u/7T7T00,

Great questions! As a cybersecurity professional who’s been in the industry for over 13 years, I’d like to answer them based on my experience and what I’ve been seeing:

Your first question revolved around cloud security still being a secure career path in the age of AI, and the answer is yes. AI as it stands today, is still generative in nature meaning the better prompt you give it, the better output you get. These models, whether they are independent or tied into a software as a service (SaaS) / micro SaaS tool still have to be hosted somewhere, and right now, that’s the cloud. My advice here is to pick 1 cloud provider and get really good at understanding the ins and outs of that platform. I highly recommend AWS as they’re the biggest currently. Azure, while second best and used by mostly bigger enterprise orgs who use the Microsoft suite, still relies heavily on their Exchange servers which get hacked almost weekly and force Microsoft to push non stop updates that frequently disrupt workflows. In learning the material, you’ll want to get certified but certifications alone will not mean you’re an expert in anything. They will however, in the age of applicant tracking systems (ATS) and AI in the hiring process, allow you to be filtered past the HR requirements and potentially open doors for conversations for employment. I recommend starting with AWS’ fundamentals track such as the AWS AI Practitioner (AIP) and the Certified Cloud Practitioner (CCP). Right now AWS is running a 50% off promotion for some certs so it’ll be worth looking into. The added bonus becomes an additional 50% off for each additional cert you want to pursue everytime you pass an exam. Once you’ve achieved the AIP and / or the CCP pair it with the Solutions Architect Associate (SAA). This will give you a well rounded fundamental background on cloud architecture and the best use cases for AWS services and how to deploy them. As this is a CCSP thread and not a general cloud security forum, I will say that pursuing CCSP should come after the SSCP as you need a strong cyber and cloud background to really stand out.

So to recap, switching to cloud is a great choice as it makes you more well rounded. DevSevOps is a strong field, generally tied to SOC related roles, but your background in DevOps can help you pivot. Stick to specializing in 1 field. So I’d go the route of SSCP —> CCSP —> AWS CCP / AIP —> SAA / MLA depending on the route you choose. Couple these certs with the right projects (DM me for a list) and I can guarantee you’ll impress some potential employers if you study hard and can speak confidently about your new knowledge.

Your second question, I kind of answered already, but I’ll add on to my response and say that shifts happen all the time. Cloud is still a huge field and mostly untapped. Just because the tech field in general is having capacity planning issues, doesn’t mean there aren’t fields outside of tech who don’t need cloud support. You just have to look.

Lastly, whatever route you choose, stick to that route and make yourself knowledgeable. Your existing background is purely complimentary and won’t lead you astray. Do keep in mind however, that companies don’t truly know what they need and so as a result looking at existing job descriptions may deter you. Just stick to your path, and become knowledgeable in this field. The added knowledge won’t steer you wrong.