AWS Cloud Engineer Roadmap: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide from Zero to Job

Starting a career in cloud can feel confusing at first, especially when everything seems new. The good news is that becoming an AWS Cloud Engineer is completely possible even if you are beginning with zero experience. All you need is a clear learning path, regular practice, and the patience to grow step by step.

In this guide, I will walk you through a simple and beginner friendly journey that can help you move from knowing nothing about cloud to becoming fully prepared for your first AWS job.

1. Start with the Basics of Cloud Computing

Before diving into AWS, it helps to understand what the cloud is and why companies use it.

 Learn simple concepts like:

• What is cloud computing?
• Difference between IaaS, PaaS, SaaS
• What are regions and availability zones?
• Why businesses move to the cloud

This foundation will make everything else easier.

2. Learn the Core AWS Services

AWS has over 200+ services, but you only need to focus on the most important ones in the beginning.

The key services to understand are:

• EC2 (Virtual servers)
• S3 (Object storage)
• RDS (Managed databases)
• Lambda (Serverless compute)
• VPC (Networking in AWS)
• IAM (Security and permissions)

Once you know what these services do and how they work together, you’re already ahead of most beginners.

3. Get Hands-On with Real AWS Practice

Reading or watching videos helps, but real learning happens when you build things.

Some easy starter tasks:

• Launch an EC2 instance
• Create an S3 bucket and upload files
• Build a VPC with public and private subnets
• Set up a small database in RDS

Hands-on skills are what make you job-ready.

4. Learn Linux and Networking Fundamentals

As an AWS engineer, you’ll work with Linux servers often.
Learn basic things like:

• Terminal commands
• File permissions
• SSH and key pairs
• IP addressing and CIDR
• Load balancers and DNS

These skills will help you understand how cloud environments behave.

5. Learn Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

Modern cloud engineers use code to build infrastructure.

You can start with:

• Terraform (most popular in the industry)
  or
• CloudFormation (AWS native)

IaC skills make you a stronger engineer and are highly valued by companies.

6. Understand CI/CD and DevOps Practices

Even though you’re aiming for cloud, DevOps is closely connected.

Learn the basics of:

• Git & GitHub
• Docker
• CI/CD pipelines
• AWS CodePipeline / CodeBuild

These tools help you automate deployments and build cloud-friendly applications.

7. Learn AWS Security Best Practices

Security is a big part of every cloud job.

Focus on:

• IAM users, roles, and policies
• MFA and least-privilege access
• Encryption using KMS
• Monitoring with CloudWatch and CloudTrail

A cloud engineer who understands security stands out.

Conclusion

Starting your cloud journey may feel challenging, but with the right guidance and consistent practice, becoming an AWS Cloud Engineer is completely achievable. The key is to learn step by step, stay hands on, and keep building your confidence as you move forward. Cloud technology is growing fast, and this is the perfect time to build your future in it.

If you want structured learning, real time practice, and expert support, Aryu Academy can help you follow this roadmap with clarity and confidence. With the right training and mentorship, you can go from beginner to job ready faster than you imagine.