How the Google IT Support Course helped with my Cloud/DevOps Career
Tags: devops, career, cloud
Published: 2021-03-30 20:34:38

Cloud Computing. Don’t let the name scare you Cloud computing is similar to every course or subject that you have been a beginner in; you heard it for the first time, got enrolled and started learning and someday you discovered that you now know a lot about it. It is all knowledge acquisition you dedicate time to it and soon you discover you know how it works. In my journey of less than one year I have had people ask me how to get into cloud computing, So I decided to write a post on it to show you how I got started but today without a traditional technical background.
    To start I had always heard about Cloud Computing but I didn't know how it worked. My journey started in May 2020 when I was stuck at home with no job due to the pandemic and needed to do something with my time before then I had always been interested in a career in technology because of the opportunities it provides and the peculiar need for development within the industry so I thought to myself why not start now. After messaging a friend and telling him I needed to learn something tech-related that isn’t software development I got a link for the GADS2020(Google Africa Development Scholarship) and I picked the Cloud computing path. We were given a free Pluralsight subscription plan and told to engage it, a course by Dan Appleman stayed with me; he explained that you needed to gain foundational knowledge to be better at what you do because it gives you an edge in understanding how the technology you use works. I was okay with binging videos up to a point until everything became difficult when I started encountering words like CLI Commands, Servers and Clients I knew I needed to do something so I went looking for courses that could help me then I stumbled on the Google IT support professional course on Coursera I had to apply for financial aid which I got after 15 days.
   This course comprises of five in-depth programs that cuts across building a computer, customer service, networking, operating systems and IT security. It says on the website that you can begin your career after completing the course and I agree with that; the tutors explained in the simplest words, additional resources were provided to aid understanding and the graded tests helps you identify your weaknesses and strengths. I completed the course in six months because I had to shuffle it with my GADS program during the time I engaged with it I understood technology better and it also helped with developing my problem-solving abilities. I wasn’t only binge-watching whenever I watched my cloud computing videos but I knew to check for resources whenever I need help with understanding anything.
The course made everything easier for my novice self as I later qualified for the ACE certification token offered by GADS2020 to then pass my ACE certification exam. 
I wrote this post to encourage everyone out there especially females that regardless of your background a space is available for you in the technology (technical or non-technical) You only need to bring a determination to learn, learning to understand most importantly you can take it slowly or as fast as you can. It took me up to a year but yours could be different you might not always get it but endeavour to push forward.
Google is currently offering the IT support program in a scholarship scheme in Africa presently. You can register here [https://africa.googleblog.com/2021/03/announcing-new-google-career.html] or on Coursera[https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/google-it-support]