Everyone Thinks A.I. is the Big Money Maker

Right now, A.I. is the buzzword. Everyone thinks it's the biggest opportunity in tech. However, while I was making a YouTube video this week about cloud engineering. You can check it out here. In terms of market cap, I found out that A.I. is not at the top of the list.

The headlines are all about A.I. breakthroughs, making people believe it’s the ultimate industry to pursue. But here’s the truth: A.I. is important, but cloud engineering is where the real opportunities lie—both in job growth and salary potential. You ever ask yourself, where A.I. lives..... ☁

Why This Belief is So Common

We’re constantly bombarded with stories of A.I. advancements—self-driving cars, ChatGPT, A.I. art—the list goes on. This media frenzy makes it seem like A.I. is the only tech industry worth your time.

But here’s the problem: this hype has led people to overlook a massive industry that powers not just A.I., but most of the digital services we use today—cloud computing.

Here’s how this plays out:

Example #1
👨‍💻 Job seekers are focusing on A.I. while cloud engineering roles are more abundant, better-paying, and more stable in the long run.

Example #2
🌐 Businesses struggling to scale AI are hitting walls because they don’t have the cloud infrastructure or engineers to support these complex systems.

Example #3
📊 AI initiatives stall when companies lack expertise in the cloud platforms that AI applications rely on for storage, computation, and security.

Why This Belief is Flawed: Cloud Engineering = Bigger Opportunity

Here’s a fact that might surprise you:
While A.I. is projected to grow rapidly in market value, cloud computing is already a $600 billion behemoth today—and is on track to hit $1 trillion by 2030.

Cloud engineers are essential for building the infrastructure that powers everything from AI to online shopping to remote work.

If you want to future-proof your career, it’s cloud engineering—not just A.I.—that will get you there. 💪

💸 Let’s Compare the Money:

☁️ Cloud Computing – $600B
Massive market with IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS. Projected to hit $1T by 2028.

🌐 Edge Computing – $50B
Smaller but growing with IoT and 5G. Expected to reach $150B by 2030.

⚙️ DevOps & Automation – $10B
Rapidly expanding with cloud-native practices. Could hit $20B+ by 2028.

🔒 Cybersecurity – $220B
Booming with cloud reliance. Expected to surpass $500B by 2030.

🚀 Serverless Computing – $10B
Small but crucial, projected to reach $30B by 2030.

📦 Containerization & Orchestration – $5B
Growing with Kubernetes & Docker, expected to reach $12B by 2028.

📊 Big Data & Analytics – $300B
Huge industry, expected to exceed $500B by 2030.

🤖 Artificial Intelligence (AI) – $200B
Booming, but still reliant on cloud. Expected to hit $1T by 2030.

Think of it this way: would you rather dive into an industry that’s booming now, or wait for one that’s still growing? Cloud isn’t just the present, it’s the future too.

How to Shift Your Focus to Cloud Engineering

If you’re ready to move beyond the A.I. hype and focus on cloud, here’s how you can make the switch:

Step 1: Get Cloud Certified

Pick a cloud platform like AWS, GCP, or Azure and get certified. Certification programs are quicker than you think, and platforms like Professional.dev offer a ton of resources to help you get started.

Step 2: Apply Your Cloud Skills Everywhere

Once you’ve got the basics down, apply your cloud skills to real-world projects—whether it’s deploying a web app, creating an automated workflow, or setting up a cloud-based AI model (yes, cloud and AI work together!). This makes you invaluable across multiple industries.

🚀 Why A.I. Alone Won’t Cut It (And Cloud is Here to Stay)

AI’s hype isn’t going away, but here’s why cloud is the real long-term play:

  1. AI depends on the cloud for storage, computation, and scalability.
  2. Cloud engineers are in higher demand with more open roles and higher salaries.
  3. Cloud skills give you versatility, whether you want to work in AI, app development, or cybersecurity.

As the cloud market continues to grow and power everything from AI to e-commerce, cloud engineers will be in more demand than ever. So, if you want to get ahead in tech, start with the cloud. 🌩️

I'm not saying give up on A.I. It's clear tools like ChatGPT and others are just a part of our workflow. But if you want to stay ahead of the curve.

In my opinion, I think focusing on where A.I. is living and understanding how to set it up is a bigger win.

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I hope you have a lovely day!

See you soon,

Caleb 'TechDad' ✌🏾