Over the last 5 years, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) has seen meteoric growth with total revenue skyrocketing from $4B in 2017 to over $19B in 2021. Today, leading companies like Home Depot, Snapchat, Spotify and many more run their applications on this innovative, enterprise-ready public cloud.
As per a recent Canalys report, Google Cloud scored 50% market share growth in Q4 2021, surpassing competitors like Microsoft Azure and Amazon AWS. This explosive adoption has created strong demand for GCP certified experts across industries.
But why get Google cloud certified in the first place? What‘s the career value these certifications offer?
The Benefits of Earning Google Cloud Certifications
Let‘s first understand the key advantages GCP certifications provide:
- Higher Salaries – According to PayScale, GCP certified professionals earn over $125,000 per year on average, significantly above their non-certified peers
- Career Growth – Cloud certs allow you to differentiated as an expert both within your company and externally in the job market
- Industry Recognition – Validates your skills and experience on one of the world‘s top cloud platforms
- More Job Opportunities – New GCP job openings grew by nearly 73% from 2020 to 2021 based on Google‘s data
So whether you manage cloud operations, develop applications, crunch big data or build machine learning models, getting Google Cloud certified now can be a lucrative career investment.
Not only do these certs allow proving expertise with GCP‘s innovative capabilities, but they also offer more value right now compared to even vendor-neutral certifications or credentials on other major clouds like AWS and Azure.
Google Cloud Certifications Trump Other Cloud Certs
||GCP Certs|AWS Certs|Azure Certs|
|–|–|–|–|
|Average Salary | $125,000 | $120,000 | $100,000 |
|% Job Openings Growth (2020-2021) | +73% | +32% | +18% |
|% Revenue Growth (2020-2021)| +47% | +37%|+51% |
Now that you‘re convinced about the career advancement opportunities with GCP…
How to Get Google Cloud Certified
Google offers certifications focused on 3 main job roles – Architects, Developers and Data Analysts/Engineers.
These credentials validate your expertise across beginner, intermediate and advanced levels:
1. Associate Certifications: Foundational exams that test basic GCP knowledge
2. Professional Certifications: Advanced certs that validate deep cloud design, development and operational skills
3. Speciality Certifications: Focus on specific GCP capabilities – Data Analytics, Machine Learning, Networking etc.
Next, let‘s explore the premier online platforms and resources available for clearing Google Cloud certifications confidently…
Best Training Resources for Google Cloud Associate Certs
Google Cloud certifications start with the Associate-level exams designed for those relatively new to GCP capabilities.
Some key topics tested at this level encompass Compute Engine, App Engine, GKE, Cloud Storage, BigQuery, Networking, IAM etc.
Here are excellent options to prepare:
1. Coursera‘s GCP Fundamentals
Ideal for GCP beginners, this course developed directly by Google Cloud covers all core services through flexible, self-paced learning. Since you obtain training directly from the creators of Google Cloud, it better aligns with Associate exam expectations.
I recommend using this affordable course as your launch pad before diving deeper into preparation with more advanced platforms.
2. Linux Academy’s Associate Exam Prep
Now under A Cloud Guru (ACG), Linux Academy offers comprehensive Associate-level video courses breaking down key concepts across GCP services. Experienced instructors simplify complex architectural topics using engaging explanations and visual aids.
The hands-on labs provide invaluable practical experience in line with real-world GCP deployments. Many students have successfully cleared Associate certs using Linux Academy‘s training system combining lectures, labs and test prep.
3. A Cloud Guru (ACG) Associate Training
As an alternative to Linux Academy, ACG itself has amazing self-paced video courses expressly focused on clearing the Google Cloud Associate examinations. Their team of certified GCP experts teach exactly what you need for exam success through condensed video tutorials.
To complement lectures, their integrated hands-on labs help ingrain muscle memory for core platform capabilities ahead of test day. I recommend attempting ACG‘s full-length practice tests for the best chance of success.
4. Qwiklabs Hands-On Learning
As associate exams grow more hands-on, Qwiklabs is a cloud sandbox platform offering hundreds of on-demand labs for practically experimenting with GCP services.
You can gain first-hand experience completing tasks like provisioning Kubernetes clusters, deploying cloud functions, configuring network policies, querying big data solutions and much more via their convenient browser-based labs accessible 24/7.
I highly recommend supplementing video training with Qwiklabs for critical job-relevant cloud skills beyond surface-level concepts.
5. Whizlabs & Udemy Practice Tests
Scoring well on associate certification exams requires understanding GCP capabilities conceptually AND practically.
To evaluate exam readiness, platforms like Whizlabs and Udemy provide affordable practice tests matching actual Google Cloud exam formats, topics and difficulty levels.
These simulate realistic exam conditions from any device browser with automated grading to identify areas needing improvement via detailed solutions.
I suggest attempting mock tests from multiple prep providers to encounter diverse question styles and solidify knowledge across all syllabus areas, boosting your associate certification success rate significantly.
Best Resources for GCP Professional Certifications
The pinnacle of demonstrating Google Cloud expertise comes through the advanced Professional certifications tailored to 3 key IT roles – Architect, Developer and Data Engineer.
Let‘s cover standout training platforms granting the skills to clear these coveted credentials:
1. Linux Academy‘s Professional Cert Guides
Linux Academy shines as a top destination for preparing advanced GCP certifications through specialized video courses instructed by certified architects, developers and engineers.
Their hands-on learning platform aims to instill real-world proficiency in architecting complex GCP enterprise solutions spanning storage, security, analytics and machine learning via interactive cloud sandboxes.
Supplemental mock exams fine-tune your ability to tackle the toughest professional-grade questions relying on strong architectural fundamentals.
2. ACG Professional Certification Training
As a competitor to Linux Academy, A Cloud Guru upholds elite instructor-led courses explicitly designed to pass GCP‘s professional exams in 2022 covering latest syllabus updates.
Their secret sauce blends digestible theory taught through engaging videos by certified GCP experts + practical labs on real Google Cloud resources = confidence to conquer challenging questions on professional cert tests.
I recommend ACG‘s professional prep bundles with mock exams for exam-day success. Their training formats specialize in elevating technical professionals, already adept using AWS/Azure, onto advanced GCP capabilities required by top cloud employers.
3. Qwiklabs Advanced Cloud Labs
While conceptual knowledge is indispensable for Google‘s professional certifications, what ultimately counts is real-world hands-on expertise. And that‘s exactly why advanced engineers prioritize using Qwiklabs for lab-intensive practice.
Qwiklabs provides specialized project-based labs on topics like architecting hybrid cloud, optimizing analytics data warehouses, building machine learning pipelines and much more on actual GCP infrastructure accessible through your browser.
These self-scheduled labs deliver platform proficiency far beyond basic demos, granting advanced professionals valuable hands-on training aligned closely with intensive professional exam expectations.
4. Whizlabs & Udemy‘s Practice Exams
Attempting realistic practice tests is obligatory preparation before professional cloud certification exams testing advanced architectural concepts under time pressure.
Whizlabs and Udemy both offer expert-curated tests mimicking actual exam formats and difficulty levels allowing working professionals to evaluate true progress mastering GCP skills like enterprise cloud solution design, optimized deployment, dynamic scaling and robust security.
I strongly advise using these to pinpoint knowledge gaps and get comfortable with professional-level questions before your final exam attempt to maximize success probability.
Targeted Speciality Certification Exam Prep
For IT professionals looking to specialize further and demonstrate deep GCP capabilities around data, machine learning (ML) or networking, Google offers niche Speciality certifications.
Here are stellar resources delivering targeted training for clearing these job role-focused exams:
1. Data Engineering Speciality Cert Prep
Educba and Simplilearn offer comprehensive data engineering courses teaching how to architect big data pipelines, build advanced analytics and deliver actionable business insights using Google Cloud‘s modern data warehouse and machine learning stack encompassing BigQuery, Dataflow, Dataproc, Vertex AI and Looker.
Practice tests prepare you to expertly tackle specialized data engineering questions testing on-the-job expertise. This niche certification carries tremendous value for data-driven companies.
2. Machine Learning Speciality Cert Training
Pluralsight and Qwiklabs provide exceptional hands-on training in developing and deploying ML models at scale leveraging Google Cloud‘s end-to-end machine learning platform spanning Vertex AI, Kubeflow pipelines, TensorFlow and Cloud AI services like AutoML Natural Language, Video Intelligence and much more.
The structured courses bridge theory with intensive labs on real-world ML tasks to impart skills directly relevant for passing Machine Learning Speciality certification exams testing proficiency in operationalizing, monitoring and managing GCP ML workloads.
3. Networking Speciality Certification Resources
Whizlabs and Cloud Academy offer dedicated video training and labs for GCP‘s Network certification tailored to engineers specializing in cloud network architecture, routing, security and traffic management services like Cloud Armor, Cloud CDN, Cloud Load Balancing and Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) to name a few.
The curriculum trains professionals to expertly configure, monitor, scale and troubleshoot key Google Cloud networking capabilities per production standards aligned closely with specialist-level certification evaluation criteria.
Additional Tips to Ace Your GCP Certification Exams
Beyond online training platforms, here are bonus suggestions to make the most of your Google Cloud exam preparation:
1. Find The Right Study Plan For Your Learning Style
Audit different platforms to determine the right content style, length and delivery mechanisms that maximize knowledge retention based on how you best grasp concepts. Build a prep schedule that accommodates your strengths.
2. Get Hands-On With GCP Through Free Trials
Complement course theory with your own test accounts on GCP to replicate key concepts hands-on across all services, boosting real job readiness.
3. Get Certification Cost Sponsorship From Your Company
Given acute talent shortages for GCP skills, most organizations are happy to fund or reimburse cloud certification exams for their technical staff to incent skill growth aligned to business needs.
4. Renew Your Certification Before Expiry Deadline
All Google Cloud certifications need renewal every 2 years to maintain credential validity. Set calendar reminders to retake exams when nearing expiry as this reinforces latest platform capabilities per the frequently updated syllabuses.
Let‘s Recap The Key Certification Tips…
- Use Coursera’s learning paths to build initial knowledge
- Linux Academy and A Cloud Guru offer the most comprehensive instructor-led video training
- Perform hands-on practice labs on Qwiklabs Cloud Sandbox
- Attempt mock exams on Whizlabs and Udemy to improve speed and accuracy
- Get convenient exam cost sponsorship from your company
- Renew certifications regularly to affirm updated skillsets
Stay motivated throughout your Google Cloud certification pursuit! With rigorous preparation using the right blend of training resources above, you will emerge cloud certified and career ready in 2022!
