Planning Your Google Certification Journey

Author(s): Rajesh Verma

Originally published on Towards AI.

Cloud Computing

First, let me thank all those who have written on this topic already. After gathering similar advice, I have concluded with the following few tips.

Regardless of what you do in your day job, if you have love and passion for data, this will be a fun ride. It is not easy, but the more involved you get, the more you will crave it.

Who should not do these certifications?

The aspect I liked most about these certifications (Professional Cloud Architect & Professional Data Engineer) is that they are scenario-based. Memorizing the concept & technical details will not help if you are not aware of the real-world application.

These are not job-seeker certifications. Neither will be adding these to your resume to get you a job. So, if you are a beginner or have no experience in delivering data products, I would encourage you to look for other certifications and come back to these a few years later.

Why did I do these certifications?

Currently, I am into program management rather than hands-on data analytics. But I have practical expertise in migrating data, data warehousing, analytics, establishing data linkages between curated unstructured, structured, and semi-structured data.

The complexities of data analytics, modeling, architecture, design, SQL, and Python create an ecosystem where I find the most mental peace and calmness.

On the vertical bar of the famous T-shaped skill, Professional Data Engineer certification provided me the opportunity to dig deep into Big Query and the end-to-end data processing pipeline on Google Cloud. I could map each stage of the process to something I have done on a different toolset in the past. The GCP platform streamlines the entire data flow and makes it scalable beyond imagination.

The horizontal bar of the T-shaped skill was a little challenging because of its breadth. The Professional Cloud Architect certification is wide in scope but is the most satisfying stage of your journey because it brings everything together and allows you to see the whole picture.

At this stage, you will have to admire the beauty, the vastness, and the depth Google Cloud Platform has to offer to rekindle your love and passion for data. Data is language. You have to tell the story.

Why should you read further?

I am assuming if you are still reading, you are interested in getting GCP certified. My intent here is to provide you with a few tips to plan your journey and make it as smooth as possible.

The amount of information available on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is massive and navigating through it is grueling (especially if you have a full-time job, family, kids, personal commitments, etc.).

So, where should you start?

If I had to do it again, this is how I would do it (in less than $150.00 plus exam fees):

1. Read the 3 case studies multiple times. This will help you focus on the desired business outcome and not on the technical stack itself.
2. Familiarize yourself with the GCP essentials to get comfortable with Qwiklabs and the basics.
3. Complete the Google recommended training: Professional Cloud Architect and Professional Data Engineer.
4. At this point, the challenge is to put the bits and pieces of information that you have learned together.
5. Restart the journey with Linux Academy at $50.00 a month. It can’t get cheaper than that. If you are an experienced professional, it should take you about 8 to 10 weeks to get ready. Again it all depends on the time you can commit. I would recommend about 10–15 hours a week.
6. Listen to the audio and perform the lab step by step (it’s all covered in the subscription).
7. After you are done with all your sections, attempt the practice exam to identify your weak spots.
8. At this stage, buy the summary course from Get GCP Certified (about $30.00). This will help sum up everything you have learned in about 4–5 hours.
9. Re-try the practice exams on Linux Academy, and you should see a remarkable jump incorrect answers. If you are scoring above 85%, you are ready for the exam.
10. Before the exam, you should read the 3 case studies (so you don’t have to read it in the exam) and watch the Get GCP Certified videos again. This will help you recap the whole Google Cloud Platform and help you with getting certified.

I hope the tips above help navigate the maze!

You can find me on LinkedIn.

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Published via Towards AI