The 5 Highest Paying Google Cloud Certifications

In today’s highly competitive job market, having essential certifications in relevant fields sets you apart from other candidates. For example, one of the most in-demand certification areas is cloud computing, and Google Cloud certifications are among the most sought-after.

A Google Cloud certification is a credential demonstrating an individual’s expertise in using and managing Google Cloud technologies. Google offers a range of certifications for professionals at various skill levels, from entry-level to advanced, across different areas of cloud computing, including infrastructure, data, machine learning, and application development. These certifications formally recognize an individual’s knowledge and skills and help professionals advance their careers, making them more attractive to employers looking for skilled talent.

The certifications listed here are among those that earn IT professionals the highest reported salaries in the industry. This list is the result of thousands of IT professionals graciously participating in Skillsoft’s annual IT Skills and Salary survey. The survey is distributed to technology providers, vendors, certification bodies, and individuals worldwide.

The cumulative results are fascinating insights into the value of skills and certifications. To see how we compiled this list, find our methodology at the end.

Want to read the IT Skills and Salary Report? Click here to go to the report.

There are several reasons why getting Google Cloud certified can be beneficial for your career:

Industry recognition: Google Cloud certification is an industry-recognized credential showing that you have the skills and knowledge required to design, build, and manage cloud solutions using Google Cloud.

Increases job prospects: Google Cloud certification helps you stand out in a competitive job market and makes you more attractive to potential employers. It also demonstrates a commitment to your profession and a willingness to learn and keep up with new technologies.

It makes you a more competitive candidate: Google Cloud-certified professionals are in high demand, so they often earn higher salaries than their non-certified counterparts. The Skillsoft IT Skills and Salary report states that Google Cloud certifications are among the highest-paying certifications in the IT industry.

Personal development: Preparing for and earning a Google Cloud certification requires significant time and effort. This process helps deepen your knowledge of IT technologies and enables you to learn new skills that can be applied to your work.

Google Cloud offers a variety of certifications at different skill levels and across different areas of cloud computing. Having many options means you can find a certification that aligns with your interests and career goals and allows you to specialize in the areas you’re most interested in.

Several types of Google Cloud certifications are available to individuals who want to demonstrate their proficiency in using and managing Google Cloud technologies. Here is a brief overview of the different types of Google Cloud certifications:

1. Associate Cloud Engineer: This certification is intended for individuals who have experience working with Google Cloud and can demonstrate their ability to deploy applications, monitor operations, and manage cloud resources.
   
2. Professional Cloud Architect: This certification is designed for professionals with advanced Google Cloud experience who can demonstrate their ability to design, develop, and manage Google Cloud solutions that meet specific business requirements.
   
3. G Suite Google Cloud certified: Designed for professionals who want to demonstrate their proficiency using G Suite tools and services. This certification validates the skills required to perform common G Suite workflows, such as configuring and managing G Suite, collaborating with Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, and working with Gmail and Google Calendar.
   
4. Additional Professional Certification: Google Cloud offers various certifications for professionals looking to demonstrate their expertise in specific areas of cloud computing. These include Professional Cloud Architect, Professional Data Engineer, Professional Cloud Developer, Professional Cloud Network Engineer, and Associate Cloud Engineer.
5. Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer Certification: Developers will learn and explore the development lifecycle of using Google-recommended methodologies and tools in this certification exam course. Learners will learn how to build and deploy software and infrastructure delivery pipelines, proficiently maintain and improve production systems, and harmonize service reliability with delivery speed.

Below, you’ll find five of the highest-paying Google Cloud certifications. While the data shows these certifications have higher salaries, it’s important to remember that salaries are the culmination of several factors, including the ability to apply your certified skills at work, your job role, continuous professional development, tenure, and hard work.

The list also provides a snapshot of the typical person holding certification for each credential, including the average number of certifications held, if they hold cybersecurity-related certifications, if they are in management and their average age.

#1 Professional Cloud Architect

$154,234.20

The Professional Cloud Architect certification is popular among IT professionals who work with cloud technologies. The Professional Cloud Architect certification offered by Google Cloud is designed for IT professionals who want to demonstrate their expertise in designing, developing, and managing robust and scalable cloud solutions using Google Cloud technologies. It’s one of the highest-paying IT certifications overall in the U.S.

To earn the certification, candidates must pass a two-part exam that tests their knowledge and skills in several areas, including designing and planning a cloud solution architecture, managing and provisioning a cloud solution infrastructure, and ensuring the security and compliance of a cloud solution.

Professional Cloud Architect certification can lead to career advancement opportunities and higher salaries. It can also help organizations identify individuals with the skills and knowledge required to design and manage cloud solutions using Google Cloud technologies.

The certification is valid for two years, after which candidates must recertify to maintain their certification status. Candidates can recertify by passing the current Professional Cloud Architect exam or earning a related Google Cloud certification.

The exam consists of multiple-choice and multiple-select questions and must be taken at a testing center or via online proctoring. The cost of the exam is USD $200.

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#2 Professional Cloud Network Engineer

$153,240.00*

The Google Cloud Professional Cloud Network Engineer certification is designed to test the skills and knowledge required to design, implement and manage secure, scalable, and highly available network solutions on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP). The certification is intended for network engineers, cloud architects, and professionals responsible for implementing and managing network solutions on GCP.

To earn the Professional Cloud Network Engineer certification, candidates must demonstrate proficiency in several key areas, including designing, implementing, and managing enterprise-grade network infrastructure on GCP, configuring network services such as Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Cloud Load Balancing, Cloud DNS, and optimizing network performance and reliability.

The Professional Cloud Network Engineer certification is among the most popular Google Cloud certifications, as network infrastructure is a critical component of any cloud deployment. By earning this certification, network engineers and cloud architects can demonstrate their expertise in designing and managing secure and scalable network solutions on GCP, a highly sought-after skill in the IT industry.

The exam for this certification is three hours long and consists of multiple-choice and scenario-based questions. The exam fee is USD $200, and candidates must achieve a passing score of 70% or higher to earn the certification.

TAKE THE NEXT STEP

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#3 Professional Cloud Security Engineer

$150,203.14

The Professional Cloud Security Engineer certification is designed for IT professionals who specialize in security and have experience working with Google Cloud Platform (GCP). This certification validates an individual’s expertise in designing and implementing secure infrastructure on GCP, managing access and identity, ensuring data protection, and managing compliance.

To earn the Professional Cloud Security Engineer certification, candidates must pass a single exam, which covers a range of topics, including designing and implementing a secure infrastructure on GCP, implementing security policies and controls, managing access and identity, ensuring data protection, managing compliance, and responding to security incidents.

The Professional Cloud Security Engineer certification is ideal for security engineers, security consultants, and IT professionals who want to enhance their skills in cloud security and work with GCP. With the increasing demand for cloud security professionals, this certification can help individuals stand out in the job market and advance their careers.

The exam consists of multiple-choice and multiple-select questions and lasts for two hours. Candidates are required to pay a fee of USD $200 to take the exam and must recertify every two years to maintain their certification status.

TAKE THE NEXT STEP

Learn more about this certification

See Google Cloud Certification Training

Read Next:The Top 5 Highest-Paying AWS Certifications

#4 Professional Data Engineer

$148,681.68

The Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer certification is designed for data professionals who work with Google Cloud technologies to design, build, and manage data processing systems. In addition, it is intended for individuals who have experience working with big data technologies and are familiar with machine learning concepts.

To earn this certification, candidates must demonstrate their proficiency in designing, building, and managing data processing systems, focusing on the Google Cloud Platform, including skills such as creating data processing systems, managing and monitoring data processing infrastructure, and implementing machine learning models.

The Professional Data Engineer certification exam consists of multiple choice and scenario-based questions that test a candidate’s knowledge of various Google Cloud Platform services, including Cloud Storage, BigQuery, Cloud Dataflow, Cloud Pub/Sub, and Cloud Dataproc. The exam also assesses a candidate’s ability to design, implement, and manage data processing systems using these services.

The Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer certification fee is USD $200. This certification is valuable for data engineers, analysts, and scientists who work with large-scale data processing systems and want to demonstrate their expertise in Google Cloud technologies.

TAKE THE NEXT STEP

Learn more about this certification

See Google Cloud Certification Training

#5 Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer

$144,780.89*

The Google Cloud Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer certification is designed for individuals who want to demonstrate their ability to build and deploy applications using Google Cloud technologies. In addition, this certification tests an individual’s expertise in continuous delivery and automation, service monitoring, site reliability engineering (SRE), and security.

To earn the Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer certification, candidates must pass a single exam covering various topics such as configuring and deploying infrastructure, implementing continuous delivery and release management, monitoring and logging, and managing incidents.

The fee for the Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer certification is USD $200. The exam consists of multiple-choice and multiple-select questions; candidates have 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete it. Candidates can take the exam either in person at a testing center or online from the comfort of their own home or office.

TAKE THE NEXT STEP

Learn more about this certification

See Google Cloud Certification Training

GOOGLE CLOUD - CLOUD DIGITAL LEADER

$138,959.53

The Cloud Digital Leader (CDL) certification was released in 2021 as a foundational-level certification that validates a professional’s knowledge of the Google Cloud Platform, its services, and capabilities in supporting an organization’s cloud initiatives. It may also benefit those in a business-facing role, who work collaboratively with technical professionals, or those who work with multiple cloud providers and must understand the services of each. It also ranks among the top-paying IT certifications overall in the U.S.

To earn this certification, professionals must familiarize themselves with these areas:

• Digital transformation with Google Cloud
• Infrastructure and application modernization
• Innovating with data and Google Cloud
• Google Cloud security and operations

The exam costs $99 and gives professionals 90 minutes to complete the questions. There are no prerequisites for this exam.

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Professional Machine Learning Engineer

$ 133,933.33*

The accreditation covers various topics, including data collection, preparation, analysis, feature engineering, model building, and model optimization. Candidates must also demonstrate proficiency in deploying machine learning models and ensuring their ongoing performance and scalability. The certification exam consists of multiple-choice and scenario-based questions, and candidates must pass with a score of 80% or higher to earn the certification. This certification is designed for experienced machine learning engineers, data scientists, and developers with strong machine learning, data analysis, and software engineering background.

See machine learning training

Professional Cloud Developer

$ 133,805.89*

To be eligible for this certification, candidates should have at least three years of industry experience, including one year of experience designing and managing solutions using the Google Cloud Platform. The exam covers building scalable and efficient applications, managing application performance, debugging and troubleshooting applications, and managing application security. The exam fee is USD 200, and the certification is valid for two years.

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Professional Google Workspace Administrator (Formerly Professional Collaboration Engineer)

$124,393.54*

The certification exam evaluates the ability to configure and manage the Google Workspace environment and to leverage automation to streamline workflows and enhance productivity. In addition, successful candidates will have expertise in integrating Google Workspace with other systems and applications and experience with identity and access management, security, and compliance. The certification is valid for two years, and the cost to take the exam is USD $200.

Learn more about this certification

Our North America (U.S. and Canada) list of the top-paying Google Cloud certifications is based on survey responses from the Skillsoft 2022 IT Skills and Salary Survey conducted from May 2022 to August 2022. The survey asks respondents about their current jobs, experience, certifications, salaries, etc. In addition, respondents encounter multiple choice and multi-select, open-ended, rank choice, and other types of questions while taking the survey.

The survey is distributed to IT professionals worldwide by technology providers, certification bodies, and Skillsoft. There were 2,859 IT professionals in North America who participated. Of that group, 610 reported certifying in Google Cloud.

In order for a certification to qualify for our list, Skillsoft looks for at least 50 survey responses to be considered. Then, we consider relevance, demand, and certification requirements. Salaries are not normalized for cost of living or location (e.g., California vs. Montana).

Whenever the number of survey responses didn’t reach our minimum threshold, we’ve indicated the data with an asterisk. Instances are presented here as anecdotal results and might be subject to fluctuation with more responses.