Tips for becoming a Cloud SA as undergrad?

Question

Hi everyone,

I'm currently a Freshman studying Informatics / Data Science and recently have been getting into the cloud industry. I came across the SA role and found that to be pretty interesting. Unfortunetly, my university does offer any sort of courses that teach about the cloud or skills that an SA needs. I was hoping I could get some advice on the best path i could take to becoming an SA.

What are the specific technical skills required ( ex. Programming languages ? ) and I've seen some YT videos stating becoming an SA requires years of professional expierence, is this true?

Thanks!

19g615l02tcym4 · Accepted Answer

I do think the best SAs have years of real world, on the ground experience in both software development and in architecting complex solutions.  That being said nothing wrong with shooting for it early and getting that knowledge through other ways.

ZTrope90 · Answer

You talking about Solutions Architect?

Carbitrage · Answer

You can try, but think of it this way. There will likely be competition getting into that rare role and both the business and its clients are going to want someone who has spent some time doing the technicals or knows the business first hand.

G24601 · Answer

I think some of the base knowledge comes from understanding basic concepts in networking, server config/management, identity among others. Take a look at the learning paths for CSA certifications from AwS and Azure.

But even if you were to pass the exam, becoming a solutions architect is a long term commitment. You would be better positioned career wise entering the CSA profession from one of the segments above

Reptar · Answer

I recommend looking for technical sales rotational programs from some larger companies if you’re graduating soon. They provide access to on-the-job shadowing, opportunities to aid field SA/SEs in a virtual capacity, and graduation paths to becoming a field SA. The most useful thing is getting to talk to customers and seeing how experienced SA/SEs talk to customers: the questions they ask during discovery, the way they handle objections, the way they conduct demos, and how they build relationships with customers.

Check out Cisco (theres is called CSAP), Salesforce, Oracle, SAP, Amazon as a starting place. But searching Google/ChapGPT for early in career sales engineering programs will be a good starting point to discover more offerings.

Tips for becoming a Cloud SA as undergrad?

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