With the technology industry being extremely broad — and only growing — it can be difficult to know exactly which field to enter for those looking to start a career in tech.

Being able to narrow down possible career fields vastly improves a person’s chance of acquiring a tech job, and one of these fields, cloud computing, is filled with job openings and boundless career progression potential, according to Kesha Williams (pictured), program director for Amazon Web Services Inc. cloud residency at Slalom LLC.

“I recommend for people just getting started in tech to really consider the cloud,” she said. “There is a huge demand for cloud engineers and people that are cloud-literate and not enough people to fill that demand. If you’re looking to start a career in the cloud, I always recommend starting with learning the foundations, so going after your AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam is a great start.”

Williams spoke with theCUBE industry analyst Lisa Martin for the “Special Program Series: Women of the Cloud,” during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed diversity in the tech industry and the rising demand for talent in cloud computing. (* Disclosure below.)

Celebrate authenticity

The focus on diversity in tech, or the lack thereof, resulted in an influx of women and people of color being hired into tech jobs. Being hired isn’t enough, however, as it’s equally important to make sure new hires feel welcome in their new environment.

“At Slalom, we work hard to build a culture where employees can bring their authentic selves to work and be authentic and enjoy equitable opportunities in a welcoming environment that celebrates authenticity,” Williams said. “For example, our employees have access to a multitude of employee resource groups. Those types of groups, we call them ERGs, help with a sense of inclusion and a sense of belonging.”

The conversation ended with Williams and Martin discussing what’s on the horizon for the cloud. There will be a growing demand for machine learning, Williams predicted, with the use of machine learning exploding across different utilizations.

“It’s important for me to lead the team to be intentional in building cloud engineers that can quickly jumpstart their machine learning journey to help fill that demand and better serve our clients,” Williams said. “I also see my role really evolving into one that truly stays in line with the trends that we’re seeing in the tech industry and bringing those trends back and really preparing our cloud engineers to succeed. “

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the “Special Program Series: Women of the Cloud”:

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the “Special Program Series: Women of the Cloud.” Neither Amazon Web Services Inc., the sponsor for theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE