Certification — How to Prepare for Google Cloud — Professional Cloud Network Engineer

About me — I am multi-cloud certified Cloud Architect; current work assignments are focused on Google Cloud platform. Past 18 months I wrote 17+ cloud certification and recently passed GCP — Professional Cloud Network Engineer certification.

Target audience for this exam?

A Professional Cloud Network Engineer certification is typically targeted towards individuals who have a background in networking and are interested in gaining expertise in designing, implementing, and managing cloud network infrastructure. This may include IT professionals who are responsible for the design, deployment, and maintenance of cloud-based networks in an enterprise environment, as well as individuals who are looking to advance their careers in the field of cloud computing.

In order to pursue this certification, it is generally expected that candidates have a strong foundation in networking concepts, including routing, switching, and network security. Familiarity with cloud computing concepts and technologies is also important, as is experience with GCP cloud-based networking solutions.

Overall, a professional Cloud Network Engineer certification is well-suited for individuals who are interested in developing expertise in cloud-based networking on GCP and are looking to advance their careers in the field of cloud computing.

Roles and Responsibilities of Google Cloud Professional Cloud Network Engineer?

It includes tasks such as:

1. Designing and implementing scalable and secure networking solutions on GCP, including VPCs, subnets, firewall rules, and load balancers.
2. Migrating on-premises workloads to the cloud and integrating them with GCP networking solutions.
3. Configuring network routing and load balancing to optimize network performance and availability.
4. Implementing network security measures such as firewall rules and VPNs to protect against external threats.
5. Monitoring and troubleshooting network issues to ensure network availability and performance.
6. Collaborating with other IT professionals to integrate GCP networking solutions with other systems and technologies.
7. Staying up-to-date with the latest developments in cloud computing and networking, and continually learning and evolving skills to stay current with industry best practices.

In addition to these specific responsibilities, Professional Network Engineer should also have a strong understanding of Cloud DNS, Cloud Router, BGP session, DNS Policies, DNS forwarding, Interconnect high availability.

Step# 1 To prepare for the exam, you should familiarize yourself with the exam content and objectives, which are outlined in the official exam guide here - https://cloud.google.com/certification/guides/cloud-network-engineer/

Official sample exam can be taken here — Professional Cloud Network Engineer Sample Questions. It can be attempted multiple times as sample questions remain same.

If more than 65% answers are correct at first attempt, skip to Step# 2.2 and if 85% answers are correct skip to Step# 2.3

Step# 2 — Learning Plan

2.1 Video Trainings — GCP — Google Cloud Professional Cloud Network Engineer | Udemy by Ankit Mistry

Google Cloud Professional Cloud Network Engineer — AwesomeGCP, Certified Q&A by sathish vj

2.1.1 Optionally go thru these YouTube playlists for more in-depth knowledge.

Cloud OnAir: Google Cloud Networking 101 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hN-dyOV10c&list=PLDGXb-1k3XY1RaEfzp_nDSJMPP0iAQEtP

Networking Sessions — Google Cloud Next ’19 — https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIivdWyY5sqKAvNQuGGGgiAspW36NiaTQ

Google Cloud Certified Professional Network Engineer Concepts - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPS8Ty7UpM1XhJBLqHXBAL3sqhfsSU-gw

What is DNS? | How a DNS Server (Domain Name System) works | DNS Explained - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6R9gRWIIK8

2.2 Hands-on Labs — Complete all labs on Network Engineer Learning Path on Qwiklabs platform

2.3 Google Cloud Documentation — It is highly recommended to go thru these curated links — jitu028/gcp-network-engineer focused on exam.

Step# 3 — Practicing the practice test

Practice tests from Whizlabs — https://www.whizlabs.com/google-cloud-certified-professional-cloud-network-engineer/

Step# 4 — Scheduling the exam

I attempted the exam for the first time in July 2022 and was not able to pass. However, you did not let this discourage me and instead decided to study and prepare more for the exam. In my second attempt, you could clear the exam and become Google Cloud Professional Cloud Network Engineer certified.

I was more determined and committed to achieve this certification. The failure also highlighted the importance of preparation and the value of learning from mistakes. By continuing to study and prepare, I was able to overcome the challenges and succeeded in my pursuit of becoming a Google Cloud Professional Cloud Network Engineer.

After preparing for more than 4 months along with Security Engineer exam, I scheduled the exam for 14th December 2022 and took remote proctored at 5:30 AM.

For this certification I suggest schedule your exam after spending at least 3 months of learning, fully confident and consistently scoring more than 80% in practice tests.

References —

Please also check the medium articles on this certification —

Preparing for success with the GCP Professional Cloud Network Engineer Exam by Ammett W

Notes from my beta Google Cloud Professional Network Engineer Certification Exam by sathish vj

What it takes to be a ‘Certified’ GCP Professional Network Engineer ? by BRK0018

My certificate -

All the best with your preparation.

If you have any question, you can reach me on **LinkedIn and twitter [@jitu028](https://twitter.com/jitu028)** and DM, I’ll be happy to help!!

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