Rincon's Career Transformation at a Glance
| Previous Role | Fintech / Managed Services Consultant |
| New Role | Cloud DevOps Engineer |
| New Company | Major Payments Company (UK) |
| Job Search Duration | 2 Weeks |
| Academy Rating | "10 out of 10" |
| Location | Manchester, UK |
TL;DR
According to Cloud Engineer Academy data from 400+ graduates, focused effort beats prolonged job searches. Rincon transitioned from fintech managed services to Cloud DevOps Engineer at a major payments company. After months of not fully committing to the job search, he blocked everything out and went 100%—applied week one, hired week two. He credits the academy's structured learning and says it's a "10 out of 10." His advice: focus on Cloud Security, AI, and DevOps—and think in decades, not months.
The Journey: From "Applying in Droplets" to All-In
Rincon came from a fintech background in banking. He was already in tech, working in managed services at a consultancy, supporting professional services projects. But he wanted more—specifically, structured learning to understand the intricacies of cloud engineering, not just high-level knowledge.
He was one of the first students to join Cloud Engineer Academy. But for months, he wasn't going "full pull" on the job search. He was applying in "droplets"—not fully committed.
"I had been applying in droplets, but I wasn't really going full pull. I remember there were times you were even checking in—I think you were getting annoyed at one point! Which was good, because you were holding me accountable."
— Rincon, Cloud DevOps Engineer
The Turning Point: Blocking Everything Out
In early January, Rincon made a decision. He would stop everything else—other projects, distractions—and go 100% into job applications. He set himself a schedule and a deadline.
The Result?
Week 1: Applied for the role
Week 2: Got the job offer
The fastest job search to hire timeline we've seen at Cloud Engineer Academy.
"I said to myself, I'm going to stop everything I'm doing in the background. I had other projects outside of tech. And I said, I'm just going to apply, apply, apply. I set myself a schedule. And it happened quicker than I wanted. But I really had to close everything out and just block and go in 100%."
— Rincon
The Interview: Rigorous But Fair
The interview process wasn't easy. Rincon faced two sets of interviews with two interviewers, both technical, lasting about an hour total. They asked deep questions about AWS, instances, troubleshooting.
Interview Structure:
Recruiter Conversation
General background check, resume review
Technical Interview #1
Deep technical questions about AWS, instances, troubleshooting
Technical Interview #2
More technical depth, architecture discussions
One question stumped him: an instance running out of memory—what's the problem? The answer was disk space, needing to clear the cache. He didn't get it exactly right. But here's the key insight:
You Don't Need to Know Everything
"What I've come to understand with each interview is that you're not going to know everything. But if they can see you're going towards that topic, that justifies it already. They're evaluating many things—including your soft skills."
"A lot of engineers don't have soft skills—being able to describe something or speak about a technical topic with a business use case. People coming from customer service or dealing with people actually have an advantage. Your soft skills and technical skills go hand in hand."
— Rincon
Why He Chose the Academy: Structured Learning
Rincon was explicit about what he wanted: structured learning. He could learn things at a high level, but without understanding the intricacies, troubleshooting becomes impossible.
"You can know something at a high level, but if you don't know the intricacies, it's going to be difficult when you're trying to find the problem. I can give you Terraform code, but if you want to find where errors happen with a variable through the modules, you need to know the structure. That's what I wanted— structure to things."
— Rincon
What Set the Academy Apart
"For me, it's a 10 out of 10."
— Rincon's academy review
Most Valuable Skills: CI/CD and Architecture
When asked what skills proved most valuable during interviews and on the job, Rincon didn't hesitate:
CI/CD Fundamentals
Understanding pipelines, automation, and deployment workflows
Architecture
Solving problems while following best practices for scalability & reliability
"Architecture, architecture, architecture. Understanding how to solve a problem while following architectural best practices—scalability, reliability, high availability. A lot of students don't understand what high availability is. Why does it matter? It's all about uptime—making sure everything is up and running."
— Rincon
The New Role: Cloud DevOps at a Payments Company
Rincon now works as a Cloud DevOps Engineer at a major payments firm in Manchester that supports transit systems and has contracts across the UK, including London.
What He's Working With:
He specifically chose a product company over a consultancy to see the long-term impact of his work and have more decision-making autonomy. It's a strategic move to round out his experience.
"I wanted to be in a project for a long time and see how things develop—being part of decision making. In a consultancy, you have a wider tech stack. In a product company, you know this is going to be your bread and butter every day. It will shape my career with a wide range of experiences."
— Rincon
Where to Focus: The Decade Play
Rincon has strong opinions on where the cloud industry is heading. His advice for anyone looking to position themselves for the next 10 years:
The Priority Stack (in order):
Cloud Security
"Cloud security is booming. There's a huge requirement for it."
AI & Machine Learning
"AI is expanding but needs to protect people's information."
DevOps & Containerization
"It's already there and will remain, but AI and security are highly required now."
Think Decades, Not Months
"I don't think in years, I think in decades. Think big, think long term. What's going to be here in 10 years? Position yourself now. People think 'How do I position myself in 3 months?'—that's very shortsighted."
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can you get a cloud engineering job?
With the right skills and focused effort, it can happen very quickly. Rincon applied in week one and got hired in week two. The key was blocking everything else out and going 100% into job applications after already having the skills from Cloud Engineer Academy.
What skills are most important for cloud engineering interviews?
According to Rincon, CI/CD fundamentals and architecture are the most valuable. Understanding how to solve problems while following architectural best practices like scalability, reliability, and high availability is crucial. Soft skills also matter significantly—being able to articulate technical concepts in business terms.
Do you need to know everything to pass a cloud engineering interview?
No. Rincon didn't answer every question correctly in his interview but still got hired. The key is showing you're on the right track and can describe real experiences. Interviewers evaluate many things including soft skills, not just technical knowledge.
What areas of cloud should I focus on for the future?
Rincon recommends focusing on: 1) Cloud Security (first priority—it's booming), 2) AI, and 3) DevOps/Containerization. These are where the most opportunities and highest salaries are heading. Think in decades, not months.
How long does it realistically take to switch to a cloud career?
Rincon recommends setting a 6-month to 1-year timeframe. During that time, commit to at least 2 hours of daily learning and be consistent. Some students have done it in as little as 4 months going from zero to hired.
Rincon's Advice for Career Changers
Invest in yourself. Don't be scared to invest in yourself.
Stay curious, be curious, remain curious. Things are always changing.
Stay on the cutting edge of tech. Always.
Set yourself a 6-month to 1-year timeframe. Be realistic.
Commit to 2 hours daily of learning. Be consistent.
Don't wait for opportunities—create them. Reach out to recruiters and people in firms.
Network actively. Go to local DevOps meetups. Go into people's DMs on LinkedIn.
Think in decades, not months. Position yourself for where things are going.
"The people that get ahead are the people that just put in the work. It's not just learning the academy— it's going out there, speaking to people, networking. I still go to local DevOps meetups. Just be active. Self-education right now is leading people to a higher playing ground. That's the best way to place it."
— Rincon, Cloud DevOps Engineer
