From Lost to Learning: My Turning Point

Hi, I’m Tarun Nayak, a Computer Science student currently in my 3rd year. To be honest, I spent the first two years of my engineering without much direction — not really focused on building skills or exploring the IT world. But that changes now. Starting this year, I’ve committed to learning seriously and documenting everything I pick up on my journey — from cloud computing and DevOps to web development and career prep.

This blog is my public notebook, accountability tracker, and personal tech diary — and I’ll be writing here consistently until the day I land my first job in tech.

In today’s tech world, cloud computing is everywhere — powering apps, websites, data storage, and even AI tools. As I started looking into career options in the IT sector, one thing became clear: cloud skills are in high demand, and they're only going to grow more important in the future.

At first, it all sounded too complex — EC2, S3, IAM, VPC... it felt overwhelming. But I didn’t want to sit back and miss out again like I did in my first two years. So I decided to start from scratch, learn cloud computing step by step, and actually understand how things work behind the scenes.

This blog is where I’ll be documenting my full journey — from setting up my first AWS account to learning key concepts, making mistakes, building projects, and eventually preparing for cloud certifications and jobs. If you're also starting out or thinking about learning cloud, I hope my posts help you take the first step with confidence.

What I Knew Before Starting

Before I seriously got into cloud computing, I had only scratched the surface of tech. I had learned some basic HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and I had briefly explored AWS through a few tutorials — but I didn’t fully understand how everything connected. I also knew a little bit about how the internet and websites worked, but nothing deep or practical.

Like many students, I spent a lot of time jumping between topics without finishing anything. This time, I decided to stop being stuck in "tutorial hell" and actually dive into tech with purpose — starting with the cloud. I’m not an expert (yet), but that’s the point of this blog: to grow in public and turn confusion into clarity, one concept at a time.

From A beginer to For A beginer

I started as a complete beginner, and now I write for beginners like me.This blog is written not by an expert, but by someone who knows exactly how it feels to be lost in the beginning.From struggling with basics to sharing what I learn — this is for every beginner who needs a simple, real explanation.I was once the beginner looking for simple answers, so now I’m creating the kind of content I wish I had.This isn't expert advice — it's beginner-to-beginner guidance, straight from my journey.

What is cloud computing ?

Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of computing power, databases, storage, applications, and other IT resources through a cloud service platform over the internet — all with a pay-as-you-go pricing model.

What is Compute ?

Compute refers to the processing power provided by the cloud to run applications, perform calculations, and process data. It is one of the core services offered by cloud platforms, enabling users to execute workloads without managing physical servers.

What Is AWS?

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most widely used cloud computing platform, offering a broad range of services including compute power, storage, databases, networking, and machine learning — all available on-demand and with pay-as-you-go pricing.

Launched by Amazon in 2006, AWS powers major companies like Netflix, Spotify, and Airbnb — and also supports startups, small businesses, and individuals learning cloud technologies.

Why I Chose AWS ?

I chose to start my cloud journey with AWS because:

It's the market leader in cloud computing.

It offers a free tier — perfect for students and beginners.

The AWS Cloud Practitioner path is designed for those with no prior experience.

It’s widely used in the industry, increasing job opportunities.

How Beginners Can Start with AWS

1. Create a free AWS account

2. Explore the AWS Free Tier

3. Start with Cloud Practitioner content (AWS Skill Builder, YouTube, etc.)

4. Practice with hands-on labs

5. Follow this blog 😉 — I’ll be sharing all my steps, mistakes, and learnings here

Types of cloud computing

The types of cloud computing define the kind of services offered by the cloud provider. These models help users understand what level of control, flexibility, and responsibility they have over the cloud resources.

There are three main types of cloud computing service models:

1. IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)

2. PaaS (Platform as a Service)

3. SaaS (Software as a Service)

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

IaaS provides the basic building blocks for cloud IT. It offers virtualized computing resources over the internet, including networking, storage, and servers.

Features:

• You manage: applications, data, runtime, middleware, OS

• Cloud provider manages: virtualization, servers, storage, networking

• Highest level of flexibility

• Easily parallels traditional on-premises infrastructure

Used for - Hosting, test environments, disaster recovery

Examples:

• Amazon EC2 (AWS)

• Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

• Microsoft Azure

• DigitalOcean, Rackspace, Linode

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

PaaS provides a ready-to-use platform for developers to build, test, and deploy applications without worrying about managing underlying infrastructure.

Features:

• You manage: applications and data

• Cloud provider manages everything else

• Ideal for rapid development and testing

Used For -Application development, API creation, software testing

Examples:

• AWS Elastic Beanstalk

• Google App Engine

• Heroku

• Microsoft Azure App Services

---

Software as a Service (SaaS)

SaaS delivers fully functional software applications over the internet. Everything — from servers to application logic — is managed by the provider.

Features:

• You only use the software — everything is managed for you

• No infrastructure worries

• Pay only for what you use

• Examples:

• Gmail, Google Apps (G Suite)

• Dropbox

• Zoom

• AWS AI Services (like Rekognition for ML)

Types of Cloud Deployment Models

Cloud deployment models define how cloud services are made available to users and who controls the infrastructure. As a beginner, it's important to understand the three main types: Public, Private, and Hybrid cloud.

Public Cloud – Resources owned by a third-party (like AWS)

Private Cloud – Used exclusively by one organization

Hybrid Cloud – Mix of both public and private

Public Cloud

In a public cloud, services and infrastructure are owned and managed by a third-party provider like AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud. These resources are shared among multiple users (also known as tenants), but securely isolated from each other.

Examples: Hosting websites on AWS EC2, storing files on S3
Best for: Startups, developers, businesses wanting cost-effective, scalable solutions
Benefit: No need to manage hardware — just pay for what you use

Private Cloud

A private cloud is used exclusively by a single organization. It can be hosted on-premises (in your own data center) or by a third-party, but the infrastructure is not shared with others.

Examples: Banks, government agencies, or enterprises needing strict control over data
Best for: High-security environments with custom compliance needs
Benefit: Greater control and customization

Hybrid Cloud

A hybrid cloud combines both public and private clouds, allowing data and applications to be shared between them. This setup provides greater flexibility, as organizations can keep sensitive data in a private cloud while using public cloud for less critical workloads.

Examples: Running a private server for internal data + using AWS S3 for backups
Best for: Organizations needing both security and scalability
Benefit: Balances performance, security, and cost