All of us at one time or another have experienced that vaguely unsettling feeling of being in front of a mirror that faces another mirror. You can see yourself, and your reflection, and that reflection, and so on. Earning a cloud computing degree online is a bit like that set of mirrors, because you are using the cloud itself to learn about the cloud. Educators and psychologists have another name for this: metacognition, or using the thinking machine (your brain) to think about thinking. So can you earn a cloud computing degree by using the cloud itself? 

You Can; You Should

The cloud itself is perhaps one of the most amazing technological developments of the past two centuries. Taking a little from hive mind concepts, a little from distributed networking, and owing a lot to Tim Berners-Lee—excuse us, Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee, OM KBE FRS FREng FRSA FBCS (those are all his fellowships, knighthood, and titles)—the internet cloud is the democratization of information. No single serve holds all the answers. Information is everywhere, on servers, thick clients, and smart clients all over the globe. 

So why, with all this available information out there, would you not use the cloud to learn about, and get a degree in, cloud computing? It is fabulously fast, amazingly efficient, and brilliantly simple to access. 

Are You a Quitter or Completer?

Working at an online education is not for everyone. If you have a genuine passion for learning about the growing field of cloud computing, a bit of self-motivation, and the ability to focus, you may find a cloud computing degree delivered entirely online is perfect for you. 

If you need someone hovering over you, a stern professor at the front of the room, or peer pressure from classmates to buckle down and study, you may not be a good fit for an online degree program. Many people find they quit online programs simply because nobody is there to stop them from quitting!

When you consider the costs of education—any education, online or in person—you may realize you have a moral obligation (a duty, if you will) to make the most of the opportunity. A lot of resources have gone into making you who you are today, and the chance to improve your mind and contribute to society is not conferred on everyone. So perhaps you will have the intrinsic motivation to keep your eye on your goal and push yourself to complete an online cloud computing undergraduate degree. If you persevere, your rewards could be many:

• Better work life
• Improved housing
• Freedom from worry
• Improved personal relationships
• A more optimistic attitude
• Better equipped to handle change

The Cloud’s Whirlwind of Change

Let’s consider change for just a moment. Back-trace the cloud a bit: 

• Electrification (Edison)—1880
• Electrical computer (ENIAC)—1946
• ARPANET—1969
• Internet—1974
• World Wide Web (Berners-Lee’s invention)—1989
• Cloud computing (NASA)—2008

We are dealing with a communications revolution whose most distant ancestor is only 136 years old! The pace of change moving into the future will continue to pick up, and smart people with an eye to that future will gain the skills they need, now, through the cloud itself. 

The plain and perhaps painful reality of employment opportunities today is that skills of the mind—metacognitive abilities and imagination—are more highly valued than skills of muscle. By equipping yourself with a cloud computing degree, you could stay in the fast lane to that future. You make your mind a marketable commodity. As a recent NPR broadcast put it, “The real profit in American manufacturing is in the idea, not in the physical thing.”

You absolutely can earn a cloud computing degree online, and the benefits—relatively low cost, convenient schedule, leading-edge learning, quick time to completion—far outweigh any perceived penalties. Not only do you brace yourself for change, you are part of that change that leads to a better future. 

The Green Cloud?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has put out onto the cloud the following information about cloud computing work: 

• Network and Computer Systems Administrators earned median annual wages, as of May, 2014, of $75,790
• Those working in information industries (aka the cloud) earned median annual wages of $81,160
• Demand for these skilled professionals is expected to grow eight percent through 2024, slightly faster than the average of all occupations

Forget silver linings in grey clouds; cloud computing rewards well-educated professionals with plenty of green. 

Earn Your Cloud Computing Degree Online

The place—in a loose, cloudy, non-geographic sense—to go for your online cloud computing degree is ECPI University. With ECPI University’s flexible, year-round online virtual classrooms, you can earn your Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer and Information Science with a concentration in Cloud Computing in only 2.5 years. This is a fraction of the time—and cost—of attending a brick-and-mortar (not in the cloud) school. Contact ECPI today by going online (yes, yes, using the cloud) to learn more. It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

DISCLAIMER – ECPI University makes no claim, warranty, or guarantee as to actual employability or earning potential to current, past or future students or graduates of any educational program we offer. The ECPI University website is published for informational purposes only. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained on the ECPI.edu domain; however, no warranty of accuracy is made. No contractual rights, either expressed or implied, are created by its content.

Gainful Employment Information – Cloud Computing - Bachelor’s

For more information about ECPI University or any of our programs click here: http://www.ecpi.edu/ or http://ow.ly/Ca1ya.