FinOps - Cloud Career
So I am currently a Senior Financial Analyst (around 8 YoE) and have been really fascinated by what FinOps Analysts do. A little backstory on me, I currently work in the healthcare sector. I have extreme familiarity with financial analysis, reporting, and creating dashboards that visualize data for Executive Leadership. However, I can feel that this lane of work isn't what I find fulfilling. I am not talking about the finance area, but the healthcare side. That being said, I have always held a passion for IT. I'm at a point where I am close to setting up my own home lab, and have always just surrounded myself with technology.
I have an MBA (with concentration in IT) and am looking to make a career pivot into something I care about and is also feasible. I graduate next week and am laying out my certification path (post grad-school).
FinOps Certified Practitioner
I purchased two books for this certification.
- Cloud FinOps by J.R. Storment & Mike Fuller (1 Month of slow reading to understand the concepts)
- Ultimate Certified FinOps Practitioner Exam Guide by Raphael Gab-Momoh (2 Months of exam prep)
After completing the FinOps Certified Practitioner Cert, my goal is to acquire the FinOps FOCUS Analyst/ FinOps Professional Certifications sometime after gaining initial experience.
AWS Cloud Practitioner
- I know this is an extremely entry level certification, but I would still want to know foundational knowledge/terminology so I am not a turd who has the position but no idea of what he is talking about.
- I plan to use Udemy (Stephen M.) along with a exam study guide I bought to complete this certification.
AWS CloudOps Engineer
- I am looking to get this certification to really gain a technical understanding of how resources are deployed.
- I plan on probably using the same method as the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification to complete this.
There are a couple of other certs that I want to get as well (AZ-900 and AWS Solutions Architect).
From what I have read, there is a stigma of Financial Analysts coming into a FinOps role and not really knowing how to bridge the gap or communicate with the Engineers, which is completely valid. My take on this is that regardless if you are IT or Finance, you'll most likely have your strong areas. That being said, it's always possible to learn if you're willing to put in the work.
My goal is to at least get into a IT Financial Analyst role or an FinOps Analyst role.
My question for you all is:
Do you think completing the certifications above, doing a project or two that show real results (for a portfolio booster), and having the already established Financial Acumen would suffice for an IT Financial Analyst Role/FinOps Analyst Role?
I really just don't want to waste time and have a family that depends on me. Any guidance or help with this would be awesome!