An Honest Google Cybersecurity Certification Review

I found one of the most popular certificate courses, “The Google Cybersecurity Certificate,” and enrolled to enhance my skills. I have read a lot of mixed reviews, and to get clarity, I decided to go through the course myself. 

This Google Cybersecurity certification review will share my honest experience. In this article, I break down this certificate course so you know –

1. What is offered in the course?
2. How can you make the most of this course?
3. What to do after you have finished the course?

The Google Cybersecurity Certificate course teaches the primary methods to safeguard digital assets, mitigate threats, and secure the digital world for any organization.

If you are ready to dive into cybersecurity, read this review to the end to make the best use of this course with my tips and recommendations.

Google Cybersecurity Certification Review: Quick Verdict 

The Google Cybersecurity Course has a big thumbs up from me as it helps you learn various essential skills and is a great foundational course. If you are looking for an intermediate-level or advanced-level course, look away; this course is not worth your time.

Overview- Google Cybersecurity Certification Course

The Google Cybersecurity Certificate course is a beginner-friendly professional certificate course hosted on Coursera and requires no prior experience. 

However, I felt that a course taker needs to know the basic concepts and jargon used in cybersecurity before taking this course.

The expert tutors from Google will break down concepts to help you learn threat recognition and response and how to secure networks, devices, and data. You will learn to use tools like Python, Linux, and SQL.

Who Is The Google Cybersecurity Certification Course Suitable For?

• Entry-level job in cybersecurity
• Beginner in the field of cybersecurity
• Beginner in the field of IT
• Preparing for CompTIA Security+ certification exam

Scope Of Google Cybersecurity Certification

While researching, I discovered cybersecurity remains a near-zero unemployment marketplace for those with extensive backgrounds, as per Cybercrime magazine.

It is also predicted that the scope of Cybersecurity jobs will only increase in the future. There will be 3.5 million unfilled job roles in the cybersecurity industry through 2025.

Cybersecurity is a prime job market to enter as companies and organizations pay excellent salaries to cybersecurity employees to protect their company from any cyber threat, which is the need of the hour right now.

So, if you want to shape your career in various cybersecurity roles as a defender, manager, risk analyst, product developer, or CISO, start your journey with this Google Cybersecurity Certification.

Google Cybersecurity Course Structure

The Google Cybersecurity Course is divided into an 8-course series.  Check the details of each course series and the rating given by Coursera course takers below.

Course 1: Foundations Of Cybersecurity

Name Of Lesson	Foundations Of Cybersecurity
Rating by Coursera users	4.9
Approx time taken	21 hours
What you will learn	Security Hardening, Network Security, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Network Architecture, Cloud Networks

Course 2: Manage Security Risks

Name Of Lesson	Play It Safe: Manage Security Risks
Approx time taken	11 hours
Rating by Coursera users	4.8
What you will learn	Information Security (INFOSEC), NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF), Security Audits, NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), Incident Response Playbooks

Course 3: Networks And Network Security

Name Of Lesson	Connect And Protect: Networks and Network Security
Approx time taken	14 hours
Rating by Coursera users	4.8
What you will learn	Command line interface (CLI), SQL, Linux, Bash

Course 4: Linux And SQL 

Name Of Lesson	Tools Of The Trade: Linux And SQL
Approx time taken	27 hours
Rating by Coursera users	4.8
What you will learn	Escalation, resume and portfolio preparation, stakeholder communication, integrity, and discretion

Course 5: Assets, Threats, And Vulnerabilities

Name Of Lesson	Assets, Threats, And Vulnerabilities
Approx time taken	26 hours
Rating by Coursera users	4.8
What you will learn	Authentication, vulnerability assessment, Cryptography, asset classification, threat analysis

Course 6: Detection And Response

Name Of Lesson	Sound The Alarm: Detection And Response
Approx time taken	24 hours
Rating by Coursera users	4.8
What you will learn	Information Security (INFOSEC), Ethics in Cybersecurity, NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), Historical Attacks

Course 7: Automate Cybersecurity Tasks With Python

Name Of Lesson	Automate Cybersecurity Tasks With Python
Approx time taken	30 Hours
Rating by Coursera users	4.8
What you will learn	(SIEM) tools, Packet Analyzer, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)

Course 8: Prepare For Cybersecurity Jobs

Name Of Lesson	Put It To Work: Prepare For Cybersecurity Jobs
Approx time taken	18 Hours
Rating by Coursera users	4.8
What you will learn	How to Find and apply for cybersecurity jobs, Prepare for job interviews and network among cybersecurity peers

You must take a quiz at the end of every series to move on to the next chapter. The passing marks required to move to the next chapter are high (80%), so take notes and pay attention to the details explained during the course.

Overall, The course is well structured and gradually introduces each concept. The course’s Step-by-step explanation is what makes it easy to understand.

Time Taken To Finish Google Certification

As per Coursera, the time to finish this course is six months. Coursera recommends to spend 7 hours a week to complete this course.

However, if you are a complete novice like me, you might have to invest 8 hours a week. This will include the 7 hours dedicated to the course and an additional 1 hour of self-study and solving your doubts by researching.

If you are already well versed in the basics and foundations like networking skills, Linux, SQL, and Python, you can finish the course in 2 or 3 months. If you are unfamiliar with these concepts, learn about them to save time.

Google Cybersecurity Course Certification- Pricing

There is a widely circulated rumor on the internet that Google Cybersecurity Course Certification is available for free. Let me first and foremost clear out that this information is false.

• Free Trial

If you want a flavor of the Google Cybersecurity course (or any other cybersecurity courses on Coursera) before you pay the full subscription fee, get the Coursera Plus 7-day free trial.

• Google Cybersecurity Course Cost

Google Cybersecurity course is available for $39 per month on Coursera. So, if you take 6 months to finish the course, you will pay $234.  

• Coursera Plus

You can opt for the Coursera Plus subscription using our exclusive discount offer to save some money on Coursera and get it at just $399.

Subscribing to Coursera Plus will give you access to 90% of the study content on Coursera. This way, along with the Google Cybersecurity course, you can also take other courses on cybersecurity to enhance your knowledge and chances of landing a job. Check other Cybersecurity courses on Coursera.

Google Cybersecurity Certification Course Pros & Cons

Let us weigh in on the pros and cons of the Google Cybersecurity Certification Course- 

Career Benefits Of Google Cybersecurity Certification

The way you use the knowledge and certificate gained through this course can result in a lot of benefits for your career, namely-

• A certificate from Google enhances your CV.

• You learn hands-on technical components, including Linux, Python, SQL, SIEM, and IDS tools.

• You get to improve technical, communication, critical thinking, and teamwork skills.

• Start an entry-level job in the field of cyber securities or IT.

• The career resources at the end of this course will help you build a resume and a portfolio revolving around cybersecurity jobs.

What To Do After Google Cybersecurity Certification?

After you complete this course and gain your Google certificate, here is what you can do going forward.

• Prepare for  CompTIA Security+

Coursera offers a 30% discount for the CompTIA Security+ certification exam on completion of this course.

• Take intermediate-level certification courses.

Continue to learn and level up your knowledge of CySa+ and Pentest+.

• Practice skills learned in the course daily and upgrade your knowledge. The cybersecurity field is evergrowing and everchanging.

• While taking the course, you may realize what interests you or what you lack knowledge about. Usually, beginners in cybersecurity courses need to gain knowledge on networking. Hence, it is suggested that you learn more about networking and operating system knowledge to get a job.

• You can apply for entry-level jobs and internships in help desk IT roles and cybersecurity as a cybersecurity or security analyst or security operations center (SOC) analyst. 

• Go to college. Getting a degree in cybersecurity is still regarded as superior to any diploma or certificate course.

Google Cybersecurity Certification User Review & Testimonial

While researching the Google Cybersecurity Certificate course, I stumbled upon many positive reviews from course takers on Coursera. Here are a few for your reference.

“ I think this is a great start for anyone who is starting from absolute zero, I think that since I’ve been toying with the idea of getting into Cybersecurity for 2 years now, it was a great refresher! ”

• M.G, Via Coursera

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“Very motivational, very positive speeches; I do believe I can create a competitive CV based on the helpful advice! Thank You!”

• Monika S Via Coursera

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“ Amazing course, and I really appreciated the amount of guidance and information provided. It felt really personal to see the tutors how much the tutors want to see you succeed. Thank you all.”

• David S. Via Coursera

Final Verdict- Yes Google Cybersecurity Certification Worth It!

Since I was a complete novice, I had to pause and look for what specific terms meant. However, this is relatively easy, so I recommend this course for anyone with prior knowledge of cyber security. 

While you can also take it as a beginner, you might find it difficult to understand a lot of terms. The “ideal” audience would be people who have basic knowledge of cybersecurity prior to the course, so you can brush up your skills and knowledge AND get a certificate to boost your career. 

I found the Google Cybersecurity course helpful in developing baseline knowledge. This is a great course to refresh your memory on the foundations of cybersecurity if you are someone at an advanced level.

Contrary to popular belief, this course standalone will not get you a job, so I recommend you get the Coursera Plus subscription to save money and take other ancillary courses to build a strong portfolio and resume.

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