The Self-Taught Cloud Computing Engineer: A comprehensive professional study guide to AWS, Azure, and GCP

Dr. Logan Song’s "The Self-Taught Cloud Computing Engineer" is an exceptional resource that delivers a comprehensive, structured approach to mastering cloud computing across the three leading platforms: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure. The book’s syllabus reveals a well-thought-out progression of topics, ensuring a strong foundation while seamlessly transitioning to advanced cloud concepts.Key Strengths:Comprehensive Coverage of AWS: The book begins with AWS, offering an in-depth exploration of its key services. Starting with EC2 and compute services, readers are guided through practical setups such as launching EC2 instances via CloudShell and configuring load balancers (ELB) and auto-scaling groups (ASG). The chapters effectively demystify complex topics like virtual private clouds (VPC), CIDR blocks, and advanced networking with security groups and firewalls. Additionally, AWS storage solutions (EBS, S3, and EFS) and container services (ECS and EKS) are explained in detail, making the content practical for real-world applications.Deep Dive into GCP: The GCP section provides insights into foundational services like Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), Cloud Storage, and its database solutions. The chapters highlight advanced big data capabilities through tools like BigQuery, Pub/Sub, and Dataflow, which are pivotal for modern data analytics. This section bridges technical knowledge with applied use cases, ensuring readers are well-prepared to leverage GCP’s scalable and cost-effective infrastructure.Exhaustive Azure Insights: The Azure chapters stand out for their comprehensive coverage of Microsoft’s ecosystem. The syllabus outlines key areas such as Azure’s cloud storage options, data analytics tools (HDInsight, Databricks, and ADF), and AI services like Azure OpenAI and ML workspaces. Security is thoroughly addressed, covering IAM, SIEM, SOAR, and hybrid cloud implementations, making this section a valuable guide for Azure practitioners.Machine Learning and Security Focus: A dedicated section on machine learning walks readers through ML pipelines, data preparation, and deployment. It also delves into SageMaker, GCP AI tools, and Azure ML workspaces, providing readers with a competitive edge in integrating AI solutions into their projects. Security chapters across all platforms—spanning IAM, encryption, threat detection, and monitoring—equip readers with essential knowledge to safeguard cloud environments.Practical Learning Approach: Each chapter incorporates practice questions, case studies, and quizzes, enabling readers to reinforce their learning. This interactive methodology ensures mastery of the concepts and prepares readers for real-world challenges and certification exams.Career Development Guidance: The final section on certifications and career-building strategies is a highlight, offering roadmaps for AWS, Azure, and GCP certifications alongside tips for breaking into the cloud computing job market. The book also includes a case study, making it particularly relevant for aspiring professionals.Why This Book Stands Out:Dr. Logan Song achieves a remarkable balance between theoretical explanations and practical applications. The neutral treatment of AWS, GCP, and Azure ensures a well-rounded perspective, empowering readers to evaluate the strengths and best-use cases of each platform. This makes the book suitable for cloud engineers, IT professionals, and students alike.In conclusion, "The Self-Taught Cloud Computing Engineer" is a masterfully crafted guide that serves as a one-stop resource for anyone looking to thrive in the cloud computing field. From foundational concepts to advanced services, this book prepares readers not just to understand cloud technologies but to excel in leveraging them for impactful solutions.

The Self-Taught Cloud Computing Engineer by Dr. Logan Song is an outstanding guide for anyone determined to build a successful career in cloud computing. The book offers a structured and practical roadmap to mastering AWS, Azure, and GCP, blending technical depth with real-world career advice. Each chapter builds skills progressively, covering essential cloud services, security, AI, and data engineering in a way that's easy to digest. Dr. Song’s personal journey—from traditional IT architect to chief cloud architect and professor—adds an inspiring human touch, making this not just a technical manual but a motivational resource as well.What truly sets this book apart is its balance between practical labs, certification strategies, and career development insights. The side-by-side comparisons of major cloud platforms help readers understand multi-cloud environments with clarity, an increasingly important skill today. Whether you are a beginner entering the cloud world or an experienced IT professional looking to upskill, this book serves as a complete toolkit for growth. The Self-Taught Cloud Computing Engineer feels less like a textbook and more like a mentorship experience—highly recommended for anyone serious about their future in cloud technology.

What really sets this book apart from others is how deeply it dives into each cloud service—across AWS, Azure, and GCP—with clear explanations and hands-on examples. Dr. Logan Song doesn’t just list the services; he helps you understand how they work, when to use them, and how they fit into real-world scenarios. That level of detail really helped me build confidence with each platform.By the time I finished the book, I not only had a strong grip on compute, storage, networking, data, and AI services—I also knew exactly how to approach cloud certifications. Dr. Song provides a practical roadmap, shares his personal cloud journey, and even offers valuable insights into the cloud job market. His story is really motivating, and it made me feel like transitioning into a cloud career is actually achievable.If you're a student aiming to understand cloud computing for your classes, or someone just starting their cloud journey and hoping to excel—this is the best book to have by your side. No doubt about it.

The Self-Taught Cloud Computing Engineer by Dr. Logan Song is one of the most practical cloud books I’ve come across. As someone who’s currently pursuing a career in cloud computing, I found this book incredibly helpful—not just for technical learning, but also for career planning. The content is thoughtfully structured into three major cloud platforms—AWS, Azure, and GCP—making it one of the few books that covers all three comprehensively in a single volume. The AWS section is particularly strong, with real-life walkthroughs like launching EC2 instances via both the console and CLI. I appreciated the comparisons between platforms, which helped me understand the strengths and trade-offs of each.What really sets this book apart is the last section on certifications and career strategy. Dr. Song not only teaches the technology, but also shares his own inspiring journey into the cloud field, which motivated me to seriously pursue certifications.Whether you're a student, career switcher, or tech enthusiast looking to break into cloud, this book offers a clear path and a confidence boost. Highly recommended!