Hello, Cloud Newbies! Welcome “Hello, Cloud Newbies!” a blog interviewing Cloud Professionals from all around the world doing cool things to see what kinds of careers are available when you work with or in Cloud Computing!
Today, we talked to Johnson Adesanmi, who is a “Cloud Networking Engineer” at NTS Africa, and works in Lagos, Nigeria!
If you’re considering a career in the Cloud, or looking for a place to study for certifications, talk to fellow cloud-nerds, and help Cloud Newbies get started in the Cloud, please come join us at Cloud Newbies Society! We’re a Cloud Platform Agnostic, which means everyone’s welcome, no matter what type of Cloud Computing platform they’re interested in! ☁️
Now, without further ado…. Let’s hear Johnson‘s story!
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So, Johnson! What’s your job title?
Cloud Networking Engineer, Microsoft Azure at NTS Africa.
And how long have you been doing that job?
2-3 years.
What do you do for your job? Can you describe it to me in a way my 85 year old grandma can understand?
Azure is Microsoft’s cloud service offering. As it is divided into various parts (IaaS, PaaS and SaaS), I handle, work with the IaaS part. IaaS is short for Infrastructure as a Service.
Even this is further broken down into parts. The part I work with (which is like a backbone to all parts of Azure) is the Networking part.
As the name entails, ‘Networking’. I handle connectivity, communications between various parts on cloud and in some instances, with resources that are also On-premise, we refer to such as a Hybrid environment.
What’s your educational and career backgrounds?
A B.Sc holder in computer science (Computer Information Systems). I have worked in different firms as a Technical Support Agent, and of recent, a Cloud Networking Engineer. I am at the moment going through DevOps training.
I have bagged a few certifications along the way, more recently, Azure fundamentals – Az-900 and Azure Administrator Associate – Az 103.
Where are you based? Is your job remote or onsite?
Lagos, Nigeria (Africa). It is on site but on the lookout for remote jobs.
What’s an interesting fact about yourself?
I am always looking to learn. I love novels, music (a huge Kanye West fan) and movies. I don’t go out much and I am hardly ever bored.
Cloud Computing!
Which Cloud Platform(s) do you work with? How many years?
Microsoft Azure, 2 and a half years.
Do you have any certifications?
Yes.
Did the certifications help you get your current or past jobs?
Past jobs, No. Current, yes.
What got you into the Cloud?
Curiosity and I would add, I was job hunting so at the time, anything would have sufficed.
How do you use Cloud Computing in your day to day?
Aside from troubleshooting customer’s environment, I also help plan customer infrastructures and help with the deployments
What do you think is the most exciting thing about Cloud Computing?
It is endless. It is also the future (at least, as at the time of writing this).
What do you think is the most frustrating thing about Cloud Computing?
Again, it is endless. Everyday you hear of something new. New updates, new versions, new tweaks.
Agreed. This seems to be a common struggle point AND point of excitement for a lot of people.
What’s a cool problem you’ve solved with the Cloud?
We had an environment that is Hybrid and the customer needed the Azure machines to speak with the on-prem machines. We had 2 options, Point to site or Site to site.
I suggested site to site as that comes with an extra security. After a few days, with A firewall device set on-prem, we were able to establish the connection and it became seamless.
What’s the most fun you’ve had with the Cloud?
Hosted a WordPress site on my virtual machine, hosted another using App service. Used Application gateway to redirect on site to the other on an endless loop.
Hello, Cloud Newbies!
What’s one thing you wish you’d known when you started working with Cloud Computing?
DevOps, how important linux would be moving forward and also an understanding of at least, a programming language.
What are your favorite resources to learn about the Cloud?
Udemy, Microsoft documents, youtube videos and some community on whatsapp, twitter.
What advice can you give to someone who is considering learning about Cloud Computing to begin a career in the Cloud?
It’s fun, it’s challenging but it is all worth it. Learn one of Python/C#, linux (redhat > CentOS) and be open minded.
Hands on is as important as studying. Try to have a mentor, be willing to participate in projects. The more you work with these things, the better you get with them.
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Thank you SO much to telling us about your job as a Cloud Networking Engineer! As you said, I think it’s really true that one of the best and worst things about working in/with Cloud Computing is that it’s endless and ever evolving at…. ridiculously quick speed!
Now, if you want to learn more about Johnson, you can find him on Twitter and LinkedIn!
Interested in doing an interview with us to talk about your Cloud Job? Please e-mail us at cloudnewbies@24villages.com!
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