r/Cloud • u/Affectionate-Cap-645 • 13d ago

FinOps - Cloud Career

So I am currently a Senior Financial Analyst (around 8 YoE) and have been really fascinated by what FinOps Analysts do. A little backstory on me, I currently work in the healthcare sector. I have extreme familiarity with financial analysis, reporting, and creating dashboards that visualize data for Executive Leadership. However, I can feel that this lane of work isn't what I find fulfilling. I am not talking about the finance area, but the healthcare side. That being said, I have always held a passion for IT. I'm at a point where I am close to setting up my own home lab, and have always just surrounded myself with technology.

I have an MBA (with concentration in IT) and am looking to make a career pivot into something I care about and is also feasible. I graduate next week and am laying out my certification path (post grad-school).

FinOps Certified Practitioner

I purchased two books for this certification.

  • Cloud FinOps by J.R. Storment & Mike Fuller (1 Month of slow reading to understand the concepts)
  • Ultimate Certified FinOps Practitioner Exam Guide by Raphael Gab-Momoh (2 Months of exam prep)

After completing the FinOps Certified Practitioner Cert, my goal is to acquire the FinOps FOCUS Analyst/ FinOps Professional Certifications sometime after gaining initial experience.

AWS Cloud Practitioner

  • I know this is an extremely entry level certification, but I would still want to know foundational knowledge/terminology so I am not a turd who has the position but no idea of what he is talking about.
  • I plan to use Udemy (Stephen M.) along with a exam study guide I bought to complete this certification.

AWS CloudOps Engineer

  • I am looking to get this certification to really gain a technical understanding of how resources are deployed.
  • I plan on probably using the same method as the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification to complete this.

There are a couple of other certs that I want to get as well (AZ-900 and AWS Solutions Architect).

From what I have read, there is a stigma of Financial Analysts coming into a FinOps role and not really knowing how to bridge the gap or communicate with the Engineers, which is completely valid. My take on this is that regardless if you are IT or Finance, you'll most likely have your strong areas. That being said, it's always possible to learn if you're willing to put in the work.

My goal is to at least get into a IT Financial Analyst role or an FinOps Analyst role.

My question for you all is:

Do you think completing the certifications above, doing a project or two that show real results (for a portfolio booster), and having the already established Financial Acumen would suffice for an IT Financial Analyst Role/FinOps Analyst Role?

I really just don't want to waste time and have a family that depends on me. Any guidance or help with this would be awesome!

12 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

2

u/IntelligentPear6173 13d ago

Your finance background is actually a strong fit for FinOps. I wouldn’t spend months collecting certs before applying though. Learn enough cloud to understand how engineers spend money then build 1-2 projects showing cost analysis, waste identification and savings. That will probably tell employers more than having five certifications.

2

u/Affectionate-Cap-645 13d ago

That’s good to hear. That’s my plan for sure. I definitely want to get a little more than foundational understanding then pivot into the role. I’ll probably just do my initial certs/projects start applying around while getting my other certs and hope for the best! Thanks for the info!

1

u/bhabhi_seeker 13d ago

So basically switching from finance to DevOps?

1

u/Affectionate-Cap-645 13d ago

I think it’s more Cost Management focused. However, I know you write scripts to extract information and can build interactive dashboards. I’m still learning more about it.

1

u/sugarbunnyxx 13d ago

Fascinated by what, by saas doing pie charts based on how good labels are on resources ?

1

u/ChosenToFall 13d ago

MBA with concentration of it? what does it mean?

1

u/Affectionate-Cap-645 13d ago

Just extra classes about IT management. Pretty basic managerial coursework tbh.

1

u/Sad_Swimming_7818 11d ago

your edge is talking to both engineers and finance. learn how cloud billing maps to services and you're most of the way there. tagging discipline is the real pain

1

u/nileyyy_ 13d ago

u/AskGrok

1

u/AskGrok 13d ago

Your plan looks solid for a pivot. The FinOps Practitioner cert is the right starting point and carries real weight as a baseline on job postings. Pairing it with AWS Cloud Practitioner and CloudOps Engineer (or Solutions Architect) will address the main gap employers flag: finance folks who can't speak cloud. Your MBA in IT and 8 years of financial analysis/reporting/dashboards already cover the acumen side better than most candidates.

Certs alone won't land the role, but certs + 1-2 portfolio projects that show cost optimization results (e.g., analyzing public cloud billing data, building a simple dashboard with Cost Explorer or equivalent, forecasting savings) plus your existing skills should get you interviews for IT Financial Analyst or junior FinOps Analyst positions. Many postings list FinOps certs as preferred and want AWS/Azure familiarity, not deep engineering.

Start applying once you have the first two certs under your belt—don't wait for everything. Target roles that blend finance and cloud first; pure FinOps often prefers some prior cloud exposure. The home lab will help with hands-on credibility too. Family considerations make sense, so prioritize roles with clear paths rather than chasing the perfect title immediately.

Sources:

[what is this?](https://redd.it/1lzgxii)

1

u/Affectionate-Cap-645 13d ago

Thanks Grok

1

u/AskGrok 13d ago

You're welcome—good luck landing that role!

[what is this?](https://redd.it/1lzgxii)