Unless you have been living in a cave (technology speaking), you should be aware of that amorphous thing known as the ‘cloud’. Even people who are not in the technology profession are aware of the term (although 29% think that it’s something related to the weather - Citrix survey). Still 97% use cloud services in one way or another and 59% believe that the workplace of the future will exist entirely in the cloud. While I don’t expect that to be the case (at least not within my lifetime…a phrase that gets easier to be correct in using with each passing year), there is no question that the cloud is no longer about future hype. It’s here, it’s real and it’s ready to grow.
So, what does that mean for you and your career. Well, if you believe the new study published by Microsoft and IDC, the answer is "lots”. According to the study, there are currently 1.7 million open cloud jobs worldwide. And companies are having a difficult time filling their needs. Not only that, the expectation is that 7 million cloud jobs will be created over the next three years.
So what are ‘cloud jobs’? Well, the contention made by the study is that the new jobs will involved architecture, design and traditional services. In other words, not just the normal heads-down, ‘tech’ job, but one that includes a mix of business acumen and IT competency. The jobs where knowing how to do stuff is not sufficient. Jobs where you need to defend and explain your choices to both technical and non-technical management. In other words, what I consider to be the ‘interesting’ IT jobs.
So how can you prepare for this ‘cloudy’ world? Get some knowledge. Unfortunately, taking one course or even a couple is just the start (ObjectSharp does offer a course on Azure). You need to learn about the broad swath of technologies that are including in the ‘cloud’. Check out the latest functionality in Windows Azure. Looked at it last month? Well, look again…it changes that quickly. Keep you ears tuned to Azure-related social media. In Canada, there is the @CdnAzure Twitter account as well as the Developer Connection blog. As well, you can follow my Twitter account (@LACanuck) or my blog. While I don’t blog about Azure too much (I’m actually in the middle of writing a book on Azure which will hopefully come out in a few months), I do tweet about it quite regularly.
In other words, the process of making yourself cloud capable is an on-going and active one. The information will not come to you unbidden. Reach out and grab it wherever you can find it. And don’t be afraid to ask. I (and many others in the community) are happy to help out whenever we can.