Google Certified Professional Cloud Architects are among the most in-demand certified IT professionals. We take a look at what this coveted certification entails and the online courses you can take to attain it.
The highest-paying IT certification of 2019 is the Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect. Debuting in 2017 and quickly making it to the top of the 10 Highest-Paying IT Certifications of 2019 list, it is a highly sought-after discipline that certifies IT professionals as Professional Cloud Architects on the Google Cloud Platform. Completing this certification ensures you can design, develop, and manage Google’s cloud architecture using Google Cloud Platform technologies.
Earning this certification entails a deep knowledge of what solutions to apply in different scenarios. Cloud skills are in high demand and mastering Google’s tools for secure, scalable, and reliable solutions will be critical to most organizations for the foreseeable future, especially as the Google Cloud Platform gains momentum as one of the preferred platforms for cloud infrastructure. Google Certified Professional Cloud Architects can expect to earn an average of $139,529 per year as per Global Knowledge’s IT Skills and Salary Report.
A Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect is an IT pro who is trained to leverage Google Cloud technologies for organizations. The Google Cloud Platform is comprised of physical resources like servers, computers, and hard disk drives, and virtual resources, like virtual machines (VMs), that are contained in Google’s data centers around the world. Each data center location is in a global region in terms of cloud storage solutions.
Data regions for Google Cloud Platform currently include Central US, Western Europe, and East Asia. Each data region is a collection of zones, which are isolated from each other within the region. Google Cloud Platform has a smaller market share than segment leader Amazon Web Services and, to a lesser extent, Microsoft Azure, but it is growing rapidly, having seen a recent surge in adoption. A recent study from Statista shows that an increasing number of IT pros plan to use Google Cloud Platform, more so than any competing platforms (see chart below).
IT pros that attain a Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect certification are able to design and plan cloud architecture within the Google Cloud Platform environment. Ideal candidates should have three or more years of industry experience and a year or more using Google Cloud Platform.
Lei Feng, a data scientist for FedEx working in cybersecurity intelligence analytics, recently completed his Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect certification, which he attained within three months of training. He shared some insights with us, including that big data requires a data scientist who can deal with the challenges from large scale datasets.”My current job needs me to build pipelines from raw data on a big scale to machine learning models, insights, and dashboards,” Feng said. “Cloud platforms provide a feasible solution and, luckily, my organization chose the Google Cloud Platform. I choose the Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect certificate to learn all the components and services in Google Cloud Platform systematically. My organization is building a cybersecurity data lake and analytics platform in Google Cloud Platform. My knowledge in Google Cloud Platform provides a positive contribution.”
Feng took various online courses to prepare for the certification. “I took two Coursera specialization courses. The first was Architecting with Google Compute Engine Specialization and the second was Preparing for the Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect Exam. In addition to the online courses, I have finished three relevant quests on Qwiklabs, namely, GCP Essentials, Cloud Architecture, and Challenge: GCP Architecture.”
Of the various courses, Feng said that the hands-on labs from Qwiklabs helped him the most. “I’m not saying the classes are not important; they provide the basic knowledge,” Feng said. “But the labs helped me to understand the concepts and knowledge in-depth.” Feng added that spending time working on the console made it easier for him to pass the exam.
Feng also said that the biggest surprise for him about the Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect certification exam was that it was practice-oriented. “The exam only has multiple-choice questions but more than 40 percent of the questions require hands-on experience to find the right answers. I’m glad I took all the relevant labs multiple times before taking the exam.”
According to Feng, Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect aspirants will do well with some experience as system administrators. “I want to highlight the hands-on experience,” he said. “The more time you spend on the console, the easier it will be to pass the exam.”
To qualify as a Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect, one requires an understanding of cloud architecture and Google technology within the framework. According to Google, a Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect “enables organizations to leverage Google Cloud technologies. With a thorough understanding of cloud architecture and Google Cloud Platform, this individual can design, develop, and manage robust, secure, scalable, highly available, and dynamic solutions to drive business objectives.”
To help individuals and companies test and deploy solutions, a Google Cloud Platform Free Tier gives users access to free resources that make it easy to learn about Google Cloud Platform services the best way possible: by trying them.
This hands-on approach will help all levels of users, whether they’re completely new to the platform and need to learn the basics, or for more established customers who want to experiment with new solutions. Included in this free tier is a 12-month free trial with $300 credit to use with any Google Cloud Platform services. The free trial provides limited access to many common Google Cloud Platform resources.
Courses from Coursera, an online learning platform boasting 3,500+ courses, many of which are affiliated with colleges and universities. Coursera has a range of accredited and non-accredited IT-focused courses available. For Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect certification, Coursera offers various courses worth considering; two of which are below.
1. Cloud Architecture with GCP Professional Certificate – This program provides the skills you need to advance your career in cloud architecture and provides a pathway to earn the industry-recognized Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect certification. You’ll deploy solution elements, including infrastructure components such as networks, systems, and applications services. You’ll gain real-world experience through a number of hands-on Qwiklabs projects that you can share with potential employers.
2. Cloud Engineering with GCP Professional Certificate – This program provides a pathway to earn the industry-recognized Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer certification. Through a combination of presentations, demos, and labs, you’ll explore and deploy solution elements, including infrastructure components such as networks, systems, and applications services. Like the certificate just mentioned, you’ll also gain real-world experience through a number of hands-on Qwiklabs projects that you can share with potential employers.
Courses from LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com), a massive on-the-job learning portal; it has 6,000 courses and many of them are focused on tech. Certifications are available for IT courses but they usually cost extra and not all of them are accredited. We handpicked some of LinkedIn Learning’s Google Cloud Platform-focused courses below.
1. Google Cloud Platform Essential Training – LinkedIn Learning says this intermediate level course is “designed for IT pros—architects, network admins, and technology stakeholders—evaluating [Google Cloud Platform] for their organizations as well as those tasked with getting apps up and running on the Google cloud. Learn how to set up an account and use the console, application programming interfaces (APIs), Cloud Shell, and other Google Cloud Platform tools. Then explore the core services—serverless computing, data storage, and machine learning—and the developer tools that Google provides for building your own custom solutions.”
2. Google Cloud Platform Architecture Concept – LinkedIn Learning says this course is, “designed for IT professionals—architects, network admins, and technology stakeholders—evaluating [Google Cloud Platform] for their organizations as well as those tasked with getting apps up and running on the Google cloud. This will teach them how to set up an account and use the console, APIs, Cloud Shell, and other [Google Cloud Platform] tools.” Participants “then explore the core services—serverless computing, data storage, and machine learning—and the developer tools that Google provides for building your own custom solutions.”
Courses from Udemy, a colossal online learning platform with 65,000 courses in a wide range of subjects. Udemy is popular because it offers massive discounts on courses, making it one of the more affordable options for online learning. Below are some Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect certification courses worth checking out.
1. Google Professional Cloud Architect Certification – Udemy’s preferred Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect certification course offers in-depth coverage of all services. It has 300+ practice questions and four case study designs. Udemy continues to add labs, re-focus lectures, and update the information pertinent to Google Cloud Platform certification.
2. Google Cloud Certified Professional Architect – Bootcamp – Designed to help IT pros prepare for their GCC Professional Cloud Architect exam, this covers the basics of Google Cloud Platform, virtual networking, cloud identity and access management, data services, automating infrastructure, and preparing for the test. Requirements for this bootcamp are one year of Google Cloud Platform experience and demonstrable, hands-on Google Cloud Platform console experience.
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Gadjo C. Sevilla is Analyst, Business for PCMag. Gadjo has covered various aspects of technology including smartphones, laptops, business solutions, and app ecosystems. He began covering technology and innovation 20 years ago for national newspapers, magazines, and various websites including The Canadian Reviewer, which is a tech enthusiast blog he founded in 2008. Gadjo’s work has appeared globally in various print and online publications including MacWorld Canada, PCWorld Canada, ITBusiness.ca, WhatsYourTech.ca, The Calgary Herald, The Toronto Star, and Metro News. You can follow him on Twitter @gadjosevilla, connect with him on LinkedIn, or email him at [email protected]
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