How Much Does a Cloud Architect Make?
A cloud architect designs and deploys cloud solutions for some businesses. They tend to work for companies which are starting from the beginning with cloud solutions, either using existing public or private services or building their own. Cloud computing is part of the wave of the future, with more and more companies using cloud solutions not just for backups but for primary computing and collaboration across departments or with freelancers and consultants.
What Education and Skills do you Need to Become a Cloud Architect?
Cloud architects need a solid knowledge of existing cloud solutions and experience with enterprise architecture or service-oriented architecture. As a lot of the need for cloud architecture is fairly short term, a lot work for consulting firms - which can involve a lot of travel and working for different people over time, as well as potentially working extended hours during the difficult parts of a project.
Cloud architects need to be able to handle working for and with many different personalities and coordinating different people as well as the technical side. They have to be able to keep tabs on new developments in the field, as the technology is changing and improving all the time.
A Bachelor's degree is also important. Some schools offer specialized Cloud Computing degrees, but these are rare, and a more general computer science degree can be substituted. In general, a degree is needed to even be considered for these positions, as well as the required experience.
What Kind of Work do you do as a Cloud Architect?
A cloud architect takes control of a project from the start to finish and decides which systems and providers to use. They need a lot of technical skills and certificates, but also soft skills in areas such as communication, leadership, and planning. In general, these are positions to aspire to, requiring 8 to 10 years of experience in a variety of positions including technical expert and first or second level management.
Whether working full time for a company or as a consultant, the cloud architect holds ultimate responsibility for ensuring that a company gets the solutions they need, which can be very specific. Larger companies are more likely to hire a full time cloud architect; smaller ones generally resort to consultants. Cloud architects may also be employed by cloud vendors seeking to offer complete solutions to their clients.
What kind of Certifications are Useful to a Cloud Architect?
Specific cloud certifications can help you get into these lucrative positions. Microsoft, Google, IBM and VMware all offer their own specific cloud certifications. More general ones are Certified Cloud Professional (CCP) and AWS Certification. However, these need to be combined with appropriate professional experience.
Aspiring cloud architects should consider seeking positions in systems or network administration or network design initially, but it is important to get a wide range of experience in different positions, including ones that involve dealing with people and developing leadership and management skills. Cloud architect positions do offer a lot of variety and responsibility, with no two solutions being the same and company's needs often changing over time.
So what's the Salary of a Cloud Architect?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have specific data for cloud architects as this is a new and growing field, but gives a median pay for computer network architects, which includes cloud infrastructure, of $100,240 per year. Not only that, the BLS expects the field to grow at an average rate of 9% through 2024, faster than average.
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