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If you have no computer science degree and no cloud experience to put on a résumé, start by building one: a simple résumé website that grows into a small Azure application. The Cloud Resume Challenge gives that work a sequence—website, hosting, domain and HTTPS, a counter backed by an API and storage, then automated deployment—so you can learn by finishing a real project rather than trying to master cloud services in the abstract.
The career-change perspective here comes from Victor, whose DEV Community article says he moved from flying helicopters into enterprise IT and later Azure work. His article was originally published at CAMPUX. That is his account, not an independently verified career history. Read Victor’s original article.
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What the Cloud Resume Challenge is—and why it makes a useful first project
The challenge turns a résumé into a practical cloud-learning project. You begin with a page that presents your experience and skills, then add the infrastructure and application pieces that make it more than a static document. Each stage gives you something concrete to explain: how the site is hosted, how a browser request reaches an API, where data is stored, and how changes get deployed.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →That makes it a sensible first build for a career changer, not a shortcut around learning fundamentals. A finished project can give you evidence of what you have practised, but completing it does not guarantee an interview or a job.
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Build it in stages, and make each stage work before adding the next
- Write a small résumé site. Create a straightforward HTML and CSS page with your background, projects, and contact details. Put the files in version control and commit the initial version. The goal is a readable site, not a complex design.
- Publish the static site. Deploy it so someone else can open it on the web. Victor’s article recommends Azure Static Web Apps for a personal project. Microsoft’s plan documentation lists custom domains and automatically renewing TLS certificates among the Free plan’s features. Check Microsoft’s Static Web Apps plans and their limits.
- Add a domain and verify HTTPS. Connect a domain you control and check that the site loads over HTTPS. Treat “free” as a configuration goal, not a promise that the whole setup costs nothing: the domain may cost money, and Azure usage or optional services can add charges. Static Web Apps Free has limits and no SLA, so review the current terms before relying on it. Microsoft’s Static Web Apps FAQ.
- Build a small HTTP-triggered function. Make a simple API endpoint and test it locally before connecting it to the site. An HTTP-triggered function gives the browser a backend to call; it also introduces the distinction between a page and the service handling its requests.
- Persist the counter. Store the counter value so it survives between function executions. Without persistent storage, a value held only in memory can disappear when the service restarts or runs in another instance.
- Connect the page to the API. Have the browser request the endpoint and display its response. If the page and API have different origins, the browser’s cross-origin rules apply; configure CORS appropriately for the site’s origin rather than treating a blocked request as an API or database failure.
- Automate deployment. Add CI/CD so a change committed to the repository can be built and deployed consistently. Victor recommends federated identity through OpenID Connect (OIDC) rather than putting a long-lived client secret in a workflow. This avoids storing that kind of reusable secret in the deployment configuration.
- Consider infrastructure as code after the working version. Once you understand the resources you have deployed, you can recreate them with Bicep or Terraform. Victor presents this as a learning progression, not a prerequisite for every version of the challenge.
Know what the visitor counter actually measures
A counter that increments whenever the page makes a request counts requests, not unique people. One person refreshing repeatedly can increase it, and bots can make requests too. It is useful for learning how a browser, HTTP function, and persistent storage fit together; it is not a reliable audience statistic without additional design to define and filter visits.
Choose hosting with current cost and lifecycle details in mind
For a personal résumé site, Static Web Apps Free is a documented route to custom domains and automatically renewing TLS, but its limits and lack of an SLA matter. Before deploying, review current quotas and pricing, set a budget alert, and check whether optional telemetry or log ingestion could incur charges. Those checks are safer than assuming that a project remains free simply because its initial configuration uses a free plan.
Do not assume that Azure Front Door is a free substitute for HTTPS on a small site. Microsoft’s example pricing lists a $35 per month base fee for Front Door Standard; that example is not a total-bill guarantee. Region-specific rates, requests, and data transfer affect the bill, so check the current calculator for your region before deploying. Microsoft’s Azure Front Door pricing documentation.
Also distinguish Azure CDN lifecycle dates from feature cutoffs. Microsoft says Azure CDN Standard from Microsoft (classic) no longer supports new domain onboarding or managed certificates, and lists September 30, 2027 as its retirement date. The 2025 wording sometimes associated with the service concerns restrictions on onboarding and managed certificates, not the retirement date. Microsoft’s CDN comparison and lifecycle documentation and its managed-certificate documentation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this project can—and cannot—show employers
A well-documented version can demonstrate that you practised static hosting, a serverless API, persistent storage, browser-to-API communication, and deployment automation. Make the work legible: include a concise README explaining the architecture, the decisions you made, and how to run or deploy it. Be ready to describe what happens when the page requests the counter and where the returned value comes from.
The project is a starting point for demonstrating skills, not proof of broad production experience. Keep the scope small enough to finish, and be candid about what you built, what you adapted, and what you would improve next. Victor’s account offers a motivating example of a career change; the practical value for another learner is the sequence of skills the project lets them practise.
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