This new set of classes will help experienced IT professionals move into cloud engineering roles in as little as six months working remotely. You may not be able to get out of your house, but that’s less of a problem for your future job prospects in these days of the pandemic and afterward. As Kate Lister, president of Global Workplace Analytics has said, “Our best estimate is that 25% to 30% of the workforce will be working-from-home multiple days a week by the end of 2021.” Since pretty much all companies need cloud experts, odds are you can find a good job even if you are still working from home in 2021. By the way, based on my conversations with many technology executives, I have every expectation that, for those of us who can, we’ll still be working from home next year. This new Advanced Cloud Engineer Bootcamp bundles self-paced e-learning courses with certification and dedicated instructor support for a comprehensive educational program. It covers advanced cloud, containers, service mesh, monitoring, and logging, logging concepts. Before taking the class, you need to be familiar with basic cloud concepts. In particular, experience with the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) will be helpful. You’ll also need to know your way around Linux and its Bash shell. In cloud computing, Linux expertise is a minimum requirement. In addition, you’ll need to know your way around Docker containers and Kubernetes. You’ll also require access to a Linux desktop and a Kubernetes cluster. While The Linux Foundation doesn’t spell it out, you should have a couple of years of cloud and/or Linux system administrator under your belt before attempting this Bootcamp.  The Bootcamp’s online courses and certification exam are:

Containers Fundamentals (LFS253)Kubernetes Fundamentals (LFS258)Service Mesh Fundamentals (LFS243)Monitoring Systems and Services with Prometheus (LFS241)Cloud-Native Logging with Fluentd (LFS242)Managing Kubernetes Applications with Helm (LFS244) “"=”" link-shortcode-text=“Certified Kubernetes Administrator Exam (CKA)">

Besides the classes, students will have access to an online forum to work with other students and instructors. The courses also include virtual office hours with course instructors five days per week. Once enrolled, you’ll have unlimited access to the program for 12 months. If you spend about 10 hours per week in the class, you should finish the Bootcamp in six months. Once you’ve successfully completed the Bootcamp, you’ll get CKA and Bootcamp badges. Those certifications are valuable. IT training firm Global Knowledge found in 2019 that cloud certifications are where the money is today. Four of the top 10 certifications were cloud-related. At the top of its list was the GCP Cloud Architect, with an average salary of $152,129. The Linux Foundation wants to help you get there. “Upon launching our Cloud Engineer Bootcamp last month, we received extensive feedback that more seasoned professionals would like a similarly defined pathway to becoming a cloud engineer,” explained Clyde Seepersad, The Linux Foundation’s SVP and general manager of training and certification.  Seepersad continued: “The Advanced Cloud Engineer Bootcamp is able to skip over many of the beginner concepts and go directly into advanced topics that require experience administering IT systems. This program will enable many professionals to gain new, highly in-demand skills that will help them advance their careers. We also anticipate many companies taking advantage of this program to fill skills gaps within their organizations as they increase their use of cloud-native tools.” Is it worth the money? I think so. Cloud-native technologies are powering the next generation of the cloud, and they’re not easy to pick up. With the Foundation’s and Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) expert crafted classes, this Bootcamp should enhance your career and help you get that six-figure job you’ve been lusting after. Good luck.

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