DEV Community: Moneer

Let's Grow DEV's Cloud & DevOps Content! ☁️

Moneer — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 15:31:48 +0000

Why?

I love reading the awesome content here on topics like general web dev, JavaScript, React, CSS, etc. But I am also passionate about what powers the web, like cloud infrastructure, DevOps, architecture, automation, networking, databases, and many others.

After the apparent demise of Medium, there does not seem to be a central hub for such content.

So today I would like to announce an initiative: let's make DEV the best place on the internet for not only web dev content, but cloud and DevOps content as well.

Current Status

Here is a quick overview of some popular tags and corresponding number of posts:

webdev: 19797 Posts Published
javascript: 27897 Posts Published
react: 10194 Posts Published

On the other hand, check out these:

devops: 4342 Posts Published
cloud: 822 Posts Published
aws: 2729 Posts Published

The content in the second group of tags is tiny when compared to the first group.

How to Do This

First, let's acknowledge the existing contributors in that space here. I am looking at you @andrewbrown , @david_j_eddy , @helenanders26 , @tlakomy , @david_ojeda , @flippedcoding , @softchris , @adnanrahic , and so many others (sorry if I missed mentioning you). You guys have been creating amazing content that has been so helpful and inspiring for others, including me.

Second, we need to find and reach out to creators and bloggers in that space and invite them to join us here. Many have their own blogs and websites but they can share their content here. In return, they will get higher readership and will be able to make a much bigger positive impact by sharing their knowledge. It is a win-win!

Call to Action

So help me out here. Can you comment below on who you think would make a good contributor, and maybe we can reach out to them and invite them to join us?

Let's invite those awesome bloggers and thought-leaders in that space (as well as beginners and learners of course) and encourage them to be active on DEV, and hopefully they'll bring their readers/followers as well.

Together we can grow the community. Who's on board?

Forget Web Development, Become a Cloud Developer Instead! ☁️

Moneer — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 01:43:19 +0000

The "Learn How to Code" Hype Train

If your goal is to become a developer, then you have no shortage of resources.

The first coding bootcamp appeared around 2011, and over the next few years, they exploded in popularity. There are now countless in-person (Covid19 screwed that up a bit) and online bootcamps. Additionally, there are tons of platforms and online courses, some completely free (like freeCodeCamp).

All these programs are great, but for the most part, they focus on one thing: web development.

The common path goes something like this:

Learn some frontend web development (HTML/CSS/JavaScript)
Learn some backend development
Practice and build a portfolio
Apply for jobs

This obviously is a little oversimplified, but it is a very popular path that new developers follow, and a decent path to be honest.

So why am I writing about this?

If this is something that you are considering, I would like to talk you out of it, and present you with an alternative!

Why No Love for Web Dev?

Back in 2017, I was catching the "development bug" and I wanted to be one of the cool kids.

After finding an online program that was a good fit, I proceeded to spend the next few couple of months learning web development. I loved it, but I bumped into the following two problems:

Problem 1: The Web Development Market is Getting Saturated

The explosion of bootcamps and the wide availability of online resources has been a blessing for those who want to get into the industry.

It has never been easier to learn if you are willing to put in the effort (and often, a decent chunk of money).

Coding Bootcamp Market Growth According to Course Report (source: https://www.coursereport.com/coding-bootcamp-ultimate-guide)

What that means for new developers though is that the competition is fierce! When there are multiple applicants for the same web dev position, having the skills alone might not be enough. Applicants need to have a strong portfolio as well as experience and additional skills to stand out. Many have to start out with an internship.

Problem 2: Companies Are Hiring (and Keeping) Fewer Junior Web Developers

Web developers will always be needed, but when companies tighten up their belts, UX/UI and web dev teams are often the first to be affected.

It is not that those skills are not valuable, but they are often viewed as less critical to the continued operation of most tech companies.

Additionally, it seems that every day new technologies and frameworks are coming out that minimize the need for large web development teams. Large organizations will always need web devs, but many are getting by with smaller teams, or even outsourcing their work to freelancers.

The bottom line: web development is still a great career, but it is getting more and more competitive and difficult to break in to, especially for junior devs without a lot of experience.

Enter Cloud Development

Let's talk about what is arguably one of the hottest and most in-demand skill in the tech industry right now.

True, but a select few actually do!

What is Cloud Development

Simply put: it is the usage of modern development technologies to architect, build and support complex cloud infrastructure.

A cloud developer is essentially a developer that knows how to build and automate actual infrastructure. To be successful, a cloud developer needs to have one foot in the development world, and another in the infrastructure and operations world.

The availability of public cloud computing is fairly recent (about 10 years or so). Understandably, one might come across many job descriptions that intersect or even fall under cloud development. For example: DevOps Engineer, Cloud Architect, Cloud Administrator, SRE, etc. All of these titles share some (or most) of the same core technical skills. Do not let the job titles confuse you.

Why Cloud Development

1. Insatiable Demand

As practically every company moved to the cloud (or currently in the process of moving), demand for cloud experts soared and has not slowed down.

To add to that: many cloud providers like AWS responded by providing more services. If you access the AWS console for the first time, you are bound to be overwhelmed! There are dozens and dozens of services, and new ones keep getting released. Most organizations need experts (or teams of experts) to help them navigate this complexity.

2. Very Limited Supply

It turns out that very few people out there have the skills described earlier.

This is a bit of a generalization, but traditionally, tech professionals come from one of these two backgrounds:

Software development background: which includes most computer science majors and self-taught developers
Operations background: which includes system administrators, network engineers, support engineers, general IT practitioners, etc.

Very few happen to have skills that span both of the backgrounds described above, and that's where the sweet spot is!

As someone who has been on the hiring side, I experienced this firsthand. I recently helped interview candidates to backfill a position on my team. We interviewed many candidates: some had strong infrastructure and system administration skills but could not write a simple "for loop", while others were strong developers but barely knew what an IP address was!

3. High Demand + Low Supply = 💰

Economics 101 tells us that when the demand is high and the supply is low, price goes up.

This theory indeed holds up: if you look at any industry report, cloud jobs are consistently some of the highest paying.

4. Not a Dull Moment in the Cloud

Building fancy interfaces and colorful buttons is a lot of fun, but cloud development is just a whole other level (ok that was a mean joke - I know there's much more to web development).

As a cloud developer, you are often building and automating pretty impressive infrastructure. You architect massive systems that can scale to accommodate thousands or millions of users/requests. You get to touch so many aspects of technology: one day you might be automating CI/CD pipelines, and the next day you might be implementing the latest in serverless architecture.

You write code (sometimes a lot of code), but that is not the only thing you do. The variety of the skills that you develop keeps you engaged.

As an example, in my current job, I write a lot of code, but I also do a fair amount of design and architecture, communication with other teams and stakeholders, technical documentation, security, even support and troubleshooting.

How to Get Started

The skills that you need to develop as a cloud developer might seem overwhelming, but it does not have to be that way!

At a high level, you need the following skills:

Cloud: there are a few major cloud providers (like AWS, Azure, GCP), so picking one and gaining expertise in their offering is a great idea
Code: you need to become a competent developer, so picking an object-oriented language that is also cloud compatible is highly recommended
Tooling: this could be optional, but there are countless tools and frameworks, some more important than others, so learning a couple (based on your interest) might be very beneficial

Depending on your background, you might be able to transfer many of your existing skills over. For example, I came from a traditional IT operations background so I was able to translate that to the cloud (by picking up some cloud certifications) but I needed to work hard to develop my code skills (of which I had none) and I also had to learn a couple of cloud tools.

Yoda is right, but it is not as bad as he thinks

Your path might be different than mine, but it is very likely that you will need to supplement your existing knowledge, or even build it up from scratch if you are new to tech. No matter where you're starting from, you can easily break into this exciting field.

If you would like a step-by-step program, I have put together a short free ebook that will help you through the process:

https://www.moneerrifai.com/ebook/

Final Thoughts and Call to Action

I hope that I did not offend anyone by disparaging web development! Please take my tongue-in-cheek comments with a grain of salt.

Truth is: web development is still a lucrative and exciting career, but I do think that it is becoming a little harder to get into.

If your passion is in web development, then you should definitely pursue it. For me, I decided that I was more interested in moving packets than moving pixels. And despite my persistence, I struggled endlessly with CSS! And believe me, I tried...

But if you are curious about the cloud and looking for a career that is guaranteed to challenge you and keep you on your toes, then give cloud development a chance.

If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you!

Where Do Cloud/DevOps Folks Like to Hang Out?

Moneer — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 14:46:22 +0000

Although I enjoy web dev, I am primarily a cloud/devops guy. I have been hanging out here for a few weeks but I don't see a ton of activity around cloud and devops topics.

Wondering where do these folks like to hang out? Anyone interested in trying to grow that community on here with me?

Can You Jumpstart Your Cloud Career With AWS Certifications?

Moneer — Tue, 19 May 2020 02:35:38 +0000

Cloud expertise is currently one of the most sought-after tech skills out there, and cloud jobs are some of the highest paying in the industry. But how does one break into this exciting field?

A couple of years ago, I found myself stuck in a dead-end job and was itching to break into a career in the cloud, but I did not know how to.

After discovering AWS, I came up with a plan: I was going to get all three associate-level certifications, which would make me a cloud developer in extreme demand, right?

I just need to cram for a couple of tests. Easy peasy!

So how did that plan pan out?

(See my original blog post from 2017 about my certification journey here)

Certifications Are Controversial

Certifications are a bit of a touchy subject in tech: some people swear by them, others think they are overrated.

I kinda agree with both of those sentiments!

Let me explain.

If you think that a certification alone will make you an expert in a given topic, then you are in for a surprise. You will not gain expertise by passing a test. This attitude is what gives certification a bad rap. A growing number of so-called "certified experts" that seem to lack an understanding of the very topics they are certified in does not help.

With that being said, certifications have some benefits, two of which are:

They provide an easy-to-follow path for studying and self-learning: for complex topics like AWS services, one can be easily overwhelmed, but having a defined and structured list of topics to cover makes it much easier to learn
While most technical hiring managers tend to be indifferent towards certifications, many recruiters and HR people like them, so having a certification could potentially improve your chances of being noticed and might help get your foot in the door

Brief Overview of the AWS Certification Path

As of 2020, AWS has multiple tracks for certification, as seen in the image below.

AWS Certification Path as of 2020 - https://aws.amazon.com/certification"

Foundational: for those completely new to the cloud and seeking to get a general understanding. Avoid this track if you are more technically-minded
Associate: this is where most people will start (and where I started). The Solutions Architect is a good one to start with
Professional: recommended only after 2+ years experience, and I really encourage you to follow this recommendation
Specialty: deep dives into specific topics that require lots of experience and knowledge (security, networking, etc.)

For most technically-inclined people, I recommend starting with the associate-level certifications.

How I Broke Into the Cloud Career

As I mentioned before, a couple of years ago I decided that pursuing the three associate certifications from AWS would be all I need to break into a career in the cloud.

After months of studying, I did manage to pass all three certifications and I started applying to jobs.

Initial Failure

I was getting called back, but my interviews were not going that great.

While the knowledge I gained from all those certifications was helpful, it was not the only thing employers were looking for. In my pursuit of passing my AWS tests, I neglected other skills that were equally critical.

One of the most critical skills I ignored at the time: knowing how to write quality code. It turns out that if you want to be a cloud professional, writing code is one of the most important skills that employers are looking for.

How I screwed up: I leaned too heavily on my certifications.

Turning Things Around

After many failed interviews and after realizing what my areas of weaknesses were, I went to work on filling the gaps.

For me, my Achilles' heel was the coding challenges: I was doing great on most technical and behavioral aspects of my interviews, but I was bombing the code challenges.

Only when I focused on my weaknesses and accepted that my AWS knowledge alone will not suffice, things started to turn for me. After devoting a considerable amount of time studying object-oriented programming and doing a lot of practice, I started interviewing more confidently and doing well on coding-related questions and challenges, which very quickly landed me what has been the most fulfilling and enjoyable career I've had so far.

My cloud knowledge gained through studying for those certifications, in tandem with my coding skills, ended up being the winning ticket.

Should You Pursue Certifications?

Definitely!

If you are new to the cloud, or interested in jumpstarting your career, pursuing an AWS certification will be a great place to start.

Just remember though: depending on your background, those certifications alone might not be enough.

Suggested Path

I highly recommend you start with the AWS Solutions Architect - Associate certification, and then possibly pursue the two other certifications afterward (Developer and SysOps Administrator). Unless you have a couple of years of experience in the cloud, do not pursue the professional-level certifications.

But do not stop with the certification: understand that more than likely, you will need to supplement with additional skills and experience.

Final Thoughts

You Can Absolutely Do This

If you have been thinking about transitioning into the cloud but have been looking for a sign, this is your sign!

Demand for cloud professionals is only increasing. A global pandemic has caused more companies and workloads to move to the cloud, and increased the demand even further.

Call to Action

I highly recommend that you explore the certification path that AWS offers and consider pursuing one (or more).

If you are overwhelmed by all the options and "additional skills" that you need to develop, I have put together a free ebook that will guide you through the whole process as well as provide you the best online resources for self-learning. I even give you a structured program the you can follow.

You can get my ebook for free here: https://www.moneerrifai.com/ebook/

I would love to hear your experience, feedback and questions on this topic. Do you have a certification or are you considering pursuing one?