How Can I Transition into Cloud Engineering at 35?

I transitioned to this field at 35 and had no regrets! I started at a cloud consulting firm, spending six months earning Azure certifications. These helped show my potential to employers, even if certifications aren’t always practical in real life.
After that, I got a traineeship and six months later, I was managing my own customers. It's all about how much you’re willing to self-study and whether you genuinely enjoy the work. Don't be too concerned about AI taking over just yet; many companies still prefer human oversight for building infrastructure. Good luck on your journey!

I made a similar switch at 38 after working in a warehouse, and I tripled my salary in just six months! I wish I could share more now, but I'll come back later to detail what I did.

1. Consider roles like cloud support or DevOps engineer.
2. Key skills to learn include Python, Terraform, Bash, Linux, and networking fundamentals. Focus deeply on at least 6-8 cloud services you like!
3. Don't get caught up in job titles yet; instead, prioritize learning how to efficiently move applications securely.
4. Job expectations often exceed what is posted in ads, so be proactive in your learning.

Baby steps here! Start with small projects connected to personal interests and evolve from there. Self-study and follow a structured plan can significantly speed up your learning process.

Moving into cloud engineering usually takes more than a year since it's often seen as a mid-level role. I started from help desk support, which is quite common as a first step. Cloud support jobs are less frequent and more about providing technical support for cloud services. Generally, the path goes from help desk to Linux sysadmin or cloud administrator, before finally landing roles in cloud engineering. Also, be prepared for a 24/7 on-call schedule since issues can arise at any time! It's mainly systems engineering work, just in a cloud environment.