Google Cloud Certification: 2024 Guide

Becoming Google Cloud certified means you’re proficient in Google Cloud technologies. Becoming certified shows prospective employers you can maintain and implement Google Cloud technology into a company’s workflow. 

In this article, we'll discuss what it takes to earn a Google Cloud certification. Afterward, if you're interested in pursuing certification, consider enrolling in Google's Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Cloud Engineer Professional Certificate, which prepares you for the Associate Cloud Engineer certification.

What is Google Cloud certification?

This professional certification shows you have completed Google Cloud training and are proficient in the Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Google cloud computing services include cloud storage and backup, database management, developer tools, Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, and analytics. 

Companies that use Google Cloud services instead of Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Microsoft Azure may seek employees with a Google Cloud certification, which can save them the time and expense of training. 

Is Google Cloud certification worth it?

Becoming certified in Google's Cloud solutions shows that you are a strong candidate for a company that uses the GCP. It also demonstrates a wide range of technical skills and a solid understanding of cloud architecture, which can help you appeal to other companies.

Demand for Google Cloud professionals

The Google Cloud Platform is among the top three cloud vendors, according to Flexera’s State of the Cloud Report 2023 [1]. The other two cloud providers in the top three are Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Since many enterprises have a hybrid cloud environment, learning about multiple cloud providers can be beneficial.

Read more: Your Guide to AWS Certification

Are Google Cloud certifications free?

Each certification costs between $99 and $200, so it’s essential to consider finances when deciding which Google Cloud certifications to pursue. Check with your employer to see if it will cover the cost, especially if the company benefits from increasing your skill levels. 

Does Google Cloud Certification expire?

Your Google Cloud certifications are valid for two years from the date you received them. You must pay to retake and pass the exam after two years to maintain your certification.

Types of Google Cloud certifications (with costs)

While taking the Google Cloud certification training courses on Coursera for 30 days is free, the exams carry fees ranging from $99 for the lowest level certificate (Cloud Digital Leader) to $200 for the Professional levels. The type of certification you pursue depends on your goals.

Foundational

A Google Cloud Foundational certification demonstrates your broad knowledge of cloud concepts and Google Cloud’s products, services, tools, features, benefits, and use cases. 

For this certification, you should have experience working in a collaborative role with other technical professionals, but you don’t need to meet any technical requirements to enroll. This certification allows you to work as a Cloud Digital Leader. The exam costs $99 plus tax where applicable [2].

Associate certification

An associate certification demonstrates you have the fundamental skills to deploy and maintain Google Cloud projects. You’ll need at least six months of experience building on Google Cloud to gain the knowledge to pass the exam. The exam fee is $125 plus tax where applicable [3].

Professional Certificate

A Professional Certificate shows you can perform critical technical job functions and advanced skills in designing, implementing, and managing Google Cloud products. These certifications require at least three years of cloud industry experience and one year working on Google Cloud. All Google Cloud Professional Certificate exams cost $200 plus tax where applicable [4].  

The Google Cloud Professional Certificates include:

• Cloud Architect

• Cloud Database Engineer

• Cloud Developer

• Data Engineer

• Cloud DevOps Engineer

• Cloud Security Engineer

• Cloud Network Engineer

• Google Workspace Administrator

• Machine Learning Engineer

• Cloud Cybersecurity

• Cloud Data Analytics

Read more: What Is a Cloud Engineer? Building and Maintaining the Cloud

How to choose the proper certification for you

Keep your career goals in mind when choosing the proper Google Cloud certification. If you want to work in a cloud role at a major company that employs the Google Cloud Platform (GCP), you’ll typically benefit from earning a certification. Some major companies using the GCP include PayPal, Home Depot, Twitter, Equifax, Etsy, and UPS. 

Holding various cloud certifications helps you be a more attractive candidate and provides more options when seeking new job opportunities. They demonstrate your ability to switch between different cloud platforms. And with many companies now using multiple clouds, this can help you stand out among other candidates. 

What is your current role?

When choosing the best Google Cloud certification, start with your current role or what role you’d like to gain. Then select the certification program that most closely aligns with that role. For example, if you are a cloud developer looking to hone your skills, a cloud developer certification is the way to go. An aspiring professional Cloud DevOps Engineer may begin with the foundational certificate, advance to a Google Cloud Certified Associate, then enroll in the Cloud DevOps Engineer certification. If you have a specialization in mind, such as data science, you might consider enrolling in a tailored program such as the Google Cloud Data Analytics Professional Certificate:

Do you meet the certification type prerequisites? 

You also want to take the certification program designed for your skill level. If you’re a newcomer to GCP, the foundational certification is the best option because it requires no experience in GCP. With six months of GCP experience, you’re ready for an associate certification. Finally, to be prepared for a Professional Certificate, over three years of cloud experience and one year of GCP experience are needed. 

What is your end goal with certification?

Consider whether you are looking to make a career switch to cloud management or simply want to advance your current career. A certification related to your current role can help you show your skills and give you a leg up on the competition. However, suppose you plan to move to a different job within the cloud. In that case, a certification in your target role may show your employer or prospective employer you’re ready for the transition.

Tips for how to prepare for the certification exam

After taking online courses and a practice exam, you’ll feel better prepared for the Google Cloud certification exam. Online groups and free videos online will also help you prepare.

Online courses 

Google offers you the ability to choose a cloud path, hone your skills, and confirm your learnings in one spot, the Google Cloud Skills Boost. Here, you can study everything about Google Cloud, from a basic introduction and tour of Google Cloud to preparing for the Google Cloud professional data engineer exam. 

Google also offers many Cloud Professional Certificates and Specializations on Coursera. The courses you can choose from include:

• Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Cloud Architect Professional Certificate: This program can help develop the skills you need to advance your cloud architecture career. It also lets you start toward the Google Cloud professional cloud architect certification. When you complete the course, you can register for the exam.

• Google Cloud Digital Leader Training Professional Certificate: With this course, you can gain a general understanding of the cloud and Google Cloud Platform, including the terminology and use cases. You’ll also learn data, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and IT infrastructure. The course is intended to help you prepare for the foundational cloud digital leader certification from Google Cloud.

• Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Cloud Engineer Professional Certificate: In this course, you'll learn about Google Cloud’s infrastructure and platform services and prepare for a cloud engineer role. This certificate is designed to help you prepare for the associate cloud engineer exam, which you must register for and pass to earn the certification.

• Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Machine Learning Engineer Professional Certificate: This Professional Certificate course covers the skills you’d need in a machine learning engineering career. You’ll have the chance to gain an understanding of how to design, build, and productionalize ML models for businesses using Google Cloud. After completing this course, you’ll be better prepared to pass the Google Cloud machine learning engineer certification exam.

• Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Cloud Data Engineer Professional Certificate: This course aims to help you prepare for Google Cloud’s cloud data engineer Professional Certificate exam. You'll have the opportunity to learn how to use BigQuery to analyze interactive data. You will also use Cloud SQL and Dataproc to migrate existing MySQL and Hadoop/Pig/Spark/Hive workloads to Google Cloud, and choose between different data processing products on Google Cloud.

• Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Cloud DevOps Engineer Professional Certificate: This course covers techniques for monitoring, troubleshooting, and improving infrastructure and application performance in Google Cloud using SRE principles. It can help you prepare for Google Cloud’s cloud DevOps engineer certification exam.

• Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Cloud Security Engineer Professional Certificate: If your goal is to advance your Cloud Security Engineer career, this course can help you learn various necessary skills. These include managing access, defining organizational structure and policies, and configuring network security. It's designed to help you prepare to take the Google Cloud professional cloud security certification exam.

• Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Cloud Network Engineer Professional Certificate: This course is designed to help you learn about working in a cloud network engineering role, including hybrid connectivity, network services, and security for established network architectures on Google Cloud. It is for preparing to take the Google Cloud professional cloud networking engineer certification exam.

Practice exams and exam guides 

You can check your knowledge before taking the exam through the online practice questions Google Cloud offers on each certification exam’s registration page. When you click on each certification, it launches sample questions via Google Forms. 

For example, if you are pursuing the professional data engineer certification, you can visit the data engineer certification exam page and click “Review Sample Questions” on the right. It will then launch the Google Forms practice test, and you can see if you’re ready for the actual exam. 

Online groups

You can also meet peers in your respective Google Cloud concentration by visiting Google Cloud Communities. Here you can ask questions, find answers to your questions, answer others’ questions, and connect with other members working in or aspiring to work in Google Cloud. It has forums where you can ask questions, news about the cloud and events you can attend. 

You can also find Google Cloud groups to join on LinkedIn. Here, you can network with others in the field and ask questions.

Free videos online or on Google’s website 

Find free videos about the Google Cloud Platform on the Google Cloud Tech YouTube channel. You can use these videos as resources while studying for your certification exam. The videos are suitable for people of all skill levels. 

The Google Cloud Skills Boost website offers free cloud training where you complete a role-based Google Cloud learning path at no cost. You can choose a learning path that best aligns with your preferred career path and complete a series of hands-on labs and courses to earn Google Cloud badges. While badges aren’t the same as certifications, they can help you start down the path toward certification.

Earn Google Cloud credentials with Coursera

Online programs are a great way to help prepare for your Google Cloud certification. Coursera offers a number of Google Cloud certification prep courses, including the Preparing for the Google Cloud Certification: Cloud Engineer Professional Certificate. Over six courses, you'll learn about the infrastructure and platform services provided by Google Cloud Platform, while getting prepared for the Associate Cloud Engineer certification.