How the course works

What will you learn on the course?

In this course, our aim is to guide you through the various career paths within cloud computing and help you determine if this is the right career choice for you. Specifically:

• We’ll introduce you to the basic terms and technologies of cloud computing.
• We’ll provide insights into what a career in cloud computing entails.
• We’ll review the different roles you can pursue in a cloud computing career.
• Experts like Mark from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and David from T5 Digital will provide valuable tips on getting started in your cloud computing career.
• We’ll outline the skills you need to develop to embark on a successful career in cloud computing.

Click Start

This course is part of the Click Start collection of short courses provided by the University of Leeds. Click Start is a nationwide training programme developed by the Institute of Coding (IoC), supported by a consortium of industry leaders, educators, and outreach providers, and funded by Nominet. Click Start aims to diversify the tech industry and address the UK’s digital skills gap.

Learning outcomes

• Describe the differences between cloud computing roles and some of the challenges in each.
• Explain some applications of cloud computing.
• Describe the benefits and advantages of cloud computing over on-premises systems.
• Describe the key areas of cloud computing.
• Describe what cloud computing is.
• Identify some specialist skills you could develop in a career in cloud computing.
• Explain the essential skills to succeed in a career in cloud computing.
• Describe some real-world examples of where cloud is deployed, and some of the challenges in these examples.

Course structure and assessment

The course is designed to last for two weeks, but you’re welcome to take longer if needed. The course is not facilitated, but is designed to support peer learning through online discussions.

Here’s an overview of the course structure:

• Each week is divided into manageable activities.
• Throughout each activity, you’ll find quizzes and discussions to reinforce and support your learning.
• The course culminates in a graded assignment. You can attempt this assignment as many times as necessary to achieve a passing score of 70% or higher and earn your “Certificate of Achievement”. You will also need to complete 90% of the steps in the course.

What do you need to do next?

We simply ask that you maintain your enthusiasm and work through all the provided materials, including videos, readings, investigations, and discussions. Your understanding will gradually grow, preparing you to engage with video interviews with industry experts. 

Thinking about your motivations

Thinking about your motivations may help you identify what you most want to get out of this course. 

Please answer this short course introduction survey about your current experience, knowledge and interests related to the topics covered in this course. The survey will take less than 5 minutes to complete.

Your response will also help us to gain valuable insights directly from learners. We use these insights to help us understand a little more about our learners and what you want from the course. This helps us create a more effective and enriching learning experience. There are a couple more (even shorter) surveys in the course too.

Note: this optional survey does not affect your completion of the course. Further detail on how we (University of Leeds) use survey responses is included at the start of the survey and in this Privacy Notice.