The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
IT Support / Helpdesk Specialist
1-2 yearsSkills to master
- Troubleshooting, customer service, basic networking, understanding of IT systems, ticket management.
You're ready to move on when
- You've shown a keen interest in the underlying infrastructure, not just fixing user problems.
- You've started automating repetitive tasks with scripts.
- You've taken initiative to learn about cloud services in your spare time.
- 2
Junior DevOps Engineer / Cloud Operations Trainee
0-1 yearSkills to master
- Basic scripting (Python/Bash), understanding of CI/CD pipelines, exposure to IaC, monitoring tools.
You're ready to move on when
- You're comfortable with command-line interfaces.
- You've deployed resources to a cloud platform, even if it was just for personal projects.
- You understand the concept of 'infrastructure as code' and why it's important.
- 3
Recent Graduate (Computer Science/IT)
0 years (direct entry)Skills to master
- Strong foundational computer science principles, programming logic, eagerness to apply academic knowledge to real-world cloud challenges.
You're ready to move on when
- You've completed cloud-related projects or coursework during your degree.
- You've demonstrated strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
- You're excited to learn and contribute to a technical team.


