Google Cloud is a vendor geared towards programmers. Google is famed for innovation and cutting-edge technology. This reflects on Google Cloud, with its advanced networking and edge-caching services.
Google Cloud has been an area of exploration for me for quite some time, and I have learnt many things along the way. I got certified by Google as a Cloud Digital Leader and have begun the journey to get certified as a Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect – something I have wanted to do for a long time.
That said, I was approached by people who wanted to learn about Google Cloud. I thought to get this article out to assist others on their journey. It took me some time to get here – and hope that you will be able to utilize the links below and get to your goals a little faster. And trust me when I say it – this is a ‘short’ list. Let’s get started.
1. Learning Paths
I prefer the ‘Cloud skills boost’ (CSB) learning paths, versus the courses on the Google Developer site. The learning paths on CSB are recent, more complete and helpful to get to the certification and actually clear it. Some of the courses will also refer to Google Cloud sites and books – highly recommend to refer those additional links.
Please note – all badges for the courses you complete, get displayed on your Google Cloud Skills Boost profile, and not on Google Developer profile.
2. Certifications
The Google Cloud Certifications page is really good and very helpful to determine which certification to start with. For each certification, you will find more details, including the exam guide and sample questions. This should be the first page to start in fact, identify which certification is best suited for your goals, and then pick the learning path to match the certification.
Reach out to Google Cloud support, when you need certification support .
And last but not the least, the exam scheduling and assessment (initial results only), will all be delivered via Webassessor.
Important – do not mis-spell your name and ensure it is exactly the same as on the 2 IDs you are going to use for the exam. You won’t be allowed to appear for the certification exam if there is even a small mistake.
Tip – If you do have a exam center near your home, go for that instead of taking the exam from home. The rules for exams from home are too strict – and you could get disqualified by as little as someone walking up behind you during the exam or your wi-fi getting disconnected for a few seconds.
3. Google Developer Profile
Highly recommend making one. All your badges show up against your profile, once you complete your learning journey. Right now, this does not work as expected and I am following up with Google to check what can be done to fix this. But, still, worth making a profile and start accumulating progress in one place.
4. For the Leaders – Partner Directory
Yes, Google Cloud provides a list of all of it’s partners. The specializations, geographies, marketplace links, success stories and a lot of the business information to be able to engage the right partner is listed here. Have a look.
5. Google Blog
Google Cloud blog and the Google India blog are 2 that I follow. These are good to know, and helpful to keep in touch with the latest.
The Google Cloud blog is your one stop shop for all the news around Google Cloud at a global level.
Whereas the Google India blog, also known as “The Keyword India”, is your one stop shops for all news on Google in India – includes Google Cloud India level updates like new regions, offices, etc as well as covers everything Google, with respect to India.
6. Google Cloud on YouTube
a. Google Cloud Channel – their description reads, and I quote : Welcome to Google Cloud. Our goal is to help you build, operate and grow your business. Subscribe to stay up to date with the latest in cloud – whether your business is early in its journey or well on its way to digital transformation, we’ll help chart a path to success.
b. Google Cloud Tech Channel – their description reads, and I quote : Welcome to the official YouTube channel for Google Cloud’s technical community. Explore our how-to videos, see exciting demos, stay up to date with product news, and find new developer tools helping you build what’s next.
7. Google Cloud Tools
First and foremost, if you have read until here, awesome. Developers and Architects will love this last part!
The all encompassing Google Cloud Cheat Sheet. Short descriptions for all of Google Cloud components in 1 place. Enjoy!
A brilliant Google Cloud Developer Architecture tool with lots of ready to reference architectures for multiple types of Industry, Technologies and Startups, and many more.
And the last last tool I would like to recommend is the Google Cloud Adoption Framework. Their description – “Move to the cloud with confidence. The Google Cloud Adoption Framework helps you identify key activities and objectives that will reliably accelerate your cloud journey.” And it includes the Cloud Maturity Assessment guide as well.
There is a lot more to the Google Cloud Universe – Security, Networking, Infrastructure, Data, AI/ML, Operations and on and on. Beyond this article, you will learn to work on your own, and start identifying the right products and services to focus on basis your own needs. The knowledge you gain from this article, including the learning paths, blogs, videos and tools, has to be put to good use as you move through the stages of your learning journey.
It is easy to bookmark this page and keep it handy along your way. Wish you all the very best!
“Like” to send positive feedback to me
“Comment” to share your views
“Subscribe” to stay connected