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Google Cloud · on Google

Google Cloud Skills Boost: Cloud Engineer Learning Path

4.6(8,000) on Google·200K enrolled
Intermediate 40 hours English Course Certificate
SkillsGoogle CloudCloud engineeringKubernetesComputeNetworkingTerraform

Is this course right for you?

Our take
Google Cloud's own hands-on path to the Associate Cloud Engineer certification, with labs in a real GCP environment. The path runs on a subscription or free credits; the certification is a separate paid exam.

Good for: people with some cloud basics preparing for the Google Associate Cloud Engineer certification.

Skip if: you are completely new to cloud, or you do not plan to certify.

It covers the core GCP services — Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, GKE, Cloud SQL, BigQuery, IAM and networking — through conceptual modules, hands-on Qwiklabs and skill-badge challenges, so you practise in live environments rather than just watching. As Google's official platform it is authoritative prep.

What it does not do is start from zero — it expects some cloud basics, so pair it with an intro or the GCP Coursera courses first — and if you do not plan to sit the ACE exam it is not needed. Google keeps it updated.

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About this course

Google Cloud Skills Boost is Google's official hands-on training platform for GCP, and the Associate Cloud Engineer learning path is the structured preparation for the ACE certification exam. It covers core GCP services: Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, Kubernetes Engine, Cloud SQL, BigQuery, IAM, and networking — through a mix of conceptual modules, hands-on Qwiklabs exercises, and skill badge challenges that give access to real GCP environments.

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Instructor

I
Instructor
Google instructor

Developed by Google Cloud's training team — the same organization that writes the ACE certification exam.

Frequently asked questions

Officially there are no formal prerequisites, but Google recommends around six months of hands-on Google Cloud experience before sitting the Associate Cloud Engineer exam, and that advice is sound. The exam tests practical day-job tasks, so familiarity with operating systems, networking basics, and actually using the console helps enormously. Complete cloud beginners can start the learning path, but should budget real lab time before booking the test.

Practical cloud engineering rather than abstract architecture: provisioning Compute Engine instances, deploying to Google Kubernetes Engine, using App Engine, Cloud Run and Cloud Functions, setting up Cloud SQL and storage, and configuring IAM and encryption. The Skills Boost learning path pairs on-demand courses with hands-on labs, so you practise these tasks in a real environment rather than only reading about them.

The Associate Cloud Engineer exam is around 125 US dollars, booked through Pearson VUE either online-proctored or at a test centre, running about two hours with 50 to 60 questions. That fee is separate from any learning-path subscription — the training and the exam are two distinct costs, so budget for both when planning your certification.

The Google Cloud Skills Boost learning path runs on a subscription (with periodic free-access promotions), separate from the exam fee. It gives you the on-demand courses, hands-on labs, and skill badges. You do not strictly need it — some people prepare with other resources and free-tier practice — but its labs are the closest match to the hands-on tasks the exam actually tests.

It is genuinely worth it if you are early-to-mid career and actively working with, or moving toward, Google Cloud — it gives credible validation of foundational cloud-engineering skills. It is less compelling if you are senior with proven cloud experience or working mainly in AWS or Azure. As an associate-level credential it opens doors rather than commanding a big salary premium on its own.
Paid
Monthly subscription or free with Google Cloud credits
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