Top 9 Google Cloud Platform Certification Courses for 2022

Estimated at just below $25 billion in 2010 and expected to reach $150 billion by 2021, cloud computing is arguably the fastest growing technological area at the moment. Cisco predicted that 94 percent of global workloads would be processed by cloud systems by 2021, while Gartner forecasts the worldwide public cloud services market to grow 33 percent in 2022 to total $354 billion, up from $266 billion in 2020.

The astonishing statistics above only mean one thing: Our future is in the cloud. And what better way to prepare for that future than grabbing a Google Cloud Platform Certification?

With a market share of 8.5 percent, Google Cloud Platform is among the world's top three cloud service providers. In addition, Google offers a range of Cloud Engineer Certifications, from entry-level to advanced. A Google Cloud Platform entry-level certification will ease you in for students who wish to major in cloud computing. And, for cloud professionals seeking to sharpen their skills, Google is there for you with its advanced cloud engineering certifications.

In this post we cover the most in-demand GCP certification courses, what each certificate covers, what it could mean for your career, and how you can set (and achieve) your own professional goals.

Table of Contents

• Why do I need a Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Certification?
• Are Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Certifications worth It?
• What are the top Google Cloud Platform Certifications?
• What are the top Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Certifications for beginners?
• How to prepare for a Google Cloud Platform (GCP)Certification Exam
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why Do I Need a Google Cloud Platform (GCP)Certification?

According to a 2019 Skills and Salary report by Global Knowledge, 52% of IT organizations and departments need skilled IT personnel to meet their goals, with 93% of them agreeing that certification is a primary factor when looking for qualified individuals. A Google Cloud Platform (GCP) certification not only helps you advance your skills but also demonstrates your commitment to your area of expertise.

Below are the four main reasons why a Google Cloud Platform certification is good for you:

1. Credibility

An increasing number of companies, non-profits, and government institutions require professional certification from those they intend to work with. A Google Cloud Platform Certification signifies your commitment to cloud computing. It also demonstrates that you value your profession’s industry standards and your continued commitment to learning.

These merits can help cement your credibility in the eyes of your employers and professional community. In addition, a professional certificate demonstrates that you are credibly skilled and knowledgeable as a cloud technologist.

2. Industry Recognition

Your professional certification is a strong statement to your employer and the entire professional community that an independent institution has verified your expertise and experience in cloud computing. Additionally, when it comes to honoring those who excel in certain cloud computing areas, your Google Cloud Certification will act as proof of your merit.

3. Career Advancement

Cloud computing is a highly competitive job market. With a professional certificate demonstrating that you have advanced your skills and knowledge, you stand out among your peers in the same field.

This puts you in an excellent position for a job promotion. And, considering that job recruiters are three times more likely to shortlist individuals with career certification, getting certified increases your worth. In addition, it gives you bargaining power when seeking a pay rise and other career adventures in cloud computing.

4. Personal Development

According to sampled surveys, an individual with a bachelor's degree and higher, combined with a professional certificate, earns more than those with only a bachelor's degree and higher. A higher salary with steady career advancement is one of the aspects of personal development.

Are Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Certifications Worth It?

In today's cloud computing world, having a cloud certification gives you an edge in career advancement and personal development; and with Google Cloud being among the most competitive cloud service providers, Google Cloud Platform Certifications are worth it.

According to Gartner, there are insufficient skills in cloud computing at the moment; it predicts that through 2022, insufficient skills, especially in IaaS, will delay the adoption of cloud solutions by two years.

Today’s cloud migration strategies tend to tilt more toward deployment and maintenance than towards modernization and recreation. Google Cloud Certifications are trying to bridge this gap. Essentially, these courses focus more on native-cloud skills, which will be at the centre of the cloud revolution.

Some multiple lessons and tests must be studied and passed to obtain a Google Cloud Engineer Certification. Many of these lessons and tests are offered by Google itself, while third-party online learning programs offer others.

Google Cloud certifications are grouped into two: associate and professional certifications. Associate certification is for beginners seeking to gain basic skills such as cloud services deployment, while professional certification is for professionals seeking to enhance their design and management skills.

With Gartner naming Google as one of the three Leaders in its 2020 Magic Quadrant – for the third consecutive year, Google Cloud Platform certification has become a household and a highly sought requirement in the cloud computing job market.

Glassdoor estimates that the average basic salary for a certified Google Cloud Platform Engineer ranges between $160,000 and $175,000 per year. Therefore, whether you are a beginner seeking to major in cloud computing or a seasoned cloud engineer seeking to improve your professional portfolio, earning Google Cloud certification can be worth it.

Here are a few statistics that speak to the value of a Google Cloud Platform certification:

• Of those with certification, 80% of those who applied for a new job received at least one job offer.
• 1 in 3 Google Cloud certified engineers received a raise or acquired a job for higher pay.
• 70% say Google Cloud certifications helped them to grow in their job.

What are the Top Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Certifications?

Google currently offers seven certificates for its cloud platform. The certificates can be bundled into two clusters: 

• Associate. 
• Professional.

It is important to note that all Google Cloud Platform Certification exams are 2 hours long.

Associate Certificate

An Associate certificate is intended for those who handle the day-to-day operations of a cloud environment. These include deployment and maintenance of cloud components. The registration fee for an Associate certificate is $125 (plus tax where applicable).

Cloud Engineer

The Associate Google Cloud Platform Engineer exam assesses your ability to:

• Set up a cloud solution environment.
• Plan and configure a cloud solution.
• Deploy and implement a cloud solution.
• Ensure successful operation of a cloud solution.
• Configure access and security.
• Recommended Experience: 6 months+ hands-on experience with Google Cloud.

Professional Certificates

Professional certificates are role-based and intended for seasoned cloud engineers who seek to prove their skills in designing and implementing cloud environments. There are currently six professional certificates.  The registration fee for a Professional certificate is $200 (plus tax where applicable).

Cloud Architect

The Professional Google Cloud Platform Architect exam assesses your ability to

• Design and plan a cloud solution architecture.
• Manage and provision the cloud solution infrastructure.
• Design for security and compliance.
• Analyze and optimize technical and business processes.
• Manage implementations of cloud architecture.
• Ensure solution and operations reliability.
• Recommended Experience: 3+ years of industry experience, including 1+ years designing and managing solutions using GCP.

Cloud Developer

The Professional Google Cloud Platform Developer exam assesses your ability to:

• Design highly scalable, available, and reliable cloud-native applications.
• Build and test applications.
• Deploy applications.
• Integrate Google Cloud services.
• Manage application performance monitoring.
• Recommended Experience: 3+ years of industry experience, including 1+ years designing and managing solutions using GCP.

Data Engineer

The Professional Google Cloud Platform Data Engineer exam assesses your ability to:

• Design data processing systems.
• Build and operationalize data processing systems.
• Operationalize machine learning models.
• Ensure solution quality.
• Recommended Experience: 3+ years of industry experience, including 1+ years designing and managing solutions using GCP.

Cloud DevOps Engineer

The Professional Google Cloud Platform DevOps Engineer exam assesses your ability to:

• Apply site reliability engineering principles to a service.
• Optimize service performance.
• Implement service monitoring strategies.
• Build and implement CI/CD pipelines for a service.
• Manage service incidents.
• Recommended Experience: 3+ years of industry experience, including 1+ years designing and managing solutions using GCP.

Cloud Security Engineer

The Professional Google Cloud Platform Security Engineer exam assesses your ability to:

• Configure access within a cloud solution environment.
• Configure network security.
• Ensure data protection.
• Manage operations within a cloud solution environment.
• Ensure compliance.
• Recommended Experience: 3+ years of industry experience, including 1+ years designing and managing solutions using GCP.

Cloud Network Engineer

The Professional Google Cloud Platform Cloud Network Engineer exam assesses your ability to:

• Design, plan, and prototype a GCP Network.
• Implement a GCP Virtual Private Cloud (VPC).
• Configure network services.
• Implement hybrid interconnectivity.
• Implement network security.
• Recommended Experience: 3+ years of industry experience, including 1+ years designing and managing solutions using GCP.

Collaboration Engineer

The Professional Google Cloud Platform Collaboration Engineer exam assesses your ability to:

• Plan and implement Google Workspace authorization and access.
• Manage user, resource, and Shared Drives lifecycles.
• Manage mail.
• Control and configure Google Workspace services.
• Configure and manage endpoint access.
• Monitor organizational operations.
• Advance Google Workspace adoption and collaboration.
• Recommended Experience: 3+ years of industry experience, including 1+ years of Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) administration experience.

Machine Learning Engineer

The Professional Google Cloud Platform Machine Learning Engineer exam assesses your ability to:

• Frame ML problems.
• Architect ML solutions.
• Prepare and process data.
• Develop ML models.
• Automate & orchestrate ML pipelines.
• Monitor, optimize, and maintain ML solutions.
• Recommended Experience: 3+ years of industry experience, including 1+ years designing and managing solutions using GCP.

What Are the Best Google Cloud (GCP) Certifications for Beginners?

Complete Google Data Engineer and Cloud Architect Guide

This is an excellent course because it helps cloud computing enthusiasts to learn the fundamentals of Google Cloud Platform and the associated Big Data technologies. This exam equips students with GCP fundamentals, including Compute Engine, BigQuery, Bigtable, TensorFlow, and Hadoop clusters, among others.

Developing Applications with Google Cloud Platform

This is an online course offered by Coursera. This certification comprises four courses that equip students with skills in designing, developing, and deploying applications compatible with the Google Cloud Platform.

Google Certified Associate Cloud Engineer Certification

Choosing this course is excellent for students who want to do the prestigious Google Certified Associate Cloud Engineer and Architect exam. This exam combines three courses that include Introduction to Google Cloud Platform, Google Certified Cloud Data Engineer course, and Kubernetes deep dive by Nigel Poulton. All these courses are very crucial when it comes to google cloud platform certifications.

For students preparing to take Google's Associate Cloud Engineer certification exam, this exam has two practice tests to help them prepare for the exam.  

How to Prepare for a Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Certification Exam

The questions tested in Google Cloud Platform Certification exams are known for their toughness, and therefore, there should be prior preparation and training.

Interestingly, Google does not award scores for its exams. Instead, it rates the score as either a “Pass” or “Fail.” This makes it hard for students to know what and where to focus on receiving a "fail." This is another reason you should do a thorough revision to prepare for your Google Cloud Certification exam.

Here are five steps on how to pass google cloud certification:

• The first step is to take a relevant learning path, especially if you are eyeing an associate certification. This will help you build foundational knowledge on an area you are interested in. We highly recommend picking a course from Cloud Guru, Udemy, or Coursera to prepare for the certification.
• Google also provides some exam practice with sample questions, which will help you get familiarized with the format of exam questions and content that may be covered on your exam.
• Google Cloud also provides exam outlines (For instance, Professional Cloud Architect) for its certificate. Review them to familiarize yourself with the required learning objectives and check for any knowledge gaps.
• Also, Google Cloud offers practice exams for all of its certificates. After the study, write the practice exam. This will help you identify where you need to improve before taking the certification exams.
• After finishing every practice exam, ensure that you take notes focusing on the topics you did not perform well. Do extra research and take the practice exam again to gauge your understanding.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Are Google Cloud Platform Certifications Free?

No. You pay a fee to register for a Google Cloud Certification. The registration fee for Associate Certification is $125, while Professional Certifications go for $200.

Does a Google Cloud Platform Certification Expire? 

Yes. All Google Cloud Certifications are valid for two years from the date certified, unless explicitly stated in the exam description. After that, candidates must recertify to remain certified.

How Can I Verify a Google Cloud Platform Certification?

Google operates a browsable and searchable directory referred to as Google Cloud Credential Holder Directory, where all certified individuals are listed by their names and certification particulars.

Which Certification is Better, AWS or Google Cloud Platform?

When deciding which cloud certification to pursue, you will want to consider how each will affect your career advancement or goal prospects. AWS maintains the largest market share, which means the availability of more job openings, but fewer people are currently Google Cloud Certified, which means you may stand out more.