Google Cloud Certifications - A Beginner's Guide
Tags: certification, cloud, google, cost
Published: 2022-03-23 16:29:45

## What is a GCP Certification?

The Google Cloud Platform (GCP) certification is an official certification given by Google to individuals, that verifies that a candidate possesses the necessary technical abilities, knowledge, and technological know-how in cloud computing. It will also  greatly assist in obtaining higher employment positions in reputable companies. Although the process of studying and obtaining GCP certification demands complete dedication on the part of the participants, following successful completion and course completion, it becomes significantly easier to always find get a well-deserving position considering the bright up and coming future of cloud computing. 

There are a variety of different certification paths that span the GCP environment according to the position you choose. Each certification is valid for 2 years from the competition date, and must be renewed after expiration due to the ever changing nature of the industry.

Certification exams can be taken worldwide through independent testing centers or remotely online as long as you satisfy the examination criteria. From foundational level to in-depth professions like machine learning engineer and cloud security engineer, certification examinations cover all levels and areas of knowledge. There's a certification for everyone, whether you're new to GCP or have been doing it for years. The maximum cost for any certification is $200, and is definitely worth it when compared to the competitive benefits provided.


## Types of Google Cloud Certifications

GCP Certification Paths are learning methods designed by Google to enable students and future cloud enthusiasts in becoming professionally certified. It allows them to display sound demonstration and working knowledge of the GCP environment according to their specified role. 

Each certification's material, costs, benefits, and training differ from each other as they all specialize in different aspects of GCP. 

### Foundational Certificate - Cloud Digital Leader

The Cloud Digital Leader certification is a generalized title that demonstrates basic knowledge and evaluation of use cases for the most popular GCP services.

The exam covers a variety of material such as multidisciplinary cloud knowledge with architecture, governance, and cost details. Google Cloud knowledge, with respect to hierarchy, cost, and compliance topics, and overviews of Google products and services, such as VMs, containers, serverless compute, data management, machine learning, and more are all important topics one should know about before the exam. 

This certification is best for GCP novices and individuals who want to expand their cloud computing knowledge. It requires no practical experience and costs $99.

### Associate Certificate - Cloud Engineer

The Associate Google Cloud Certification is an Engineer level certification that students and professionals with little or no knowledge of the subject may obtain.

If your job entails managing a Google cloud environment on a daily basis, the GCP Associate Cloud Engineer certification is a good fit. This exam is meant to demonstrate your ability to construct and administer GCP infrastructures in a cost-effective and secure manner. Knowing how to use the command line is vital.

Setting up your GCP environment, billing, and accounts, choosing and configuring a set of GCP services, including cost planning and security settings, deploying and managing a cloud solution, including container monitoring and logging, and managing running cloud services will all be covered in the exam.

This certification is best for administrators who will be possessing 6 months of hands-on experience with GCP. It costs $125 and is a demonstration of your ability to work with services in the GCP environment.

### Professional Certificate - Cloud Architect, Data Engineer, Cloud Developer, Network Engineer, Security Engineer, Collaboration Engineer, and Machine Learning Engineer

The Professional Cloud Certification is a second-level certification that aids in the development and assessment of participants' advanced architectural design knowledge and abilities. Over the certification process of learning, various implementation skills depending on work function are increased, and the final test assists in determining the amount of advances and skills that have been obtained by professionals and students during the course duration.

The amount of professional experience needed for these certifications range from 2-3 years, and at least one year deploying and managing solutions from GCP. All of the certifications cost $200, and are made for professionals seeking to specialize in their domain using GCP. 

## GCP Certifications: Free Training, Resources, and Guides 

Each certification has its own unique "Learning path", and thus requires specific materials for preparation. There are still quite a number of free resources on the internet, most of which are supplemented by Google. 

For any certification, hands-on GCP experience is key. There are a few options when it comes to using GCP for free, as Google always encourages users to familiarize themselves with the platform. The '90 Day Free trial', 'Always Free Program' and 'Free Cloud Credits' are a few  programs that enable you to use limited GCP services completely free. 

Here are a few resources that will help you jumpstart your GCP Certification -
- Qwiklabs Google Cloud Essentials 
- GCP course materials at A Cloud Guru
- Ivam Luz's GCP Documentation Guide
- Awesome GCP Certifications Repository

You can also earn a free skill badge from Google by completing lab training exercises. These skill badges can be displayed on your profile and resume.

## Conclusion
 
As companies continue to expand while using Google Cloud's services, the industry demand for certified cloud professionals will keep growing. Completing a certification from Google could give you the professional edge you need to exceed in your career. With a GCP certification, you have a verified ability to manage, deploy, configure, optimize, and effectively utilize all the required services for your cloud workloads. 

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