If you’re a cloud beginner trying to land your first job, remote roles might seem like the perfect opportunity. No commute, total flexibility, and the ability to work from anywhere. But is it really the best choice? Welcome to Cloud Career Mentor, where we help aspiring tech professionals land dream jobs in the cloud industry. I’m your host Kelly, and today, I’m going to break down exactly why remote-only cloud jobs can actually hold you back as a beginner.
Because if you try to go remote too soon, you could not only slow down your progress and limit your opportunities, but you could also make getting hired even harder. But don’t worry; I’ll show you exactly what to do instead to set yourself up for success in the cloud industry.
1. Remote Jobs Can Hide Your Potential From Employers
One of the biggest challenges you’ll face at the start of your cloud career is proving your skills. You’re putting in the effort, learning, practicing, and tackling real-world cloud problems. But how do you show that to your potential employers?
Here’s the problem: When you’re working remotely, your contributions aren’t always visible. In an office, your manager sees you problem-solving in real time, stepping up to help a teammate, and continuously improving. Even casual moments, like mentioning a new AWS service you’re studying, can leave a lasting impression. Suddenly, they see you as someone eager to grow.
But when you’re in a remote setup, those organic moments disappear. No one sees you staying late to troubleshoot an issue, no one notices the extra effort you put into refining documentation, or optimizing a workflow. You become just another name in a Slack channel, blending in with everyone else.
Managers tend to promote and invest in the people they see making progress. When it’s time to assign key projects or discuss promotions, they’ll think of the person they’ve seen actively contributing—not the one they barely interact with. If your goal is to accelerate your cloud career, visibility matters. You need to stand out, and that’s a lot harder to do when you’re hidden behind a screen.
Read More: Insights on Bootstrapping in the Space Industry
2. The Risk of Developing Bad Work Habits
Learning cloud computing is already a challenge. There’s a lot to figure out, and without structure, it’s easy to lose focus or waste time. That’s why having solid work structure is so important when you’re starting out.
In an office, structure is built into your day. You have a start time, scheduled meetings, and a focused environment. Even quick check-ins from teammates or managers help you stay on track. But when you’re remote, that structure disappears. No one is checking in on you, no one is reminding you to stay on task or take breaks.
This lack of structure leads some cloud beginners to struggle with distractions. Without anyone watching, it’s easy to procrastinate, jump between too many learning resources, scroll through social media, or convince yourself you’ll get serious later. Before you know it, hours are gone, and you’ve made no real progress.
On the other hand, some cloud beginners push too hard. They feel like they need to be available 24/7 to prove themselves, skipping breaks, working late into the night, and overcommitting. Eventually, this can lead to burnout.
Without structure, remote work can make it harder to stay productive, focused, and balanced. If you’re struggling to build strong work habits from the start, you could be holding yourself back from the opportunities that will help you grow.
3. Remote Jobs Are More Competitive
Remote-only cloud jobs are far more competitive and harder to get than location-based roles. Think about it—if you apply for a job in your city, whether it’s London, New York, or anywhere else, you’re only competing with other applicants in that area. But when you apply for a remote-only job, you’re competing with candidates from all over the world.
This drastically increases the number of applicants, making it much harder for you to stand out. Many of those candidates have years of experience, stronger portfolios, and proven track records in cloud computing. Some may even be willing to work for lower salaries, especially if they’re based in regions with lower living costs. Others might be open to working longer hours or have previous remote work experience, making them even more attractive to employers.
So, don’t make your job search harder than it needs to be. Focus on landing a local role first. Develop your expertise and let remote work become a natural step in your career.
4. Location-Based Jobs Help You Grow Faster
Starting your cloud career in an office will help you grow faster, especially in the beginning. That’s because of the people around you. As a junior team member, you’ll have direct access to senior cloud engineers who can mentor you, answer your questions, and guide you through real-world challenges.
This kind of mentorship is crucial because it shortens your learning curve, helps you improve your skills faster, and ultimately leads to better opportunities, like pay raises and promotions. When you’re working remotely, getting that same level of mentorship is much harder.
You don’t have the luxury of turning to a teammate for a quick explanation or watching how experienced engineers solve problems in real-time. Instead, you’re often left figuring things out on your own, which can slow down your progress and make learning cloud skills feel overwhelming.
5. Remote Cloud Jobs Are Often Short-Term or Contract-Based
Most remote cloud jobs aren’t full-time permanent positions. Instead, they’re short-term contracts, freelance gigs, or temporary roles. That means no job security, no health benefits, and no paid time off. For a cloud beginner, this can be risky.
You need stability—somewhere you can gain real experience, work on long-term projects, and get mentorship from experienced engineers. But if you’re jumping from one short-term contract to another, you’re constantly in job-search mode. Instead of focusing on learning and growing, you’re worried about where your next paycheck is coming from. Then there’s the risk of layoffs. When companies need to cut costs, guess which positions they eliminate first? Contract and remote roles.
As a cloud beginner, you need time—time to develop your skills, make mistakes, learn from them, and build confidence. A stable, full-time position gives you that foundation. That’s something that’s much harder to find in the unpredictable world of remote-only, contract-based cloud jobs.
Read More: The Future of Technology in Asia: Why the Region is Leading the Way
Conclusion
The truth is, getting a job in the cloud industry can be challenging, and that’s exactly why Cloud Career Mentor exists. In this program, you’ll gain hands-on experience with in-demand cloud skills like Linux, AWS, Git, Terraform, and CI/CD pipelines—all while working on real-world projects that showcase your abilities to recruiters.
Once you’ve built a solid foundation in a local role, remote jobs will feel like a natural next step. The fastest way to grow in the cloud isn’t isolation; it’s immersion. Surrounding yourself with the right mentorship, real-world exposure, and structured learning will take your skills to the next level faster than you ever thought possible.
So, don’t rush into a remote cloud role just yet. Play the long game, gain experience now, and the freedom will follow.