Google Cloud
Google Cloud is the fastest-growing major cloud platform, known for its leadership in data analytics, machine learning, and Kubernetes. GCP certifications are rigorous, highly respected, and associated with some of the highest salaries in cloud computing.
12 Certifications6 Paths
Certifications
associate
professional
Professional Cloud Architect
PCA$200
Professional Cloud Developer
PCD$200
Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer
PCDE$200
Professional Cloud Network Engineer
PCNE$200
Professional Cloud Security Engineer
PCSE$200
Professional Data Engineer
PDE$200
Professional Database Engineer
PDBE$200
Professional ML Engineer
PMLE$200
Professional Workspace Administrator
PWA$200
Career Paths
GCP Beginner to Cloud Engineer
6–12 months
The entry path into Google Cloud for beginners. Cloud Digital Leader establishes GCP fundamentals and business context. Associate Cloud Engineer is the gateway credential to all Professional-level GCP certifications and the core hands-on operations cert.
Cloud Architect
9–15 months
Targets the highest-paying GCP certification path. Associate Cloud Engineer provides the required foundation and Professional Cloud Architect validates advanced solution design across the full GCP platform. Average salaries around $175,000 for certified architects.
DevOps SRE
9–15 months
Targets DevOps and site reliability engineering roles on Google Cloud. Associate Cloud Engineer provides the operational foundation and Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer validates CI/CD pipeline design, SRE principles, and infrastructure automation on GCP.
Security Engineer
9–15 months
Specialized path for cloud security engineering on Google Cloud. Associate Cloud Engineer establishes the required GCP foundation and Professional Cloud Security Engineer validates IAM design, network security controls, threat detection, and compliance on GCP.
Data Engineer
12–18 months
Builds toward senior data engineering roles on Google Cloud. Cloud Digital Leader establishes platform context, Associate Cloud Engineer provides the operational foundation, and Professional Data Engineer validates end-to-end data pipeline architecture on GCP.
ML AI Engineer
12–18 months
Targets ML and AI engineering roles on Google Cloud. Builds from cloud fundamentals through core engineering and into the Professional ML Engineer — the senior credential for practitioners building and productionizing ML systems on Vertex AI.
Find your Google Cloud certification path