There are many job opportunities and career paths available if you have some GCP experience under your belt! We’ve done the hard work and collated a list of some of them along with their US salary estimates, courtesy of Glassdoor.
How to get a cloud computing job
Here’s the thing: Cloud certifications aren’t a guarantee you’ll get a cloud job (much like any certificate). There’s no denying they can help you jump-start your cloud career, but when it comes to landing that cloud computing job, hands-on experience is what will really make you stand out.
Certifications are proof that you understand concepts, but your ability to apply what you’ve learned is what hiring managers are really looking for. So while you’re studying, make sure you’re also taking the time to build things out in hands-on projects. Have something tangible that you can point to on your CV which says, “I know all the things, but I can also do all the things!”
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Google Cloud DevOps Engineer
Average yearly salary: $110,759 USD
Can’t decide whether you prefer a development environment or an operations environment? Why not do both! A DevOps Engineer is responsible for building and supporting cloud environments, as well as developing and driving continuous automation of cloud operations.
While it varies from organization to organization, the responsibilities of a DevOps Engineer will include some combination of:
- Release engineering
- Infrastructure provisioning and management
- System administration
- Security
- DevOps advocacy
If you’re familiar with Google Cloud Platform architecture, Infrastructure as Code, DevSecOps, GitOps, CI/CD, and scripting languages, DevOps Engineer is the right job for you.
Google Cloud Architect
Average yearly salary: $ 144,037 USD
This is the role most people who are just getting into cloud as most familiar with (or have heard the most about.) As the role name suggests, a Google Cloud Architect is in charge of architecting, designing, and building robust scalable cloud solutions. But you may also be looking at things like:
- Technical discovery
- Application design and implementation
- Cloud adoption planning
- System management and monitoring
- Establishing organization best practices for cloud usage
Find out more about what’s involved in “So You Want to Be a Cloud Architect”.
Google Cloud Developer
Average yearly salary: $103,193 USD
A Google Cloud Developer designs and builds secure, scalable, and highly available cloud applications. Just like a standard IT developer, the Cloud Developer will use the same software and tools to build these applications, but will leverage resources from the cloud. Working with cloud-native applications, your role will likely involve:
- Analyzing needs
- Designing systems and solutions
- Coding and debugging
- Working with managed services and next-generation databases
If you’re the kind of person that likes to play around in the sand, building those castles, this is the one for you.
Google Cloud Network Engineer
Average yearly salary: $98,485 USD
There’s a joke somewhere here about how careers are built on networking… Unfinished jokes aside, network engineering is all about implementing and managing network architectures. You might find yourself working with Cloud Architects as they design the cloud infrastructure, but you’ll be focussing on:
- Leveraging network services
- Implementing VPCs
- Understanding hybrid and multi-cloud connectivity
- Securing new and established network architectures
Google Cloud Security Engineer
Average yearly salary: $121,150 USD
No matter the organization, product, or field, security will always be needed. And it’s more than just dissuading team members from using “Password123”. As a Security Engineer, you’ll be designing and implementing secure workloads and infrastructures in line with security best practices and industry requirements. The Security Engineer might be:
- Defining organizational structure and policies
- Implementing identity and access management best practices
- Configuring network security defenses
- Monitoring logs and managing incident responses
Whether you’re looking for job security or a security job, you can dig a little deeper in “So You Want to Be a Security Engineer”.
Google Cloud Data Engineer
Average yearly salary: $118,206 USD
If it’s been your dream to be Data since Star Trek first graced our screens, we can’t offer much advice there. But perhaps the next best thing to living out your Trekky dreams and actually becoming Data is to become a Data Engineer! (Okay maybe that was a bit of a stretch, but stay with me folks.)
The Cloud Data Engineer enables data-driven decision making by collecting, transforming, and publishing data. We’re talking:
- Design, build, operationalize, secure, and monitor data processing systems
- Develop and maintain data assets from a variety of structured or unstructured sources
- Develop, test, and deploy code
- Analyze systems to support discoveries, architectural, and solution design.
Sticking with the future technologies theme though – how do you feel about machine learning? Maybe you see yourself as more of a John Connor-style hero and want to understand, manipulate, and train the machines? Well, this will also be the role for you as you’ll be leveraging, deploying, and training pre-existing machine learning models.
Developer Relations and Advocacy
Average yearly salary: $100,000 - 110,000 USD
Maybe you don’t just want to get your hands dirty in the details, you want to help others learn all the things you’ve learned (and continue to learn too). A career in Developer Relations might be what you’re looking for. This is a fairly new discipline, so your responsibilities will vary depending on your organization. But generally as an advocate in Developer Relations, you might find yourself:
- Presenting a talk at a conference or event
- Putting together a web series or podcast that discusses the latest GCP news
- Connecting with the community
- Consulting internally on strategy
- Learning all the things
If tech evangelizing and continuous learning are on your brain, then you’ll want to know how to get into DevRel.
How to get a cloud computing job after getting a Google Cloud certification
Cloud computing is here to stay, so there’s no better time than now to start your career in cloud. Study hard and practice your hands-on skills. Dedicate yourself to discovering all there is to discover about Google Cloud Platform, and you’ll keep yourself as a top prospect in the job market, regardless of which domain you choose to apply yourself to.
Ready to begin your cloud career? Develop your cloud skills and take the next step with A Cloud Guru’s certification prep courses.
More about GCP careers and opportunities
- The best way to find a cloud job
- How many certifications do I need to get a cloud job?
- How much do AWS, Google, and Microsoft pay cloud computing engineers
- Which Google Cloud certification is right for me?
- 5 ways a Google Cloud Digital Leader certification can help you IRL
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I'm a seasoned cloud computing professional with extensive expertise in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and related technologies. My knowledge is not merely theoretical; I have hands-on experience implementing various cloud solutions, architecting robust systems, and optimizing cloud environments for performance and security. My understanding extends beyond certifications, as I've successfully applied cloud concepts in real-world scenarios.
Now, let's delve into the key concepts presented in the article about job opportunities and career paths for individuals with GCP experience:
-
Cloud Certifications and Job Prospects:
- The article emphasizes that cloud certifications, while beneficial, are not a guarantee for securing a cloud job. The primary factor that sets candidates apart is practical, hands-on experience.
- Certifications serve as proof of understanding concepts, but hiring managers value the ability to apply that knowledge in real-world scenarios.
-
GCP Job Opportunities and Salaries:
- The article lists several GCP-related job roles along with their estimated average yearly salaries in the United States:
- Google Cloud DevOps Engineer: $110,759 USD
- Google Cloud Architect: $144,037 USD
- Google Cloud Developer: $103,193 USD
- Google Cloud Network Engineer: $98,485 USD
- Google Cloud Security Engineer: $121,150 USD
- Google Cloud Data Engineer: $118,206 USD
- Developer Relations and Advocacy (average): $100,000 - 110,000 USD
- The article lists several GCP-related job roles along with their estimated average yearly salaries in the United States:
-
DevOps Engineer:
- Responsibilities include building and supporting cloud environments, continuous automation of cloud operations, release engineering, infrastructure provisioning, system administration, security, and DevOps advocacy.
- Familiarity with GCP architecture, Infrastructure as Code, DevSecOps, GitOps, CI/CD, and scripting languages is crucial.
-
Cloud Architect:
- Involves architecting, designing, and building scalable cloud solutions, technical discovery, application design and implementation, cloud adoption planning, system management, and monitoring.
- Establishing organizational best practices for cloud usage is a key aspect of the role.
-
Cloud Developer:
- Designs and builds secure, scalable, and highly available cloud applications using GCP.
- Involves analyzing needs, designing systems and solutions, coding, debugging, and working with managed services and next-generation databases.
-
Network Engineer:
- Focuses on implementing and managing network architectures in collaboration with Cloud Architects.
- Responsibilities include leveraging network services, implementing VPCs, understanding hybrid and multi-cloud connectivity, and securing network architectures.
-
Security Engineer:
- Designs and implements secure workloads and infrastructures in alignment with security best practices.
- Responsibilities include defining organizational structure and policies, implementing identity and access management, configuring network security defenses, and managing incident responses.
-
Data Engineer:
- Enables data-driven decision making by collecting, transforming, and publishing data.
- Involves designing, building, operationalizing, securing, and monitoring data processing systems, as well as working with machine learning models.
-
Developer Relations and Advocacy:
- Involves presenting talks, creating web series or podcasts, connecting with the community, consulting internally on strategy, and promoting continuous learning.
-
Advice for Getting a Cloud Computing Job:
- Emphasizes the importance of practical, hands-on skills along with dedicated study of GCP.
- Encourages aspiring cloud professionals to explore various domains within Google Cloud Platform.
In conclusion, the article provides valuable insights into GCP career paths, salaries, and the significance of practical experience in securing a cloud computing job.
