My career journey from Nigeria to the cloud

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I was one of a handful of women in a class of 150 people in a classroom in Nigeria, Africa, who all shared one computer as we earned our undergraduate degrees.

Later, after earning my Ph.D. in technology management, I walked into a classroom to teach a Python coding class. The school principal said, “We weren’t expecting you; we’re expecting Dr. Idemudia.” I smiled and replied, “That’s me.”

I’m now an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Architect Associate Manager in the Accenture AWS Business Group. I also wrote a book called Out of Africa and into the Cloud: Girls can code too.

I’ve faced plenty of challenges as a woman working in technology, but I’ve turned those challenges into inspiration, for myself and others. And from my experience, I can say it’s a great time for women to pursue a career in cloud.

Harnessing the power of cloud

I started my career as an Oracle Database Engineer and came to Accenture in 2018, when I relocated to the U.S. from Nigeria. I’m now an Architect Associate Manager in the Accenture AWS Business Group, helping design and manage migration architectures for Fortune 500 companies as they transition their workloads from on-premises to AWS cloud.

I recently worked on a project for a client that needed to migrate applications from on-premises containers to AWS cloud. They needed to understand what it would look like when the apps were on the cloud.  

We deployed the application on cloud and met with the client’s business managers to show them a demonstration of what it would look like on the cloud.

The client was impressed that the application could come back live without any downtime; it was proof that AWS cloud is reliable, scalable and makes applications highly updatable. It was so successful that they approved us migrating more than 1,000 apps to the cloud.

Leading this initiative is one of the highlights of my career. I learned that companies just want to be better, to do better, to deliver better products and services, and we work alongside them to make it happen.

Why Accenture for a cloud career?

Most companies are going “multi-cloud,” which means they want the benefits of all the cloud platforms, from Alibaba, AWS and Azure to Google cloud and IBM. When our clients come to Accenture, they know we’re a one-stop shop, with access to and expertise in all these platforms—and more.

That’s what makes working in cloud at Accenture so great. The opportunity to work across a variety of cloud providers offers unparalleled opportunities to learn about various platforms and implementations and continue to grow your skills.

And with our new Cloud-first initiative, we’re investing $3 billion over the next three years to continue to improve and expand our cloud services and help the world’s leading businesses accelerate their digital transformation.

There’s just no better place to grow your career and skills in the cloud space.

Inspiring the next generation

Accenture’s commitment to a culture of equality is dedicated to helping more women become AWS certified.

I’m proud to be part of the Accenture AWS Women in Cloud initiative. We partner with organizations with a similar focus on girls and women in tech, such as Girls Who Code, Women in Cloud and Black Girls Code, to inspire, empower and educate young women about cloud technology.

Working with organizations like these is life changing.

I love teaching my two daughters about what I’m doing. During their science fair last year, we worked together to build a new Alexa skill. It was so amazing to watch them give their presentation and to know I’m transferring what I’m learning to my girls.

Cloud skills are a business-must

Companies of all sizes are migrating to the cloud in order to remain relevant and competitive. In today’s business world, having any form of cloud skill is a must.

Like everything in technology, cloud is a broad landscape. If you’re ready to start or grow your career in cloud, here are a few skills with important areas of focus:

• Cloud networking
• DevOps/CICD
• Cloud data analytics
• Cloud machine learning
• Cloud security
• Cloud architectures

If you’re ready to work in cloud, jump in. It’s challenging, but if I can make it after learning while sharing a computer in Africa, you can, too. Focus on building your skills and growing (or, as I say in my book, focus on your focus!).

Join us and harness the power of AWS cloud to transform business—and entire industries.

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