The Google Cloud Certification is known as a not easy thing to get, with an increasing number of professionals taking the test each year. This certification helps professionals to improve themselves, their resumes, and their careers. A high possibility for a better job position or a promotion. Even though the test is tough itself, is Google Cloud Certification worth getting it? Yes! It is known as the best and popular one among its competitors; Amazon Web Services, IBM Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. Also, it is preferred by the most known companies across the globe.
How do I get Google Cloud certified?
When applying for a new job, this certification might be a requirement, especially if it is a technology company.
Because the test is hard to pass, the learning path shouldn’t be underestimated. There are different platforms like webinars or websites that offer online training. So whoever takes this certification seriously, might pass the test after participating in this kind of educational practice. As of this year, the most chosen ones are Google, Coursera, Udemy, and Intellipaat. Before enrolling for a course, better look into the reviews, cost, syllabus of the course, and instructors (might be optional). After completing the training, it’s highly recommended to take practice exams before the actual one.
We should also refer to that each test takes about 2 hours to finish, and when you complete it, you do not get a score but a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ result. So if you cannot pass the test, unfortunately, you do not know what you just missed or did wrong. So better to prepare yourself in the right way and pass it on your first time! On the other hand, if you fail, you may take the test again within 14 days. But if you fail once again for the second time, you need to wait at least 60 days to be allowed to take the test once more. When you succeed and pass the test, you will get your online certification that could also be added to your profile on career websites like LinkedIn.
The certification tests could be taken at some specific testing centers or online, depending on the program you choose.
Every year, the number of users of Google Cloud Platform increases continuously. As a result, certification training is to continue to rise naturally. For the time being, Google has eight professional and one associate certification of validation of Google Cloud Platform skills that concerns professionals. Additionally, Google Workspace certification is also available.
Professional Google Cloud Platform Certifications are; Professional Cloud Architect, Professional Data Engineer, Professional Cloud Developer, Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer, Professional Cloud Network Engineer, Professional Cloud Security Engineer, Professional Collaboration Engineer, and Machine Learning Engineer.
The exam takes 2 hours and is formed of multiple-choice questions. It could be completed online or at test centers. The registration fee is $200. Minimum 3 years of work experience and one year of designing and managing solutions using Google Cloud Platform is suggested. This information is applied to all certifications except for the Collaboration Engineer. The form, time, and registration fee of the test are the same as others. The only difference is the recommended experience that should be a minimum of 3 years of industry experience and a minimum of one year of Google Workspace administration experience, and the certifications are valid for 2 to 3 years.
On the other hand, the Associate Cloud Engineer certification test recommends having a minimum of 6 months of hands-on experience with Google Cloud. The test takes 2 hours to complete and is made up of multiple-choice questions like others. But the registration fee is $125 and the certification is valid for six months.
For the Google Workspace Certification, the registration fee is only $75 and it differs for students and educators. The exam takes 2 hours, including two parts of multiple-choice questions and performance-based.
With COVID-19 affecting our lives, it is recommended to register for the exams at the earliest time since everybody is trying to schedule it online instead of going to a test center, and the availability is limited.
So, which Google Cloud Certification should I get?
Before jumping to a conclusion and taking a test; look for each one and understand which certification is right for your needs and work. You may review the exam guide of each one to see a detailed list of content and determine the most suitable one for you.
To make it more clear, here are some of the essential points that certifications require;
- Associate Cloud Engineer: Setting up, planning, configuring, deploying, and ensuring the successful operation of a cloud solution. Also, configuring access and security.
- Professional Cloud Architect: Designing, planning, and managing a cloud solution architecture together with designing the security. Also, looking for analyzing technical and business processes, managing implementation, and focusing on solutions.
- Professional Cloud Security Engineer: Configuring access & managing operations in a cloud solution environment and network security, ensuring data protection, ensuring compliance.
- Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer: Applying site reliability engineering principles to a service, optimizing performance, implementing service monitoring strategies, managing service incidents.
- Professional Collaboration Engineer: Planning & implementing Google Workspace authorization and access. Controlling its services, managing TeamDrive lifecycles and mail, monitoring organizational operations, and configuring & managing endpoint access.
- Professional Machine Learning Engineer: Framing ML models, architecting its solutions, developing models, preparing and processing data along with monitoring, optimizing, and maintaining solutions.
- Google Workspace: Looking for expertise in Google Drive, Mail, Meet, Docs, Sheets, Forms, and Slides.