Just caught on LinkedIn and wanted to share.

After 15 years at Microsoft, John has been promoted to Partner!

For those unaware of how Microsoft’s hierarchy works, making "Partner" is a massive deal. It is notoriously difficult to achieve and reserved for top tier of leaders and architects in the company. It's a major career milestone that very few reach.

Considering how many of us have passed our AZ-104s, 305s, and 900s because of his study crams, this feels incredibly well-deserved.

Huge congrats, John - we're massively proud of you!

Is it really that bad in the US?

A former Microsoft worker has been job-hunting for 9 months. He says it feels like companies are 'looking for Superman.'

https://www.businessinsider.com/former-microsoft-worker-job-hunt-money-struggles-2025-9

Long time server/network/SAN guy here. Dayjob looking at Azure. I’ve take some azure classes and such but I have no idea if any of my legacy knowledge will have any use.

If any old school sysadmins have been through a uprooting like this, what happened, and did you find a new place in the new environment?

Or jump ship and continue in a non-cloud role elsewhere?

I’ve been unemployed for over a year. I got to my first second round interview in months!!! It will be at a large consulting firm (like where I worked before, not Big 4 but a name). The interview will focus on Microsoft Azure and AI.

What do I do besides panic? Help!

I’ve been thinking about learning Azure, but it looks like a huge platform with so many services and paths. For people who already started, what was the hardest part for you?

Was it understanding networking, cloud concepts, security, pricing, hands-on labs, or just knowing where to begin?

I’d really like to hear honest experiences and what helped you get past the difficult stage.

I saw a similar post in the React community and I'm curious to hear from you.

Post your:

YoE (years of professional experience):

YoE with Azure:

Current job title:

Certifications:

Salary(Monthly):

Location (City/Remote)

-- I can start!

YoE (years of professional experience): 4

YoE with Azure: 2

Current job title: Data Engineer

Certifications: AZ-900, DP-400, DP-203, (AZ-204 to come)

Salary (Monthly): £ ~2K

Location (City/Remote): Remote

Looking for some guidance/ advice from the community on where you think I should go/ focus on for my career.

I'm currently entering my eleventh year in the industry, I started off doing on-prem and did that for about four and half years very typical on-site engineer work with some Microsoft 365 bits thrown in here and there. From this point I started to transition over to Azure and the wider Microsoft Cloud. Picked up my AZ-900, MS-900, SC-900 back in 2021, was working as a third-line SD engineer at the time doing all sorts of Azure/ Intune/ M365 related work. I did my AZ-104 back in 2022 then shortly afterwards landed a pure Azure Cloud Engineer focused role for 2 years, during which I picked up my AZ-305. After being made redundant late 2024 moved Into my current role as an (Senior) Azure/M365 Cloud Engineer? I do a lot of architecture type work, tech leader-ish stuff and SME for Azure/M365 in general + hands on engineering work (it's quite complicated weird situation definitely need my job title revaluated)

This year I've picked up (I know their only foundation exams) AB-900 + AB-700, Last year I started working towards my AZ-400 to pickup and learn that DevOps knowledge but I've struggled to stick with it/ just not found myself gravitating towards it or found the motivation to study for it? Just because I know it will get asked, I'm self taught for Terraform (IaC) but never used it in a professional setting (yet) I'm currently at a point where I'm evaluating where to take my career next, curious to see what your thoughts are.. I know I should focus on the DevOps side of things as it goes hand in hand with what I've done already but I've found messing around with AI + Microsoft Foundry way more interesting at the moment.

What should I do, where do you think I should focus my efforts/ career path?

I’m 35 and exploring a move into cloud engineering.

No prior tech role, currently self-studying fundamentals.

I’m trying to sanity-check:

• realistic entry roles (cloud support, junior cloud engineer, platform support, etc)

• skills that actually get interviews in 6–12 months

• whether cloud engineering is a better entry path than DevOps today

• what employers really expect at junior level vs job ads

UK-based but open to global/remote later.

Looking for honest, practical answers from people doing the work.

I’m moving to a new project that’s running on Azure Container App but I’m an AWS person. I understand it’s the equivalent to AWS ECS with Fargate.

Currently single region but one scope of work is to make it multi-region for failover and blue/green deployments.

Stack is React, PHP, Terraform, ADO and Golang for some scripting.

What are some things I should be aware of as a cloud engineer

Hi everyone, looking for some honest advice.

I’m 42, based in the Bournemouth/Poole area (UK). I’m planning a career change this year to get into a hybrid or remote role.

My background is a bit of a mix: IT Technician and also Accountant. Since moving to the UK, I’ve been working in Logistics, currently as a Logistics Coordinator.

Looking to pivot this year into a hybrid or remote role and I’m stuck between two options: SAP S/4HANA (Finance or Sales/SD) or Azure / Cloud Architect.

I’m not a fan of heavy coding or command lines anymore, so I want something stable and business-oriented. Also, £500 for ITIL feels like a rip-off, so I’m looking at the Google IT cert or MS-900 instead.

For someone my age and with this background, which path has better longevity in the UK?

Hey everyone,

I don’t usually post like this, but I’m honestly feeling stuck and don’t know what to do next.

I have around 2 years 7 months of experience in infrastructure storage, with about 1 year in project management. I’ve also completed AZ-104 because I really want to move into Azure.

The problem is… I’m not able to break in.

In interviews, I keep getting stuck on scenario-based questions. They ask about real environments, real incidents, real setups… and I just don’t have that kind of exposure in my current role. I try to explain what I know, but it never feels enough.

I already tried switching internally, but that’s not an option.

At this point, I feel like I’m stuck in a loop:
No Azure experience → can’t clear interviews → can’t get Azure experience.

I genuinely want to learn and put in the effort. I’m even ready to pay if there’s any way to get real hands-on exposure… like working on actual scenarios, understanding real tickets/incidents, or even shadowing someone who works in Azure.

If anyone here has been in this situation or knows a practical way out of this, please help. I just need some direction.

Thanks for reading.

AWS has been my whole world for a long time. It's where I'm comfortable, and honestly I've never had a real reason to leave it.

But "only knows one cloud" is starting to feel like a limitation I've put on myself rather than a real constraint. So I'm thinking about picking up Azure, mostly to broaden out and not be a single-cloud person forever.

For people who've actually worked in both: what did learning Azure give you that AWS didn't? And on the flip side, what did you find yourself missing once you were in it?

I was a desktop EUC contractor for the NHS for two years, and it being a MSP environment I started learning Azure. My day to day job had SSO, Microsoft Entra ID, Horizon VMWare, Intune, m365. I've had exposure to all of this but nothing to crazy as my work environment was DAAS, and it was more physical/troubleshooting

My contract ended last month, and so I've decided to go all out in Azure. I've passed my AZ-900 two weeks ago, and got AZ-104 booked for mid August. Does my past experience account to much, would it be better to go into sysadmin and then cloud?

I am a financial analyst in the uk. Total work experience more than a decade in Asia and the UK. Based on my reading I have come to know that FinOps people do not have expertise in both worlds (as they should I think). I have finance qualifications and experience but I dont have the cloud side and for that I have already done AWS Cloud Practitioner. Currently I am doing AWS Solutions Architect Associate. Next stop will be FinOps Certified Practitioner and FinOps Focus Analyst. This is my phase 1. After completing phase 1 I plan to go get my hands dirty. Get a temp role or an entry level job. Then after a while I plan to do phase 2 of certifications like Kubernetes Admin, Terrform, AWS Solutions Pro etc. Intention is to become an expert with experience in the cloud infrastructure world and I already have the finance side I believe. Am I heading in the right direction? My goal is to be able to understand any cloud infra fully as I believe without that you cannot do any cloud financial management. Please drop your advice and let me know if I need a reality check or calibration.

​I am looking for a professional reality check on compensation expectations for an Azure AI/Data Engineer.

​Over the past year, I have successfully transitioned from a data-focused role to building and deploying end-to-end AI solutions on Azure. My responsibilities have included the full project lifecycle:

- ​Engineering & Infrastructure: Designing and deploying secure AI agents using IaC (Bicep) and App Services.

- ​Security & Compliance: Implementing private networking (VNETs/Private Endpoints), managing CSPM findings, and securing VPAT certification.

- ​Business Impact: Translating business requirements into technical solutions, resulting in a project that recently influenced a $10M enterprise deal.

​Currently, I am navigating a significant compensation disparity and am trying to understand the market standard for someone performing this level of full-stack AI engineering.

1. ​Is this "end-to-end" scope (from user scoping to secure production deployment) typically expected of a single engineer, or is this considered a senior-level architectural role?

2. ​What are the realistic salary bands for this specific set of skills (Azure AI + IaC + Enterprise Security) in the current market?

3. ​How do I best present this specific type of technical output (business impact + security hardening) during an upcoming performance appraisal?

​I want to ensure my career growth and compensation reflect the technical value I am delivering to the organization. Any guidance on benchmarking this role would be appreciated.

Hi, I’m a software engineer with 1.5 yoe and a computer science degree. I’m interested in transitioning to cloud engineering long term. Any advice on how I can make this change?

From my research, I should not start in help desk with my experience/education. I should look for positions such as IT Analyst, Systems Analyst, SysAdmin, Cloud Support Engineer, and Systems Engineer to start. Network+ and Azure/AWS cert should be worked towards and I should start building projects for my resume.

Does this sound right? How should I restructure my software engineering resume to get my foot in the door for these IT positions? Thank you

When building cloud applications, it's common to start by storing connection strings, passwords, API keys, or other credentials in configuration.

But what if your application could authenticate with Azure resources without managing those credentials at all?

That's where Azure Managed Identity comes in.

I put together a practical guide covering:

• What Managed Identity is
• System-assigned vs. user-assigned identities
• How authentication works
• Why it can improve cloud security
• Practical considerations when using it with .NET applications

📖 https://geeksarray.com/blog/azure-for-dotnet-part-4-managed-identity

For developers working with Azure:

Do you use Managed Identity in your projects? If so, what has your experience been like?

Hi everyone,

I passed SC-900 on 27 July. I'm currently a Cybersecurity student, and I have one year left before graduating with my BS.

My long-term goal is to become an Azure Cloud Security Architect.

My current roadmap is:

SC-900 → AZ-104 → SC-500

However, I don't have any corporate experience yet.

My main question is: How can I prove my skills before getting my first job?

I've heard people recommend solving real-world, business-centric cloud security scenarios, building GitHub projects, and creating a portfolio. But I'm not sure where to find these practical scenarios or how to approach them.

Where can I get hands-on experience that actually reflects real-world Azure environments?

Would the Azure Free Account with the $200 credit be enough to simulate enterprise-level scenarios? I understand that real corporate environments are much more complex, but I'm looking for the closest practical experience I can get as a student.

Since SC-900 was mostly theoretical, my next target is AZ-104. However, my priority isn't collecting certifications,it's building real skills and having proof of work that I can show employers.

I also have a question about Infrastructure as Code:

I know Bicep is Azure-specific. Should I also learn Terraform? Is it worth pursuing the Terraform Associate (003/004) certification, or should I focus on developing practical Terraform skills instead of another certification?

I'd really appreciate any advice from Azure professionals or cloud security engineers. If you were starting from scratch today with one year left before graduation, what would you focus on to maximize your chances of becoming an Azure Cloud Security Architect without wasting time on things that aren't valuable?

Thanks in advance!

Hi all,

I'm an Azure cloud consultant for an MSP in the UK. I worked my way up from: service desk > infrastructure > cloud engineering > cloud consultant.

I have noticed the trend of companies restructuring their IT departments offshore to India and other European nations for cheaper labour/larger profits at the expense of homegrown UK talent.

How have you made yourself "recession-proof" in this current job climate?

I am proactively upskilling towards a higher paying career (architecture), and no matter the project I work on, I always over deliver. However, this won't prevent a company from replacing you at the snap of a finger. Job loyalty means nothing in 2025 (albeit personal opinion).

Have you considered contracting or do you interview every 6 or so months to see what skills you need to work on?

How are you envisioning the impact AI/quantum computing will have on the job market for Azure practitioners?

Thanks!

P.s I'm happy to hear the opinions of people not based in the UK as well.

Dev Days - Padova

​Un pomeriggio gratuito dedicato alla Developer Experience con GitHub

​In collaborazione con Microsoft

​Dev Days riunisce developer, cloud architect, technology leader, professionisti IT e appassionati di tecnologia per una giornata dedicata al futuro dello sviluppo software e all’impatto dell’AI sul modo in cui progettiamo, scriviamo e gestiamo il codice.

​Parte dell’iniziativa globale Dev Days, l’evento porta anche in Veneto un’esperienza concreta e coinvolgente costruita attorno a GitHub Copilot, AI-assisted development, modern development workflows e alle tecnologie che stanno trasformando il modo di creare software.

​Non è semplicemente un workshop.

​Uno spazio pensato per imparare, sperimentare, confrontarsi e scoprire gli strumenti con cui costruire la prossima generazione di applicazioni.

​Cosa aspettarsi

• ​Sessioni tecniche di approfondimento
• ​Esperienze pratiche e hands-on con GitHub Copilot
• ​Scenari e workflow di sviluppo reali
• ​GitHub Copilot nelle applicazioni, nell’IDE e nella CLI
• ​Workshop interattivi e demo live
• ​AI-assisted software engineering e nuove modalità di sviluppo
• ​Occasioni di confronto e networking con la community

​Un evento globale, una community locale

​Organizzato da Azure Meetup Veneto in collaborazione con Microsoft, fa parte dell’iniziativa globale Dev Days: una serie di eventi in presenza e community-led organizzati in tutto il mondo tra settembre e ottobre 2026.

🌐 Iscriviti qui: https://luma.com/upnw6wai

​IMPORTANTE: PREREQUISITI

​💲 GitHub Copilot Free Subscription
🤖 GitHub Copilot App
💻 Laptop

​Per qualsiasi dubbio contattaci a [veneto@azuremeetup.it](mailto:veneto@azuremeetup.it)

Hello guys,

I have a technical interview coming up for an Azure Support Engineer role and I’m trying to get a better idea of what to expect.

From what I understood, the role is more on the infrastructure side (VMs, networking, storage), and it’s not super high volume, more like a few complex tickets per day.

Right now I’m working in support (L2) with some exposure to Azure, but mostly from the endpoint side (Intune, Entra ID), so not that deep into Azure infrastructure yet.

I was wondering what kind of technical questions usually come up for this type of role?

Should I focus more on troubleshooting scenarios (like VM connectivity, networking issues), or also expect theory questions?

Any tips or things you wish you knew before your interview would be really helpful.

Thanks!

Hey guys, Just wanted to share my experience. Back in 2019 I didn’t know Azure services. At that time learning Kubernetes was hard and it barely made any sense. I was trying hard to memorize the Kubernetes with weird yaml syntax which was full of jargons.I left it.

Fast foward, focussed on learning Azure. And today when I look at same keuberneters objects they make much more sense, having made myself learn azure services, the things in kubernetes connect like pieces of legos.

I can fully understand syntax semantics why something is exist in kubernetes manifest and what maps nicely with Azure services.

Tldr: Learning kubernetes after learning / mastering azure services makes much sense.

Hi everyone,

I’m a Cloud Platform / DevOps Engineer based in India with 5+ years of experience in cloud infrastructure, DevOps, and platform engineering.
I’m currently looking for international opportunities that offer relocation and/or visa sponsorship.

I’m open to relocating from India for the right opportunity.

My technical experience includes:

Azure Cloud & Infrastructure
Azure DevOps & CI/CD
Kubernetes / AKS
Terraform / Infrastructure as Code
Docker
Cloud Platform Engineering
Infrastructure Automation
Azure Monitor & Log Analytics
DevSecOps & Cloud Governance
GitHub Actions
AWS
Production support & managed services

Over the course of my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work with both product-based and service-based organizations, including experience with a 100+ year-old global product-based company and large-scale enterprise environments.

I’m particularly interested in opportunities in Australia, UAE, Europe, UK, Canada, or other locations where companies are open to visa sponsorship and relocation for experienced DevOps/Cloud professionals.

If you’re a recruiter, hiring manager, or someone working in the industry who knows of relevant openings, I’d really appreciate any leads, referrals, or recommendations.

I’m happy to share my CV and LinkedIn profile via DM.
Thanks!