The reliability of Google's email service, Gmail, sharpened my keen interest in Google's Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) culture. I was intrigued by the secrets behind its remarkable availability, so I went deep into understanding their insfrastrture.
Gmail is a service I use daily, and its exceptional reliability inspired me to learn more. I went on a journey to understand how Google configures, deploys, and manages cloud solutions that power Gmail. This curiosity ultimately led me to certification. Safe to say my curiosity got me certified.
I validated my experience in cloud technology by earning the Associate Google Cloud Engineer certification and badge. This achievement serves to prove my ability to configure, deploy, and manage cloud solutions on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
In this post, I will be detailing the key resources I used to adequately prepare for and pass this exam in one sitting and explain why this certification is important to me.
How I Prepared: Journey, Duration and Cost
As you may already guess, cloud concepts are not new to me. I have years of experience with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure Cloud, Oracle Cloud, DigitalOcean and other cloud providers. To sit for this examination, all I needed was consolidate the knowledge to Google Cloud concepts.
The Google cloud certification journey started with my interest to join the Google Cloud Innovators. The program looks for practitioners who are passionate, driven, and ready to push boundaries. I got an email invite to join the Get Certified program. This program lasted for 10 weeks and was packed with hands-on labs, video and text based resources.
The Associate Cloud Engineer certification exam costs $125 at the time of publishing this post. However, as a benefit of being in the Get Certified program, you get voucher to sit for one exam from Google.
Resources Used
- Google Cloud Free Credit: I signed up for the Google Cloud free trial. The GCP free trial was an excellent resource for gaining hands-on experience. I completed several labs and exercises, which reinforced my theoretical knowledge.
- Cloud Skills Boost (formerly Qwiklabs): This Cloud Engineer Learning Path provided free access to labs, videos and texts to guide my preparation.
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Udemy & YouTube Courses:
- "Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer certification" by Ranga Karanam. I highly recommend this course.
- There are also several free YouTube courses available, such as this one by freeCodeCamp.org.
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Practice Exams:
- Google provides an official preparation guide and review questions here.
- However, I highly recommend the practice exam course on Udemy
The Personal Impact of My Certification
Adding this certification to my profile enhances my professional credibility. It serves as an official acknowledgment of my expertise in Google Cloud and cloud technologies as a whole. I am certain it would open doors to opportunities and collaborations within the cloud space.
On a personal level, passing this GCP ACE exam is a proud accomplishment. It reflects my dedication, hard work, and ability to achieve my goals. This sense of personal achievement motivates me to continue learning and pursuing further professional development opportunities. (I would get to back my proposals with official certification from Google) 🤠.
What This Means for You
With my Google Cloud certification, I'm well-equipped to handle cloud operations, host applications, manage infrastructure and monitor services in a compliant and secure manner.
If you're interested in leveraging cloud technologies for your business, feel free to reach out. Let's explore how we can drive your business forward!
LinkedIn: Paschal Ogu
Follow on X (twitter): x.com/@paschal_ik
What's Next
My plan is to continue building and deploying in the cloud. I am also considering pursuing the Google Cloud Professional Certification or the AWS Cloud Solution certification.
💡 This article was first published at blog.paschalogu.com. If you found it useful, follow me on Twitter, and on LinkedIn. Also subscribe to my YouTube Channel: PaschalBuilds.
Top comments (2)
“Congrats on passing the Google Associate Cloud Engineer certification! I recently passed my Google Associate exam using CertsLab. I used the CertsLab Google Associate Cloud Engineer Study Material to supplement my studies. They were incredibly useful for diving deeper into topics and practicing with real questions. I highly recommend them!”
Congrats pascal!✨🎉