that gets you hands-on with the code and web console interface used in AWS services, akin to that utilized by Netflix and Hulu.
File Management, Collaboration, and Storage#
If you’ve ever used Dropbox to share or store your photos, you’ve benefited from a cloud service. Dropbox also relies on AWS for file storage and collaboration features — you can learn more about how Dropbox manages their databases with Educative’s CloudLab Working with Relational Databases: A Beginner's Guide to AWS RDS.
With the cloud, Dropbox users can access their files from various devices, regardless of their location. They also utilize cloud technology for security measures, ensuring confidentiality with data encryption and access controls.
Logistics, Big Data, and More#
Other thriving industries like Airbnb and Lyft all function in a similar manner, leveraging cloud technologies to address the demands of their users while providing accessible and collaborative services. Check out Configuring a Static Website with S3 and CloudFront to learn more about how these companies ensure high-speed content delivery using AWS services.
Even NASA relies on AWS for its data-intensive scientific missions, processing and analyzing vast amounts of space-related data. With these large-scale datasets, a service such as AWS Redshift is required to run analytics. Getting Started with Amazon Redshift will help dip your toes into this technology.
How Cloud is relevant to your career#
Familiarizing yourself with cloud technology not only equips you with practical skills, but also future-proofs your career trajectory given the transformative trends in the tech industry. Your ability to showcase cloud skills will bolster your portfolio and strengthen your candidacy for a range of software development roles.
Not only this, but cloud technology is applicable across various industries and job roles. Whether you're in software development, data analysis, or IT management, knowledge of cloud services can be applied in a wide range of tech career paths.
I’ll go through a few career specializations that may be relevant to you.
Software Development: Familiarizing yourself with cloud technology ensures future-proofing of career trajectory in the IT industry. For this specialization, check out a few of our popular CloudLabs such as Working with Instances: An Amazon EC2 Walkthrough.
DevOps Engineers: A working knowledge of building CI/CD Pipelines will lead to a more efficient software development process. AWS CodePipeline is the handy tool for this boost in high quality software. Check out Building a CI/CD Pipeline with AWS CodePipeline to add this tool to your toolbelt.
Infrastructure Management: In this role, AWS CloudFormation is essential for managing infrastructure deployment efficiently on the cloud. Our CloudLab, Getting to Know AWS CloudFormation is a good resource for this skill. Try it out to enhance expertise in this area.
Data Scientists: Understanding AWS S3 is crucial for data scientists as it forms a cornerstone for storing and retrieving massive datasets, including files, images, videos, and backups, in a highly durable and scalable manner through the internet. Get started with our CloudLab Automating Data Processing with AWS Glue DataBrew to see how you can integrate AWS Glue with this handy storage service tool.
ML/AI: Deploying a Machine Learning Model with Amazon SageMaker will be a helpful resource in these roles. Amazon SageMaker is critical for building, training, and deploying machine learning models.
Cybersecurity: AWS WAF (Web Application Firewall) is a crucial service for ensuring cybersecurity within the AWS environment. It allows users to control incoming web traffic to their applications by creating rules that filter out potentially harmful requests. Learn more about this technology with Protecting Web Applications Using AWS WAF.
Database Management: For professionals involved in database management, understanding DynamoDB is beneficial for architecting, developing, and maintaining highly available, scalable, and performant applications. Add this tool to your toolbelt by checking out Getting Started with DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX).
System Design: For those involved in system design and scalable web applications, Elastic Beanstalk simplifies the process of deploying, managing, and scaling applications, allowing them to focus more on application development and less on infrastructure management. Learn more about it with Deploying Web Applications Using Elastic Beanstalk.
Try Educative CloudLabs Today#
More and more companies are shifting to cloud services to reduce infrastructure costs. Understanding cloud technology allows you to contribute to cost-effective solutions, making you an attractive candidate for positions focused on building web-scale applications or optimizing business processes.
With Educative CloudLabs, you’ll get the hands-on experience necessary for learning these skills, as well as an impressive portfolio boost. If you've been thinking about exploring cloud technologies but haven't given it a try, I highly recommend taking a look at our extensive library of cloud projects.
Whether you're new to cloud computing or already have some familiarity with AWS, I'm sure you'll find CloudLabs that are relevant to you. I think you will build some valuable knowledge, acquire hands-on skills, and, above all, get a sense of achievement from the experience.
Happy Learning!
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