I'm a 24-year-old female working as a Cloud Consultant, and honestly, I'm feeling quite bored in my role. The pay is low, which I expected since I'm just starting out, but my daily tasks are quite limited. Most of my day consists of surface-level monitoring and generating reports for clients, which only takes about three hours. I spend the rest of my time studying on my own. I've tried initiating projects, but my company tends to favor other consultants, leaving me with fewer opportunities to grow. This morning, I noticed another cloud position posted at my company, and it's frustrating to see them so disconnected from the reality of our workload. I'm looking for advice on what I can do to make better use of my time and skills while I'm in this position. Also, I'm unsure how to properly fill out my timesheets. Right now, it just says "Course blah blah blah," but I'd like to show concrete evidence of my learning. Any suggestions?
11 Answers
Keep up with your studies and aim for certifications! And don’t forget to take breaks—step outside for a walk or grab some coffee during the downtimes to recharge your energy.
You should definitely chat with your manager about wanting more challenging work. If they can’t provide that, it might be time to look for a new job that aligns better with your goals.
Absolutely! Don't hesitate to advocate for yourself. It's your career after all!
Look for applied skills courses on Microsoft Learn. You can implement these skills in your current environment and showcase your growth. Proposing to implement new skills after learning can demonstrate your initiative!
Make sure to utilize the Microsoft Learn courses. Start with Admin and Architect courses to build a solid foundation. Also, keep an eye on your company’s ticket system; there might be tasks available if you act quickly!
Take the initiative! Find opportunities to pair up with someone more experienced on their projects—even observing can be a valuable learning experience. Don't just wait for work to come to you!
Explore your interests in Azure. Whether it's admin, architecture, or security, figure out who does that at your company, ask questions, and get hands-on with proof of concepts. You don’t need to focus solely on certifications unless that’s your goal; it’s more about gaining practical experience!
While waiting for more projects, you could build personal projects and explore Azure's resources for learning. Document your journey on platforms like LinkedIn, or create side projects to showcase your skills! It’ll keep you engaged and add to your portfolio.
If your company doesn’t have enough work, it might be worth considering other consultancies. If work is scarce now, it likely won’t improve anytime soon.
I recommend focusing on certifications that can boost your employability. Getting certified as an Azure Architect or studying security and identity management could really help you stand out. Plus, it should be in your KPIs as a consultant to get certified, so it’s all beneficial!
If you can, try automating some tasks at work. Get comfortable with ARM templates, Bicep, or Terraform, and offer to help with deployment automation for tasks that your company currently does manually. It could be a great project to showcase your skills!
Consider painting your walls or picking up a hobby while you’re waiting for projects to come your way! In the meantime, keep your resume updated just in case something pops up.
Yeah, having that conversation can really pay off. If they see you're eager to learn, they might pull you into more interesting projects.