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In this episode I’m sharing by best career tips & strategy for 2021. What should you focus on? What do you need to think about to start building a successful career in the cloud? Those are some of the questions we answer in this episode, along with Q&A with a live audience.In this episode, we talk about…2021 industry predictions from Forester & GartnerHow to become multi-dimensional as an engineerSoft skills you need to be building, in addition to hard skillsHow to run experiments to gather dataHow to get more hands-on experienceQ&A with a live audience

Though there are many challenges when training across cloud platforms, there are many similarities that make the process easier. Mike’s guest today is Elkhan Yusubov, a principal cloud architect, an Azure subject-matter expert, and an Azure Technical Trainer. He’s here to talk about cross-training on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) for Azure pros. Elkhan’s goal is to help other people as cross-platform expertise can only benefit everyone!In this episode, we talk about…Elkhan’s hot take on what he has seen at GCPGetting multiple teams to work together within multi-cloud environmentsMain challenges with learning GCP for those experienced in AzureThe Associate Cloud Engineer Certification for GCPThings that have happened in Elkhan’s career since he started sharing his journeySkills that can be transferred from one cloud platform to anotherArchitective framework that covers the low-hanging fruitFocus on delivering value to clients rather than personal interestsDevelopments since COVID changed the worldBiggest motivations for Elkhan during his cloud journeyWhy failure is vital to success in your cloud journeyResources from this episode:Elkhan on LinkedInGCP Certification: Associate Cloud EngineerAzure for GCP ProfessionalsGoogle Cloud for Azure professionals

Learning new frameworks is always tough, but it’s incredibly important to build your foundation from the basics. Mike’s guest today is Brandon Olin, an MVP in Cloud and Datacenter Management, Site Reliability Engineer at Stack Overflow, and author of Building PowerShell Modules. Stack Overflow provides community-building and knowledge-management within its client companies through Azure technology. Brandon specializes in Infrastructure Development and is here to talk about different frameworks that he uses to do that!In this episode, we talk about…How COVID has affected Brandon’s life and workDiving into Brandon’s work at Stack OverflowBreaking down the responsibilities of an SREUsing different framework and tools build out Stack Overflow’s platformWhat readers can expect to learn from Building PowerShell ModulesHow GitHubAction helps in automating software workflowsThe build process for a PowerShell ModuleWhat PowerShell testing looks like with Pester and other frameworksTesting Terraform code for those who have never done it beforeTransitioning to PowerShell Core for beginners and experienced scriptersUpdates on PowerShell DSC and how Brandon uses itBest career advice that Brandon has ever gottenResources from this episode:Brandon on TwitterBrandon's BlogBrandon's Book: Building PowerShell ModulesRecommended Reading: The PowerShell Conference Book

Though its usage is not widely known, more and more people from both the development and infrastructure side are beginning to program in Go. Mike’s guest today is Michael Levan, back on the show to discuss his shift from writing production-level code to content creation, and back to writing production-level code. He is now working at Octopus Deploy as a Developer Advocate, focusing on all the different types of integrations that tie into Octopus. Michael is here to talk about the increase of programming in Go and just how much this programming language is being used already! In this episode, we talk about… Day-to-day breakdown of Michael’s job at Octopus Deploy Diving into Go as a widely-used programming language Michael’s book, Quality Code with Go Who is using Go and what they are using it for Go’s adoption on the infrastructure side with things like Terraform configurations How Go helped Michael when learning to write Terraform The best way to start with Go completely from scratch Michael’s advice for anyone looking to go down the path of DevRel Thoughts on public speaking for beginners Resources from this episode: Mike's Book: Quality Code with Go Mike's Website Mike on YouTube Mike on Twitter If you'd like to read the full text transcript for this episode head over to cloudskills.io/blog/episode-097 Don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career.

With constant cloud innovation, the need for effective cloud security becomes more pertinent every day. Mike’s guest today is Eric Kedrosky, Director of Cloud Security Research and CISO for Sonrai Security, a company that helps businesses fortify their public cloud spaces. Eric has spent his career gathering a wealth of experience that has allowed him to become an expert in cloud security. Listen in to hear about the kinds of people that Eric is currently looking to hire! In this episode, we talk about… Eric’s journey to becoming a Director of Cloud Security The uncomfortable feeling of moving to the cloud that everyone went through Things that Sonrai is working on right now to better serve its customers S3 bucket breaches are just the tip of the iceberg Common patterns amongst today’s security breaches Difficulties in covering the constantly-changing platforms Advice for those that are entering security as a practitioner Where certifications fall in cloud security Desirable characteristics when hiring a Security Engineer Educating others while understanding their perspective Breaking down Sonrai's metadata platform Advice for those learning cloud security Resources from this episode: Eric on LinkedIn Sonrai Security If you'd like to read the full text transcript for this episode head over to cloudskills.io/blog/episode-096 Don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career.

In this episode I chat with Dylan Shields about his new book AWS Security. Dylan is a software engineer working on Quantum Computing at AWS. Previously, Dylan was the first engineer on the AWS Security Hub team. He has also worked at Google Cloud, focusing on the security and reliability of their serverless data warehouse, BigQuery. In this episode, we talk about… Dylan breaks down his history in IT and the inspiration behind his book Why IAM and AWS can be intimidating to a lot of people Taking people through policies, JSON Syntax, and API operations Examining the AWS pattern of building IAM roles and handling some of the setups Covering AWS Security and best practices in the book Dylan has worked in other parts of the cloud platform Digging into security certifications and security specialties at AWS Diving into the concepts in the book and applying them to different applications Some of the most common attacks that customers are defending against New integrations to manage DDoS protection and VPC Difficulties of keeping up with AWS innovations Resources from this episode: Dylan on LinkedIn AWS Security Whitepapers Book: AWS Security Win a copy of AWS Security from Manning If you'd like to read the full text transcript for this episode head over to cloudskills.io/blog/episode-095 Don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career.

In this episode I chat with Derek Smith about Azure Networking & Security. Derek is a Senior Azure Technical Consultant at Ahead, working to help clients with their Azure cloud journey. In this episode, we talk about… How Derek got into Azure and tech in general Past networking experience has strengthened Derek as an Azure specialist today A few common networking snags that customers tend to have trouble with How to start with networking from scratch in Azure Breaking down the AZ500 certification and the focus of Azure going forward Microsoft’s possible future specialty in networking Most people have difficulty working with dedicated circuits Software-defined networking forced Derek to unlearn certain things What happened with CenturyLink and their backend network issues One of the most underrated services that Azure offers right now How Sentinel was built to augment security capabilities Breath in all, depth in one; advice to remember for a career in the Cloud The best career advice that Derek has ever gotten Resources from this episode: Derek on LinkedIn Azure Networking Best Practices Azure Security Best Practices and Patterns If you'd like to read the full text transcript for this episode head over to cloudskills.io/blog/episode-094 Don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career.

In this episode I'm catching up with Christos Matskas and J.P. Dandison, both PM Developer Advocates from the Microsoft Identity team, about building apps with the Microsoft Identity Platform. In this episode, we talk about… COVID has caused an unexpected acceleration in Microsoft’s clients’ Cloud plans Identity struggles that are being seen in the move to Cloud J.P. and Christos work to assist people from as many industries as possible Microsoft has built a protected identity system so that companies don’t have to Developers need not worry because they know that Azure Active Directory is going to scale Breaking down the disconnect for what B2C really is .NET Core has a brand new library that has plenty of exciting features Microsoft is increasing live streaming to developers for identity challenges and beyond Microsoft is actually the largest security company in the world Resources from this episode: Christos on Twitter J.P. on Twitter Watch the 425show on: Twitch | YouTube Microsoft Identity Platform Overview If you'd like to read the full text transcript for this episode head over to cloudskills.io/blog/episode-093 Don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career.

In this episode we dive into Azure Architecture with Thomas Maurer. Learn about Enterprise Scale Landing Zones, Azure Bicep, the Well Architected Framework, and more. Thomas Maurer works as a Senior Cloud Advocate at Microsoft. As part of the Azure engineering team (Cloud + AI), he engages with the community and customers around the world to share his knowledge and collect feedback to improve the Azure platform. In this episode, we talk about... Thomas is working with Azure Architecture to make it easier for clients to operate cloud tech Azure Architecture is made up of three main parts Reasons that people have not heard about Azure Arc Cloud Adoption Framework will assist those looking to build their company with Azure Enterprise Scale Landing Zones help plan and set up Azure environment How the automation for the Visio landing zone operates Azure Bicep makes it easier to write and write ARM templates It is still very early on in the development of Azure Bicep Microsoft Learn helps people learn all about Microsoft, not just Azure Microsoft Build provides a 24/7 video platform as a learning resource Advice for those that want to get into content creation Collaborating with others is incredibly important for growth Well-Architected Framework vs. Cloud Adoption Framework at Microsoft It never helps anyone to act like a jerk; be polite Even bad advice provides value if you look at it correctly Resources from this episode: Thomas on Twitter Thomas' Blog Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework for Azure Microsoft Azure Well-Architected Framework Azure Arc Azure Bicep If you'd like to read the full text transcript for this episode head over to cloudskills.io/blog/episode-092 Don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career.

In this episode I catch up with Chirag Nayyar who is working towards helping businesses make that shift into the cloud. Chirag comes from a background in computer science and shares the experience of his journey into the cloud coming straight out of university. In this episode, we talk about… Chirag’s background and journey into the Cloud field Starting on the Azure platform gave Chirag a good foundation in the Cloud space Getting good at one platform allows one to make sense of other platforms The Google, AWS, and other Cloud communities have played a major part in (guest name) career People struggle with the intimidation that comes with having conversations and speaking Practice is always required no matter how much confidence you may have Thoughts on the Alibaba Cloud platform and it’s presence in Asia Great certification tips from the plethora of certificates that Chirag has under his belt (24) Understanding the implementation of certified knowledge is one of the biggest setbacks Challenges presented when coming from a background in computer science Leverage your existing experience rather than starting from scratch in a career switch Resources from this episode: Chirag on Twitter Chirag on LinkedIn Chirag on YouTube If you'd like to read the full text transcript for this episode head over to cloudskills.io/blog/episode-091 Don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career.

In this episode I catch up with Bart Castle, an Expert Trainer at CBT Nuggets where he spends his days making training content while consulting on the side. Though Bart began in the blue-collar sector, he quickly found his way into DevOps which led him into the consulting side of the Cloud-computing world. Now, he is in the position to shape the content that those in the cloud and DevOps sector want to consume! Bart Castle is an IT professional with over eighteen years of experience, Bart has become a trusted leader and subject matter expert in the Cloud Computing arena. Bart teaches a variety of DevOps, Networking, Telephony, and traditional enterprise technology courses. He also assists organizations of all sizes by providing cloud-migration strategy and support through Castle IT Consulting. In this episode, we talk about… Bart’s background and how he got into cloud computing Behavioral problems are difficult to fix with technology A light bulb went off in Bart’s head that led him to the training space The Cloud Credential Council gave Bart the knowledge to create effective training content Certifications are where the real-world implementation can get lost This multimedia world has created innovative and unique ways to learn Content that Bart is working on right now that act as a holistic approach to learn those skills Cloud is only going to continue to grow, so there is plenty of content opportunity Holistic learning might be a better way to go than the certification route AWS is putting out exciting framework and server lenses that drive businesses There are plenty of opportunities to add extra income streams right now Network-compute infrastructure driven areas that hold hidden opportunity COVID has changed the world of virtual training forever Resources from this episode: Bart on Twitter Bart on CBT Nuggets Bart on LinkedIn If you'd like to read the full text transcript for this episode head over to cloudskills.io/blog/episode-090 Don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career.

In this episode I catch up with Erica Woods and Ryan Sedwitz with Apex Systems. Learn how agency recruiters can help you showcase your abilities, how to build up your personal brand, refine your resume, LinkedIn profile, and more. Erica Woods is the Director of Contractor Programs and Philanthropy at Apex Systems. Her focus is on overseeing programs, teams, communication channels, and other resources that support and add value to their IT Contractor Community of 16,000+. Ryan has been with Apex Systems for 14 years, during this time he has developed strong relationships with both Enterprise clients and the software engineering community at large. Over his career Ryan has placed over 2,000 Software Engineers with Fortune 1000 clients and start-ups. As a result he is considered a subject matter expert in technical staffing, with a focus on placing highly technical professionals and building well rounded agile development teams for fast-paced IT clients; with a focus on Software Engineering and Technical Leadership hiring across skill-sets such as Mobile, Cloud Engineering, Functional Programming, Full Stack Development, SDET, Devops, and Platform Engineering. Ryan has consistently been a top performing recruiter, who was named a National Recruiter of the Year in 2010, 2014, 2015 and 2017, and a Regional Recruiter of the Year for 12 years in a row 2008-Present. Resources from this episode: Job Search Tips and Advice Erica's Articles on Professional Development If you'd like to read the full text transcript for this episode head over to cloudskills.io/blog/episode-089 Don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career.

In this episode I catch up with Christian Nunciato full-stack developer and staff software engineer at Pulumi. We discuss Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and how developers can use languages like typescript to write their infrastructure code. Christian Nunciato is a full-stack developer and staff software engineer at Pulumi. Previously, he was a principal engineer at Chef, where he helped build Chef's open-source application automation platform Habitat. Christian on Twitter Get Started with Pulumi Pulumi in Action Win a copy of "Pulumi in Action": https://kingsumo.com/g/0zxps1/pulumi-in-action If you'd like to read the full text transcript for this episode head over to cloudskills.io/blog/episode-088 Don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career.

In this episode I catch up with Azure MVP Gwyneth Pena to discuss how you can get started on your journey into the Azure cloud. Gwyneth Pena is a Cloud Consultant, content creator, and Microsoft Azure MVP. Before deciding to work for herself, Gwyn was a Cloud Engineer at an Energy startup and was responsible for all the company's Azure Infrastructure. She is an advocate for diversity and inclusiveness in the field and creates content not only on skills she's learned, certifications she's studying for, but also shares her story and tips that helped her get into the field. Gwyn on Twitter Gwyn's YouTube Channel 100 Days of Cloud If you'd like to read the full text transcript for this episode head over to cloudskills.io/blog/episode-087 Don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career.

In this episode I catch up with Josh Duffney, author of the new book 'become Ansible'. Should you be using Ansible or Terraform? Maybe both? And if so... we all know everyone is super busy, so how do you get up and running quickly? Those are the questions that we answer while doing some Q&A with a live audience. Josh on Twitter become Ansible book become Ansible workshop Josh's Ansible blog series If you'd like to read the full text transcript for this episode head over to cloudskills.io/blog/episode-086 Don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career.

In this episode we catch up with Ohad Maislish, CEO & Co-founder of env0, and we discuss challenges and solutions for teams that need to manage their own cloud environments in AWS, Azure and Google. The env0 is platform is built on top of Terraform, so this is a must-listen episode for anyone who is interested in Infrastructure as Code (IaC). Resources from this episode: Ohad on Twitter env0 blog Getting Started with env0 If you'd like to read the full text transcript for this episode head over to cloudskills.io/blog/episode-085 Don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career. You can also text me your questions at 1-480-530-8694.

In this livestream Tim Warner and I explain what’s going on with the new Azure Solutions Architect certification exams, answer questions and provide tips for studying for AZ-303 and AZ-304. Azure Solutions Architect (AZ-30x) Accelerated Exam Prep Microsoft Azure Architect Certification Notes If you'd like to read the full text transcript for this episode head over to cloudskills.io/blog/episode-084 Don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career. You can also text me your questions at 1-480-530-8694.

In this episode we catch up with Elton Stoneman about his new book: Learn Kubernetes in a Month of Lunches Elton Stoneman is a 10-time Microsoft MVP and a Docker Captain. After several years working for Docker, Elton now offers consulting services for organizations at every stage in their container journey. He is a regular speaker and workshop instructor at conferences and the author of Learn Docker in a Month of Lunches. Elton on Twitter Win a Copy of Learn Kubernetes in a Month of Lunches Elton’s Blog Docker and Kubernetes for .NET Developers Want a 40% discount when checking out on Manning.com (good for all our products in all formats)? Use code podcskill19 during checkout for 40% off If you'd like to read the full text transcript for this episode head over to cloudskills.io/blog/episode-083 Don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career. You can also text me your questions at 1-480-530-8694.

In this episode I answer some listener questions and provide tips on how you can create a strategy to launch your own DevOps career from scratch. What does it take? What should you focus? I answer those questions in this episode. What to Do When You Don't Have Experience Infrastructure as Code in the Cloud Azure Automation, DevOps, & Infrastructure as Code Infrastructure as Code with Ned Bellavance If you'd like to read the full text transcript for this episode head over to cloudskills.io/blog/episode-082 Don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career. You can also text me your questions at 1-480-530-8694.

In this episode I talk about the recent changes to the AZ-400 exam and provide some tips and resources you can use to start studying right away. Exam AZ-400: Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions Core Concepts for GitHub Actions Migrating from Azure Pipelines to GitHub Actions GitHub Actions for Azure Action Samples for Deploying to Azure Introduction to Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) Site Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems SRE Foundation (SREF) Azure DevOps Documentation Azure DevOps Labs If you'd like to read the full text transcript for this episode head over to cloudskills.io/blog/episode-081 Don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career. You can also text me your questions at 480-530-8694.