Cloud Engineer
Design, build and run systems on AWS, Azure or Google Cloud at scale.
This UK cloud engineer career guide covers what the role involves day to day, typical salary at each stage, the usual entry route, the skills employers expect, and related careers worth comparing.
Quick facts
- Starting salary
- £40,000 - £55,000
- Mid-career salary
- £65,000 - £105,000
- Senior salary
- £110,000 - £170,000+
- Work environment
- Office or remote, cross-team work
- Time to entry
- 2 - 5 years
- Degree required
- Not required - cloud certifications carry weight
- Category
- Technology
What a Cloud Engineer does
Design, build and run systems on AWS, Azure or Google Cloud at scale.
- Cloud Architect - Design cloud systems for whole organisations.
How to become a Cloud Engineer
- Look up Cloud Engineer roles on LinkedIn or Indeed and read 5 real job ads
- Talk to someone already working as a Cloud Engineer - even a 15-minute call helps
- Find one beginner course or qualification used by people in this role
- Build one small piece of evidence you've explored this (project, shadowing, short course)
- Apply to one entry-level role or related opportunity within the next month
Key skills
- AWS, Azure or GCP
- Terraform or IaC
- Networking
- Security basics
- Cost optimisation