Google Cloud is a collection of Google's public services for cloud computing. The platform offers a variety of Google-hosted services for storage, computing and application development. Software developers, cloud administrators, and other enterprises’ IT professionals can access Google Cloud services via the public internet or a dedicated network connection.
To utilise these services efficiently, the user must have comprehensive relevant skills and knowledge. Companies are now confronted with the task of hiring people who can manoeuvre and maximise the features provided by the cloud platform. Because these skills are not traditionally taught, Google has created certification programmes to validate individuals as qualified personnel in cloud platform services.
As such, the Google Cloud Certification is an official Google Cloud Platform attestation that verifies your technical skills in relation to a specific Google Cloud platform job role. The individual must first pass a certification exam that measures their expertise in that field before being officially certified by Google.
The path for Google Cloud certification consists of three certifications that encompass different skills and knowledge bases at various levels, namely at foundational, associate and professional level. In addition, Google also provides a fellowship programme which is a certification for Google partners and advanced-level professionals.
There is no mandatory requirement to take the certification exams in order but must fulfil certain criteria or aspects like expertise, preparation, and experience depending on the level chosen. Diving deeper, this article will conveniently explore each of the certifications, their implications, skills included, job roles available and impact on one’s career as a whole.
1. Foundational Certification
The foundational certification validates one's overall knowledge of basic cloud concepts and principles. Individuals must be familiar with Google Cloud's features, tools, services, products, case usage and advantages. There are also no specific elements or requirements needed in order to be qualified for this certification. Some of the courses involved are namely, Introduction to Digital Transformation with Google Cloud, Innovating with Data and Google Cloud, Infrastructure and Application Modernisation with Google Cloud and Understanding Google Cloud Security and Operation.
If the individual is successful, he or she is presently eligible to work as a Cloud Digital Leader in an organisation. The Google Cloud digital certification has validity for three years from the date of issue. This foundational certificate is ideal for those seeking or currently working in technical roles who would benefit from a general understanding of the cloud platform and its role in the overall IT infrastructure.
2. Associate Certification This particular certification traverses more than the average understanding of cloud properties. It verifies that the user possesses the core abilities required to install, run, administer, and manage applications on the Google Cloud platform. Individuals looking to pursue an associate certification should ideally be equipped with six months of experience creating on Google Cloud at the very least. Some of the courses in this certification will involve topics like Architecting with Google Compute Engine, Automating Infrastructure on Google Cloud with Terraform, Perform Foundational Infrastructure Tasks in Google Cloud and many more. Associate-certified employees are qualified to work as Associate Cloud Engineers, equipped with certification valid for three years from the date of issuance.
3. Professional certification
The professional certification will require the individual to examine important technical work roles and expert knowledge in Google Cloud product creation, implementation, and management. The individual should have extensive expertise in building up cloud systems for businesses and prior experience implementing services and solutions per company needs. It is also advised that the candidate has at least three years of experience in the cloud sector, and at least one year of managing solutions using Google cloud before opting for this particular certification.
With a Google Cloud certification of two years, this professional certification validates the candidate to be employed in any of the following roles – Cloud Architect, Cloud Database Engineer, Cloud Developer, Data Engineer, Cloud DevOps Engineer, Cloud Security Engineer, Cloud Network Engineer, Google Workspace Administrator or Machine Learning Engineer. These job titles are for the particular set of skills that is evaluated throughout the certification process.