A learning journey for members transitioning out of the military
Rochana Golani
Google Cloud Learning Services Managing Director
Each year, about 200,000 U.S. veterans transition out of military service. However, despite being well-equipped to work in the tech sector, many of these veterans are unable to identify a clear career path. In fact, a 2019 survey found that many veterans feel unprepared for the job market after their service and are unaware of how GI benefits can be used for learning and training. That’s where Google Cloud skills training comes in.
This August, 50 service members began a 12-week, Google Cloud-sponsored Certification Learning Journey toward achieving the Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer certification. Participants had access to online, on-demand learning assets, bi-weekly technical review sessions taught by Google engineers, and mentoring through Google Groups.
Upon completion of the online training, participants will now attempt to pass the Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer certification exam. A passing grade will grant these military members a new cloud certification, which is a great way to demonstrate cloud skills to the larger IT market. Getting certified can open up internships, job opportunities and help career progression for our veterans.
Why get Google Cloud certified?
Cloud computing is one of the fastest-growing areas in IT. As cloud adoption grows rapidly, so do the ways that cloud technologies can solve key business problems in the real world. Cloud certifications are a great way to demonstrate technical skills to the broader market beyond the military.
Cloud skills are also in demand. More than 90% of IT leaders say they're looking to grow their cloud environments in the next several years, yet more than 80% of those same leaders identified a lack of skills and knowledge within their employees as a barrier to this growth.
Unfortunately, according to a 2020 survey report, the IT talent shortage continues to be a leading corporate concern, with 86% of respondents believing it will continue to slow down cloud projects. A shrinking pool of qualified candidates poses a top business risk for global executives as they struggle to find and retain talent to meet their strategic objectives.
Want to learn more?
As we wrap up this first Certification Learning Journey for Service Members, plans are underway to expand to new cohorts in the coming months. The classes are completely virtual, and all training is on-demand so that participants can access their coursework anytime, anywhere via the web or mobile device. To determine whether you (or someone you know) would be a great fit for this certification journey:
Watch the Certification Prep: Associate Cloud Engineer webinar
Complete the Skill IQ Assessment via Pluralsight
Review the Associate Cloud Engineer Certification Exam Guide
Who’s eligible?
U.S. military members transitioning out of service and veterans with CS/CIS related education or relevant work experience (IT, CyberSecurity, Networking, Security, Information Systems) are eligible for the program. Although the ability to code is not required, familiarity with the following IT concepts is highly recommended: virtual machines, operating systems, storage and file systems, networking, databases, programming, and working with Linux at the command line.
At Google Cloud, we are committed to creating training and certification opportunities for transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses to help them thrive in a cloud-first world. Stay tuned for updates early next year!
