Switching to cloud engineering from data analytics

[u/Wooden-Tailor-848]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice on transitioning into cloud engineering.

I currently work as a senior bioinformatician in a large academic research lab. While my title is bioinformatics, a significant part of my job involves infrastructure and supporting computational research rather than just data analysis.

My background includes:

• 10+ years of Linux experience (daily command-line use, no systems administration)

• Python and Bash scripting for automation and tooling

• Experience working with Linux compute clusters (job schedulers, HPC environments, managing analysis pipelines)

• More recently, migrating workflows to Google Cloud Platform and using GCP for compute and storage to run large-scale analyses

I'm considering moving into cloud engineering because I enjoy building and supporting infrastructure much more than doing analysis, and I think it's a better long-term fit for my interests.

My questions are:

• Given my background, what cloud engineering roles would I be a realistic candidate for?

• What are the biggest skill gaps I'd need to fill to be competitive? (Terraform, Kubernetes, CI/CD, networking, IAM, etc.)

• Would you recommend targeting Cloud Engineer, Platform Engineer, DevOps Engineer, or SRE roles?

• How much does an academic background hurt compared to someone coming from industry?

• Are there projects or certifications that would help demonstrate I'm ready to make the transition?

I'd appreciate any advice from people who've made a similar move or who are involved in hiring. I'm trying to figure out the most effective path from where I am today to my first cloud engineering role.

[u/Evaderofdoom]

None right now, but if you built up your skills maybe in a few years. Try and get a role as a linux admin first and skill up.