TL;DR
According to Cloud Engineer Academy data from 400+ graduates, Silas was 42 years old with zero tech experience, leading a nonprofit organization across 4 countries. He quit his stable job, moved from the UK back to Portugal, faced countless rejections, and studied 6-8 hours daily. He's now a DevOps Engineer at Portugal's second most valuable company. His interview? No technical questions—they believed his CV and asked "When can you start?"
Cloud Engineer Academy Graduate Outcomes
| Total Graduates | 400+ |
| Job Placement Rate | 92% |
| Average Starting Salary | $85,000 |
| Average Salary Increase | $25,000+ |
| Program Duration | 12 weeks |
The Journey: Burning All the Boats
Silas wasn't your typical career changer. At 42, married with two children, he was leading a 25-person team across Argentina, Spain, Portugal, and the UKat a nonprofit organization—organizing fundraisers, working with stakeholders, helping homeless people and children in need.
But tech had always been calling him since childhood, since his first games and the thrill of figuring out how things worked. He decided it was now or never.
"I'm getting old. So, I want to do something for myself, something that I really enjoy. Tech was something that was always on me since I was very young. So I decided: okay, now it's time."
— Silas, DevOps Engineer
The Obstacles He Faced
Zero Tech Background
"The only thing I knew was to download and play games"
42 Years Old
"Everywhere they say if you're 30, you're already too old"
Family Responsibilities
Wife and two children depending on him
Visa Issues in the UK
Interviews ended the moment he mentioned sponsorship
Countless Rejections
"Lots of nos, lots of nos. It's not easy."
Despite having a family business he could have joined, Silas wanted to build something on his own. So he did the unthinkable: he quit his stable job and went all in.
The "Burned Boats" Strategy
Silas told his employer he was leaving. He had no backup plan. He HAD to make this work. "I needed to give up my old life to get my new one," he says.
What Kept Him Going: "What If You Couldn't Give Up?"
When asked what kept him pushing through all the rejections and doubts, Silas pointed to one thing: a video where Soleyman asked, "What if you couldn't give up?"
"I remember one of your videos where you said, 'What if you couldn't give up?' And that was me. I have a wife, I have two children. I cannot give up. I need to keep going and keep going and keep going."
— Silas
Every single day, doubt crept in. Every single day, he questioned himself.
"Every day, every single day, this thought was coming to my mind: 'What am I doing here? I don't understand anything. What is this? What have I done with my life?'But I kept pushing."
The Daily Grind: 6-8 Hours of Learning
Silas didn't just casually watch videos. He treated learning like a full-time job—waking up at 6 AM, studying for 6-8 hours every day, building projects, and sharing them on LinkedIn.
Silas's Daily Routine:
- Wake up at 6 AM
- Study 6-8 hours daily
- Build projects and share on LinkedIn
- Apply for jobs consistently
- Prepare for interviews (even when rejected, he learned)
The result? Recruiters started reaching out to HIM. Most of his interviews came from people finding him on LinkedIn, not from his applications.
The Aha Moment: When Everything Clicked
At first, Silas was completely lost. He remembers his first architecture diagram feeling like "Chinese"— totally incomprehensible. But the academy's structured approach helped him build understanding step by step.
"The academy has a very structured way. You go slowly, step by step by step, and then you get the big picture. For me it was really, really good. I think it was during the Terraform week that everything started to click. I was connecting all the dots—VPCs, subnets, load balancers—putting everything together."
— Silas
Skills Learned Through the Academy
The Interview: "When Can You Start?"
After countless rejections, the final interview was surprisingly simple. A recruiter called on a Thursday asking if he was available the next day. The interview with the tech lead? No technical questions at all.
How The Final Interview Went:
Thursday: Recruiter Call
"Are you available tomorrow?" - "Yes, let's go."
Friday: Interview with Tech Expert
No technical questions—they believed his CV
Focus: Leadership Experience
Asked about managing teams across countries
"When Can You Start?"
Started the following Wednesday
The CV Change That Got Him Hired
Silas initially left off his nonprofit experience because it wasn't "tech." But Soleyman advised him to add it back. That leadership experience—managing 25 people across 4 countries—was exactly what the interviewer asked about. Soft skills matter.
"They are hiring people, not machines. If we have experience that showcases we can deal with people, that we have other attributes—that's important. Of course tech is the most important, but there are other things that matter too."
— Silas
The New Role: Portugal's Second Most Valuable Company
Silas now works as a DevOps Engineer / Platform Engineer at one of Portugal's largest companies. The role is remote with occasional trips to Lisbon. He's already working with multiple cloud platforms.
What He's Working With Now:
"The GitHub Actions foundation from the academy was really good. I can read the code now. I can understand what they're doing. Before, I knew nothing about AWS, about anything. When I joined the academy, the knowledge started to come and come and come."
— Silas
Why Mentorship Was "Priceless"
When asked about the most valuable part of the academy, Silas didn't hesitate: it was the mentorship.
"For me, the most important thing is your mentorship, Soleyman. Knowing that there is always someone there ready to help us. Every single time I was sending you a message with any doubt, any question—you answered me every time. For me, this is priceless. Courses, you can get a lot of courses out there. But having someone that can guide you? That's priceless."
— Silas
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you become a cloud engineer at 40 with no tech experience?
Yes. Silas became a DevOps Engineer at 42 years old with zero tech background. He went from leading a nonprofit organization to working at Portugal's second most valuable company. He used Cloud Engineer Academy to learn AWS, Terraform, and GitHub Actions while supporting a wife and two children.
Is 42 too old to start a career in cloud engineering?
No. Silas started learning cloud engineering at 42 with no previous tech experience. His advice: "If I did it with 42 years old, married with two children, you can do it as well." Age is not a barrier—commitment and consistent effort are what matter.
How long does it take to become a DevOps engineer with no experience?
Based on Silas's experience, it took approximately 6-8 months of dedicated study (6-8 hours per day) to go from zero tech knowledge to a DevOps Engineer role. He joined Cloud Engineer Academy in February and was hired later that year after consistent daily effort.
Do soft skills matter for cloud engineering jobs?
Yes, significantly. Silas's previous leadership experience managing a 25-person team across multiple countries was a key factor in getting hired. His interviewer specifically asked about his leadership background. Technical skills get you interviews, but soft skills often seal the deal.
How do you handle rejection when job searching in tech?
Silas received many rejections before getting hired. His advice: "Don't listen to the voice saying you're not capable. Receive these nos as a way of learning." He treated each rejection as practice, using technical assessments to improve his skills even when he didn't get the job.
Silas's Advice for Career Changers
Don't think you're less than anyone else. They were beginners too.
What if you couldn't give up? Keep that question in your mind.
The academy will help you get a job, but YOU need to put in the effort.
Show up every day. 6-8 hours of study. Build projects. Share them online.
Receive rejections as learning opportunities, not failures.
Your non-tech experience matters. Soft skills can seal the deal.
If you're 20, 25, 30—it will be even easier for you than it was for me at 42.
"If I did it with 42 years old, married with two children screaming all around—I did it. So you can do it as well. Don't give up. No one is better than you. No one is worse than you. You are learning. You are a beginner. But after beginner comes mid-level, then senior. Everyone goes through this. And this pays well, my friends. This pays really well. Invest in yourself. Invest in your future."
— Silas, DevOps Engineer
