Google Cloud certification training.

Two credentials, one course. Associate Cloud Engineer is about operating Google Cloud correctly; Professional Cloud Architect is about deciding what should be built. They share a foundation, so the course teaches that foundation once and then splits — you can stop at ACE, or carry straight on.

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Vendor: Google CloudLevel: Beginner–AdvancedWorkload: ~40 hrsTracks: ACE + PCA
Syllabus

What the course covers

Organised by Google Cloud's own objective domains, so what you study maps onto what you are assessed on.

ACE — Setting up a cloud solution environment

Projects and the resource hierarchy, billing configuration, enabling APIs, installing and configuring the SDK, and the organisational structure decisions that are painful to change later.

ACE — Planning and configuring a solution

Planning compute, storage, and network resources; using the pricing calculator before rather than after; and choosing between Compute Engine, GKE, Cloud Run, and Cloud Functions for a given workload.

ACE — Deploying and implementing

Deploying to each compute option, configuring networking and load balancing, managed instance groups, data storage services, and deployment through infrastructure as code.

ACE — Operations and access

Cloud Monitoring, Logging, and Error Reporting; managing running resources; IAM roles and service accounts; and viewing audit logs to answer who changed what.

PCA — Designing and planning architecture

Turning business requirements into technical ones, designing for compliance and for cost, migration planning, and defining success criteria a design can actually be measured against.

PCA — Security, reliability, and operations

Designing for security and compliance, reliability and disaster recovery, analysing and optimising technical and business processes, managing implementation, and the operational reality of running what you designed.

How it runs

Labs, prerequisites & the exam

In the labs

Where the hours actually go. Each of these is done, not watched.

  • Set up a project hierarchy, billing, and IAM the way an organisation should, then audit it as if you had inherited it.
  • Deploy the same application to Compute Engine, GKE, and Cloud Run, and argue for one of them against a stated constraint.
  • Build a VPC with subnets, firewall rules, and load balancing, then verify reachability against the intent.
  • Configure monitoring, logging, and alerting until a deliberately induced failure surfaces without anyone looking for it.
  • Deploy infrastructure as code and change it through the same path.
  • PCA case study: take a written business scenario end to end into an architecture, with the trade-offs and the costs stated.

Who it's for

  • Engineers new to Google Cloud, whether or not another cloud is already familiar
  • Administrators and developers who need ACE as a formal baseline
  • Architects targeting PCA, which is a design exam rather than a service-recall one
  • Teams standardising on Google Cloud who need everyone at the same level

Before you start

  • Google recommends around six months of hands-on Google Cloud experience for ACE, and more for PCA
  • General infrastructure background: compute, storage, networking
  • Comfort with a command line; some familiarity with containers helps for the GKE material
  • No prior Google Cloud certification required

Certification

Two separate exams: Associate Cloud Engineer and Professional Cloud Architect

ACE and PCA are booked and sat independently, and neither requires the other, though most people take ACE first. PCA includes case studies published in advance — reading them beforehand is part of preparing, and the course treats them that way. Confirm current format, length, and pricing on Google Cloud's certification pages before booking.

FAQ

Questions about Google Cloud

Should I take Associate Cloud Engineer or Professional Cloud Architect first?

Most people take ACE first. It establishes the platform vocabulary and the operational skills PCA assumes, and it is a shorter path to a credential. If you already architect on another cloud and have real Google Cloud exposure, going straight to PCA is reasonable — but PCA is a design exam, and it is unforgiving about platform specifics.

Does this course cover both certifications?

Yes. The shared foundation is taught once, then the material splits into the ACE operational track and the PCA design track. You can stop after ACE or continue; the roughly 40 hours covers both paths.

Do I need Google Cloud experience before starting?

Google recommends around six months of hands-on experience for ACE. The course is workable with less if you have general infrastructure background, though you should expect to put in extra lab time on the compute and networking material.

How does this compare to the AWS track?

The architectural reasoning transfers almost entirely; the service names, the defaults, and the resource hierarchy do not. Google Cloud's project and folder model in particular has no direct AWS equivalent and catches people out. Taking either course first makes the second noticeably faster.

Other tracks

The rest of the academy

All certifications — or pick up one of the other six.

Enroll in Google Cloud

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