🛣️ Roadmap to Becoming a Cloud Engineer in 2024 🌥️

Hello, Dev.to community! 👋

🛣️ My Roadmap

Here’s the roadmap I’ve laid out for myself to stay focused and make steady progress:

🌟 Step 1: Building the Basics

1.Networking Basics:

• Learn about IP Addressing (IPv4 & IPv6)

• Understand Subnetting, CIDR Notation, and Public vs. Private IPs

• Explore Routers, Switches, Firewalls, and Load Balancers

• Study protocols like TCP/IP, HTTP/HTTPS, and DNS

• Dive into VPNs for secure remote access

2. Operating Systems (Linux):

• Master Linux commands and terminal usage

• Learn about file systems, permissions, and user management

• Understand networking commands in Linux (ping, traceroute)

• Get comfortable with bash scripting for automation

3. Virtualization:

• Understand Virtual Machines (VMs) and how they work

• Learn about Hypervisors (Type 1 & Type 2)

• Explore Virtualization in cloud environments (Azure Virtual Machines)

• Get familiar with containers like Docker

4. Database Management:

• Learn the basics of SQL and NoSQL databases

• Understand database scaling in the cloud

• Study cloud database services like Azure SQL Database, Cosmos DB, etc.

💡 Step 2: Dive into Cloud

Once you have the fundamentals down, it’s time to dive into the cloud:

1. Choose a Cloud Provider: Microsoft Azure / AWS

• I’ve decided to start with Microsoft Azure for my cloud journey.

• Focus on Azure Fundamentals and Cloud Concepts.

• Explore AWS later for a more versatile skill set.

2. Key Concepts to Learn in Cloud:

• Compute Services: Learn about Virtual Machines, App Services, and Containers.

• Storage Services: Understand Blob Storage, File Storage, and Databases.

• Networking in Cloud: Explore VNets, Load Balancers, DNS Services, and VPN Gateways.

• Security & Identity: Learn about Identity and Access Management (IAM), Encryption, and Security Groups.

• Serverless Computing: Explore services like Azure Functions.

3. Hands-On Practice:

• Set up your own cloud lab environment using free tiers.

• Work on deploying and securing a simple web application.

• Build small projects, like a portfolio site or API hosted on the cloud.

🎯 Step 3: Advance Your Skills & Work on Real Projects

1. Programming for Cloud:

• Focus on JavaScript, Python, or TypeScript (widely used for cloud automation).

• Learn Shell scripting for automating tasks in Linux.

• Understand Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform.

2. Deploying Real-World Projects:

• Deploy a full-stack application using Azure App Service.

• Integrate Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines using Jenkins.

• Set up monitoring and logging for your cloud applications.

3. Prepare for Certification:

• Start with AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals to understand cloud concepts.

• Progress to AZ-104 for Azure Administrator skills.

• Certifications help validate your knowledge and boost your resume.

🚀 Step 4: Explore DevOps (For the Future)

• Learn about CI/CD tools like Jenkins and GitHub Actions.

• Study Docker for containerization and Kubernetes for orchestration.

• Understand Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform or Azure Bicep.

• Focus on automating cloud infrastructure and deployment pipelines.

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📝 Detailed Posts on Each Step 📚

As I progress through my roadmap, I will be posting detailed articles on each step to help others who are also on this journey. Here’s what to expect:

• Networking for Cloud 🌐: A deep dive into networking essentials for the cloud, including topics like IP addressing, VPNs, and cloud-specific networking concepts. (This will include my Networking Index 📑)

• Linux for Cloud Engineers 🐧: Mastering Linux commands, file systems, and scripting for managing cloud servers.

• Virtualization in the Cloud 💻: Understanding virtual machines, containers, and how they power cloud services.

• Cloud Databases 🗄️: A guide to choosing, managing, and scaling databases in a cloud environment.

• Programming for Cloud 💻: Why coding is important for cloud engineers and how I am improving my skills.

• Microsoft Azure Deep Dive ☁️: Exploring key services and practical projects on Azure.

• Certification Journey 🎓: Sharing study tips, resources, and experiences from preparing for cloud certifications.

Make sure to follow me for regular updates on my progress and these posts!

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🔗 Sharing My Journey

I’ll be documenting my progress, challenges, and achievements here on Dev.to every week, as well as on LinkedIn and GitHub:

GitHub: https://github.com/Mahimtule
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mueez-mahimtule/
Dev.to: Follow me for regular updates on this journey!

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💬 Let's Connect!

I’m excited to embark on this journey and would love to hear from others who are on a similar path. If you have any tips, resources, or just want to chat about cloud computing and DevOps, drop a comment below or connect with me directly.

Thank you for reading, and I hope my journey inspires others who are just getting started. 🚀