Majority of businesses are driven towards the cloud in recent times. The demand for cloud skills is highly observed in the present job market scenario. Many job roles in the cloud computing landscape have emerged in the recent year. Cloud developer roles are one of them and to get these roles candidates should have required cloud developer skills.
Cloud developers have notable job opportunities on different cloud computing platforms such as AWS, Azure and Google Cloud. The cloud developer role is one of the significant elements for building and deploying applications and systems on the cloud. However, times are changing gradually, and the cloud computing industry is witnessing a major shift in trends.
Top Cloud Developer Skills and Areas of Expertise
If you are choosing a career as a cloud developer, then it is essential to note these trends. The following discussion would deal with emerging cloud developer skills and areas of expertise. The highlights of this discussion can help aspiring cloud developer professionals to build a prolific career path.
1. Cloud Security under the Limelight
Majority of cloud developer jobs demand an additional emphasis on cloud security. Developers are required to design and build cloud applications with security concerns in mind. As a cloud developer, you need to focus on creating security infrastructure for your cloud projects and ensure compliance requirements.
The cloud developer role extends further towards cloud security in the event of major security incidents. The demand of clients for secure applications and cloud systems imposes the necessity for cloud developers to learn the use of different security tools provided by AWS, Azure and Google Cloud Platform.
Therefore, cloud developer skills in security are taken into consideration by many employers nowadays. Developers could undertake certifications such as the Certified Cloud Security Professional certification by (ISC)2. This certification can add up to the credentials in the resume of a competent cloud developer.
Also Read: Top 7 AWS Security Issues You Need to Know
2. Certifications are the Real Deal!
As we are talking about certifications, it is reasonable to state that they matter a lot! Yes, certifications from renowned cloud service providers such as AWS, Azure and Google Cloud Platform are crucial. Certification in different associate and professional level courses for cloud development can help in accessing many promising cloud developer jobs.
The training and preparation required to achieve professional certifications from AWS, Azure, and GCP can improve your skills. As a developer, you can participate in real-time use case scenarios. Furthermore, educational and practical insights from experts in cloud development can increase your skill development outcomes.
Most important of all, certifications can help developers gain fluency in the skills relevant to the particular cloud platform. This can help in improving their chances of landing up high-paying cloud developer jobs for specific cloud platforms. Beginners looking to kickstart their career in cloud computing can find basic level certifications as the best choice. They could build up the foundation for gaining cloud developer skills and advancing their career further with certifications.
3. Advanced Cloud Development Skills
Cloud developers have to take note of some mandatory cloud development skills to fetch a promising cloud developer career. So, cloud developers need to have some new development skills other than the standard skill requirements. The standard cloud development skills include .NET, Java, J2EE, Spring, PHP, Python, and Perl.
Cloud developers also need to expand their basic knowledge of Agile practices, object-oriented programming, UML and design patterns. Also, they need to achieve fluency in the use of Web services and APIs. Modern cloud developer roles, however, demand a little bit more and new cloud developer skills! Cloud developers have to be fluent in alternative languages such as Scala and Ruby on Rails.
Furthermore, they should also show expertise in IaaS and PaaS platforms as well as DevOps technologies. With the rise in popularity of big data, cloud developers also need expertise in Hadoop and related Hadoop technologies. Most important of all, developers need to improve skills in virtual infrastructure configuration and skills related to vertical applications.
Once you become an expert with advanced cloud development skills, you can move ahead to become an AWS Consultant. Check out these best AWS consultant jobs you can get with your expertise.
4. Business Communication and Leadership Skills
The rise of DevOps technologies in cloud development has improved the scope of cloud developer areas of expertise. Now, a cloud developer should not be restricted only to coding. They need to develop strong leadership, project management, and business communication skills. Nowadays, cloud developers work in collaboration with other IT staff and maintain relationships with vendors.
Therefore, cloud developers have to serve the role of a project manager and team leader. In these roles, a cloud developer has to ensure that they have promising business communication and personnel management skills. Developers have to take on negotiation roles in the internal and external scope of an organization. For example, negotiating with vendors and other service providers would require external business communication.
Furthermore, effective business communication skills help developers in managing long term products and provide direction to the projects. Most important of all, developers could use business communication skills to draw promising inputs from clients regarding the project requirements. This can ensure the facility of specialized technical support and consultation to clients alongside high service quality.
5. Cross-platform Development Skills
The next important area of expertise that is revising cloud developer roles is cloud marketability. Developers have to show their capabilities in cross-platform skills for obtaining opportunities in the present cloud market. Therefore, obtaining certifications from different cloud service providers can assure the development of cross-platform skills.
As a result, developers could apply their cloud development expertise across different cloud platforms and experiment a lot! This can help developers to diversify their skillset alongside improving their prospects for employment. Furthermore, cross-platform cloud development skills can also open new avenues for innovation and growth for developers.
Also Read: How to Become an AWS DevOps Engineer?
Conclusion
So, these were the five most important cloud developer skills and areas of expertise. These skills are crucial not only for professional developers but also for beginners. The essential cloud developer skills focused in this discussion started with cloud security. It is the most important concern for every cloud customer today. Cloud developers with cloud security expertise can lay their hands on some of the most promising developer jobs in the market.
The next area of expertise referred to the importance of certifications. Certifications validate the expertise and knowledge of a cloud developer in a tangible form. Then the discussion highlighted the necessity of advanced cloud development skills and business communication skills for cloud developers. Finally, the discussion focused on cross-platform skills as much-needed skills for cloud developers in present times.
