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#158 From Gas Station to Google with Self-Taught Cloud Engineer Rishab Kumar

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January 31, 2025

TLDR: Quincy Larson interviews Rishab Kumar, cloud engineer and developer advocate at Twillio, discussing how he taught himself to code and build cloud infrastructure, his struggles with FAANG rejections, filling up the Infinity Guantlet with cloud certifications, and persistence. They also talk about his Terraform course, LangChain LLM deployment course on freeCodeCamp, Learn to Cloud guide, and his YouTube channel.

1Ask AI

In episode #158 of the podcast, Quincy Larson interviews Rishab Kumar, a self-taught cloud engineer who has successfully transitioned from working minimum-wage jobs to securing a position at Google. This inspiring episode covers Rishab's journey, insights into cloud engineering, the importance of persistence, and practical advice for aspiring tech professionals.

Who is Rishab Kumar?

  • Background: Rishab grew up in India and moved to Canada for studies. Financial struggles prevented him from completing his education, which led him to work as a pizza delivery driver and at a gas station.
  • Self-education: Despite setbacks, Rishab dedicated himself to learning programming and cloud technologies through free resources, including freeCodeCamp.
  • Career trajectory: Through hard work and determination, he eventually landed a role at Google.

Key Takeaways from the Episode

1. The Essence of Cloud Engineering

  • Understanding Cloud Engineering: Cloud engineers design, build, and manage cloud-based systems. Cloud services are essentially rented computing resources provided by companies like Amazon AWS, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure.
  • Networking Fundamentals: Rishab emphasizes learning networking fundamentals, including how DNS works and how data packets travel. These concepts are crucial for anyone wanting to work in cloud engineering.
  • Importance of Linux Knowledge: Rishab notes that a strong grasp of Linux is essential, as most servers operate on this OS. Understanding command line tools is critical for cloud engineers.

2. Overcoming Challenges and Persistence

  • Rejections from FAANG Jobs: Rishab shares his experience of getting rejected from major tech companies multiple times before finally succeeding. His story illustrates the importance of resilience and learning from failures.
  • Cloud Certifications: Throughout his journey, Rishab gained numerous cloud certifications to bolster his skills, referring to this as "filling the Infinity Gauntlet" with credentials. Each certification serves to validate his expertise and commitment to the field.

3. Continuous Learning and Growth

  • Stay Curious: Rishab's natural curiosity and willingness to learn drove him to seek out opportunities beyond his comfort zone, such as taking on projects at work that were not initially assigned to him.
  • Networking and Mentorship: He highlights the importance of seeking mentorship and networking with professionals in the industry, which became pivotal in his career advancement.

4. Practical Advice for Aspiring Cloud Engineers

  • Foundational Skills: Rishab recommends aspiring engineers to focus on:
    • Networking basics
    • Learning Linux
    • Gaining proficiency in a programming language (Python is suggested).
  • Getting Certified: He urges individuals to pursue at least one associate-level cloud certification relevant to their chosen cloud platform (AWS, Azure, or GCP) to enhance job prospects.
  • Embrace Automation: Knowledge of tools like Terraform for infrastructure as code can greatly benefit cloud professionals.

5. The Future of Cloud Engineering

  • AI Influence on Cloud: Rishab anticipates that as AI-demand grows, the cloud engineering field will expand as companies look to leverage cloud services for compute-heavy tasks.
  • Operational Excellence: Companies are becoming more cost-conscious regarding cloud expenses, thus seeking engineers who can help optimize resource allocation.

Conclusion

Rishab Kumar’s journey from humble beginnings to working as a cloud engineer at Google exemplifies the power of resilience, continuous learning, and leveraging available resources. This episode of the podcast delivers profound insights into the nature of cloud engineering and offers practical strategies for those looking to break into tech, underscoring that with passion and persistence, anyone can achieve their dreams.

Key Links Mentioned

  • Terraform and LangChain Courses on freeCodeCamp
  • Learn to Cloud guide – a free resource to help individuals get into cloud engineering.

This summary encapsulates Rishab's experiences and the practical steps he offers to help aspiring cloud engineers navigate their journeys successfully.

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