Background

I started my career in the glass industry as a SysAdmin, specifically in a glass factory crafting fragrance bottles and bottles for pharmaceutical industries in the north of France. Since then, I’ve focused on IT security and cloud computing.

After many full-time positions for Microsoft, French Logistic Railroad, and IT Consulting parties, I decided to run my AWS consulting boutique by myself 5 years ago.

Just at the beginning of the pandemic, what a visionary…

AWS boutique

My independent consulting journey has involved long-term contracts and short engagements for security reviews, cloud architecture reviews, and classic cloud advisory missions. I have worked for large companies in the EU and Google and helped early-stage startups in France.

Back in Time

I recall a time, 6 or 7 years ago, when AWS skills were very rare, and many companies were seeking consulting expertise to begin their journey in the AWS cloud. We could find numerous opportunities at an attractive daily rate ($800–900).

During this period, academic institutions and universities had no existing courses or lectures on cloud computing — it was too new for them. As a result, self-taught learners and individuals with these skills were highly sought after by recruiters.

At that time in France, consulting firms were recruiting from North Africa to find these specific competencies at a lower price point.

Nowadays

I believe cloud skills are becoming mainstream; everyone is doing cloud computing now, albeit at different scales. If you’re working in IT, you’re almost certainly dealing with cloud projects: migration to the cloud, cloud disaster recovery plans, data projects, and so on.

The market is now saturated with these skills, leading to a decline in both pricing and opportunities.

What should we do next?

  • Specialize in a niche: data, security, AI, networking, orchestration, or databases.
  • Focus on a single Cloud Service Provider (CSP) — I don’t believe in generalist expertise.
  • Develop personal branding to build a solid, trusted audience.
  • Explore innovative technologies while staying true to your passions.
  • Diversify revenue streams: side projects, multiple clients, and training sessions.
  • Cultivate a professional network of like-minded individuals in your field: meetup, conferences, slack / discord / telegram communities.

That’s all, folks! 👋🏼

zoph.