cloud computing, the future and everything…

i am a lowly tech fixing boxes and basic networking stuff…i want to get more skills and have decided to do mcse 2003 to begin with and get me up to speed with exchange and server. but a friend of mine who is a coder says i am waisting my time as in a few years all those technologies will be lost to the cloud…this has left me in despair and i thought i would ask you guys your opinion on what you think the future will bring…and which direction i should turn…

thanks