The Cloud Resume Challenge: Relevance for Noobs and Ongoing Value for Pros

If you’re in IT and either work in the cloud/dev space or rub shoulders with those who do, you may have heard about something called the Cloud Resume Challenge. If you’re trying to break into that space, someone might have recommended it to you. Those who’ve completed it swear by it, and its creator has gone so far as to release e-books expanding on it and reconfiguring the challenge to fit multiple cloud platforms in the 2 years since its inception. So, what is the CRC, is it still relevant, will it get you a job, and does it have any value for you once you’re established as an IT professional?

Me, my history, and my introduction to the challenge.

I’m relatively new to IT, and after 3 years of working in the MSP/Service Delivery/Support space, I’m starting to get some direction on what I actually want to do: I want to build stuff. When my friend, Elliot, started pushing me toward cloud technologies and AWS, I did what I do best and took the ball and ran with it. I smashed through the material for the Solutions Architect Associate certification and passed the exam in about 8 weeks. Not bad. But now what? I had no real world experience. I needed more in my resume than just a cloud cert to get a foot in the door. I asked Elliot what I could do to make myself more hirable. He said I need handson experience. I need something to demonstrate my capabilities. Enter the Cloud Resume Challenge.

What is it?

The Cloud Resume Challenge is a 16 step project outlined by Forrest Brazeal in early 2020, designed to help newcomers test their mettle by turning their resume into a static html website and hosting it in the cloud. As Forrest puts it, it gives participants the opportunity to learn something about full-stack development, version control, infrastructure as code, automation, continuous integration and delivery, serverless architecture, application security and networking. It also gives them something to demonstrate their understanding with handson experience and shows their capacity and willingness to learn.

Scope of the challenge.

The scope of the challenge is broken down into 16 parts: Certification, HTML, CSS, Static Website, HTTPS, DNS, Javascript, Database, API, Python, Tests, Infrastructure as Code, Source Control, CI/CD (Back-end), CI/CD (Front-end), Blog post. For the uninitiated, it’s quite the endeavour. You happen to be reading part 16 of mine. For the complete breakdown of the challenge, visit the website “here”.

My cloud resume.

Or something like it…

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve already seen my cloud resume. If you haven’t then go check it out “here” and appreciate my glorious work. I’ll wait. Impressed? No? Well I am. I only really started learning this stuff in July this year. I had heard about the CRC a year ago after completing the Cloud Practitioner Certification, but didn’t really look at it until I completed the SAA and realised I needed to cut my teeth on something if I wanted to actually get a job. My strategy was simple: build the basic solution clicking around like the noob I am in the management console, then git gud and rewrite it as IaC.

This isn’t a tutorial, so don’t expect any how-to’s here, and if you’re chasing one then you’re missing the point of the initiative. Shame on you. The initial solution looked like this:

Then eventually got to this:

By this point I still had a very shitty frontend html template as a placeholder, so I pivoted to focus on the frontend for a while so I had something a little more presentable to show in interviews. I’m green with this stuff too, and given I’m more focused on the rest of the stack for this project and my career aspirations, I chose to use a clean looking template from the legends at StyleShout to get a polished looking frontend with minimal effort. Ta, legends.

What it’s done for me.

Has it helped me get a job?

Does it still have value after I get a job?

How to build on it to get ongoing value from it.

What you can do with it. Examples.

Conclusion.

Links:

https://forrestbrazeal.com/2020/04/23/the-cloud-resume-challenge/

https://cloudresumechallenge.dev/docs/the-challenge/aws/

https://www.modis.com/en-au/news-and-insights/articles/moving-to-the-devops-approach/

If I were to further develop the Cloud Resume Challenge, I would consider implementing several additional features to enhance the user experience and provide additional value. For example, I might add the ability for users to search for and connect with other participants, allowing them to network and share knowledge and experiences.

I would also consider implementing a way for users to easily share their cloud resumes with potential employers or other interested parties. This could be in the form of a customizable PDF or online portfolio, allowing users to present their skills and experience in a professional and easy-to-understand format.

In terms of additional use cases, there are many possibilities for expanding the scope of the challenge. For example, users could be given the option to create and share cloud resumes that focus on specific areas of expertise, such as security or data management. This could help potential employers identify individuals with specific skills and experience that align with their needs.

Another potential use case would be to incorporate challenges and assessments into the platform. This could allow users to test their knowledge and skills in different areas of cloud computing, and earn badges or other recognition to showcase on their cloud resumes.

Overall, there are many ways in which the Cloud Resume Challenge could be enhanced and expanded to provide additional value and benefits to users. By continuing to innovate and evolve, the challenge could become an even more valuable tool for individuals looking to showcase their skills and experience in cloud computing.