This post has been republished via RSS; it originally appeared at: New blog articles in Microsoft Tech Community.
I've had the pleasure to be a mentor for the Microsoft Software and Systems Academy (MSSA) for years. As a mentor I always try to find out what area of technology the mentee is most excited about. Once that focus area is identified we'll continue to investigate it while building upon their required learning track. There's always a "Stretch" goal if you want and believe in continuing your education and honing your craft.
I have come to realize that over the past two years or so, we have entered a period in tech that will undoubtedly shape the industry and roles for the next 20 years. The Cloud (Azure, Google, AWS, etc.) has created this watershed moment and it's amazing to witness the opportunity that it represents for any person that wants to move into tech or to change their career path within the industry. You can literally start over and be ahead of the game in the next 6-18 months as customers start and continue their transitions to cloud.
For Example, a Database Administrator (DBA) will be a role with little demand in the Cloud except in the most expensive and immature cloud adopters that went and stayed lift-and-shift on an IaaS architecture; rather, A Data Engineer will become the predominant role in this area focused on what improves our processes, technology, and hygiene around data transport, analysis, curation, and quality. There are also huge opportunities for those that want to try something new, such as a DevOps Engineer, Azure Data Science Associate, and many others.
Microsoft realized some time ago that there was a need to educate the new cloud technologists and, internally, we had a program called the Technical Skills Initiative (TSI) which has now evolved into a similar program called Enterprise Skills Initiative (ESI) that is focused solely on gearing up, training, and certifying customers. What's really cool is that Microsoft has also provided the world access to the material to help them get started with individual Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and Content Owners dedicated to ensuring the content is current, relevant, and effective. Check it out on our Learning portal and navigate the roles to see what might peak your interest. Also, be sure to check out events at your local Microsoft Technology Center (MTC) and the Azure Events found online.
Watershed moments are typically identified after the event has happened but I think we're just getting started in this major shift with the customer adoption of Cloud and it's a good time to either get into technology or to find a role that you might have always had an interest in, just no chance to re-tool your skills. The last time something even close to this was prior to the DotCom bust. It was much smaller then and barriers to entry were much tougher, yet, what are you waiting for?! Change = Opportunity!
More to come...