Google Cloud Certification Roadmap
Google Cloud has three levels. Confirm the current list at cloud.google.com/learn/certification, because exams are revised often.
The ladder
| Level | Certifications |
| Foundational | Cloud Digital Leader |
| Associate | Cloud Engineer, Data Practitioner |
| Professional | Cloud Architect, Cloud Developer, Data Engineer, Cloud DevOps Engineer, Cloud Security Engineer, Cloud Network Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer, Cloud Database Engineer, Security Operations Engineer, Google Workspace Administrator |
Recommended paths
| Role | Path |
| SRE / DevOps | Associate Cloud Engineer, then Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer, which assesses SRE principles directly |
| Security | Associate Cloud Engineer, then Professional Cloud Security Engineer |
| Architect | Associate Cloud Engineer, then Professional Cloud Architect |
Tips
- The Associate Cloud Engineer exam rewards comfort with the
gcloud command line, so practise there, not just in the console. - Associate and Professional certifications are valid for about two years, so plan renewals.
- GKE appears across several exams, which makes CKA a natural companion.