為了在公司內推動 GCP 認證考試，必須先推動大家勤修 GCP 課程；為了推動大家勤修 GCP 課程，我得先帶頭示範。因此，我最近在 Coursera 修了許多 GCP 認證考試相關課程 1，感觸很深：就算不考照，用這些課程補完一些知識，還是很值得的。
這些課程深度與廣度兼具，又有搭配實作演習，有系統地吸收，會比雜亂搜尋文件的碎片化學習來得踏實。
即使以俗氣的 C/P 值角度來說，這些課程也是物超所值的。像以下這門放在 Coursera 的課：
大家知道嗎？這樣的課，用同樣的 Google 原廠教材，改用國語發音 live 授課，在外頭可是喊價超過一萬元新台幣的。
我根據自己這些日子勤修課程的小經驗，推薦幾門有廣度有深度的課，讓想要對雲端環境有更廣更深認識的人參考。我大致將這些課程分類如下：
- 非技術的通識類
- GCP 技術：共通核心
- GCP 技術：K8s
- Dev
- DevOps & SRE
- ML & Big Data
非技術的通識類
這類課程比較軟性，適合讓非技術底子出身的人也有機會體會雲端帶來的可能性。非技術人擁有雲端的基礎認知，與技術人的對話也才能更同調。
系列／Google Cloud Digital Leader Training Professional Certificate
- Digital Transformation with Google Cloud
- Innovating with Data and Google Cloud
- Infrastructure and Application Modernization with Google Cloud
- Understanding Google Cloud Security and Operations
系列／Digital Transformation Using AI/ML with Google Cloud (秀肌肉)
- Business Transformation with Google Cloud
- Infrastructure and Application Modernization with Google Cloud
- Managing Machine Learning Projects with Google Cloud
其中，像 Managing Machine Learning Projects with Google Cloud 這門課提到最適合 ML 發揮的領域，是 “Challenging & Clear” 的問題：
這是不是與最近因為 ChatGPT 而颳起的 prompt engineering 風潮，有異曲同工之妙呢？
系列／Organizational Change and Culture for Adopting Google Cloud Specialization (秀肌肉)
- Business Transformation with Google Cloud
- Infrastructure and Application Modernization with Google Cloud
- Managing Change when Moving to Google Cloud
- Developing a Google SRE Culture
看到 Google 居然把 Developing a Google SRE Culture 招牌課程放到這裡，可見 Google 有多重視推廣 SRE 這理念了。
GCP 技術：共通核心
這類課程比較枯燥，但這是技術基礎，再枯燥也得撐過去。而且這類課程，是後續許多專項課程 (specialization) 都會涵蓋到的共同基礎，打好基礎，很容易繼續擴增廣度。
系列／Architecting with Google Compute Engine Specialization (秀肌肉)
- Reliable Google Cloud Infrastructure: Design and Process
- Elastic Google Cloud Infrastructure: Scaling and Automation
- Google Cloud Fundamentals: Core Infrastructure
- Essential Google Cloud Infrastructure: Core Services
- Essential Google Cloud Infrastructure: Foundation
雖然此專項課程宣稱 “this program will also provide sample questions similar to those on the exam”，但好像未必有 100% 涵蓋到 “Associate Cloud Engineer” 應考前該知道的細節。
系列／Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Cloud Engineer (秀肌肉)
- Elastic Google Cloud Infrastructure: Scaling and Automation
- Google Cloud Fundamentals: Core Infrastructure
- Architecting with Google Kubernetes Engine: Foundations
- Essential Google Cloud Infrastructure: Core Services
- Essential Google Cloud Infrastructure: Foundation
- Preparing for Your Associate Cloud Engineer Journey
系列／Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Cloud Architect Professional Certificate
- Google Cloud Fundamentals: Core Infrastructure
- Essential Google Cloud Infrastructure: Foundation
- Essential Google Cloud Infrastructure: Core Services
- Elastic Google Cloud Infrastructure: Scaling and Automation
- Reliable Google Cloud Infrastructure: Design and Process
- Architecting with Google Kubernetes Engine: Foundations
- Preparing for your Professional Cloud Architect Journey
三大系列洋洋灑灑，狀似龐大，但其實課程重疊度極高，就當成是一再複習加深印象吧。
GCP 技術：K8s
系列／Architecting with Google Kubernetes Engine Specialization (秀肌肉)
- Google Cloud Fundamentals: Core Infrastructure
- Architecting with Google Kubernetes Engine: Foundations
- Architecting with Google Kubernetes Engine: Workloads
- Architecting with Google Kubernetes Engine: Production
這專項課程，與 Udemy 三門 CKA/CKAD/CKS 認證考試課程相比，還算實用，可互補。
Dev
很多課程似乎都鎖定在 serverless 方案，因此，先把這張圖記下來（引述自 Application Development with Cloud Run 課程）：
系列／Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Cloud Developer (秀肌肉)
- Securing and Integrating Components of your Application
- Getting Started with Google Kubernetes Engine
- Application Development with Cloud Run
- App Deployment, Debugging, and Performance
- Google Cloud Fundamentals: Core Infrastructure
- Getting Started With Application Development
比較令我驚訝的是，最後一門課 Getting Started With Application Development 花了很多篇幅在講 Cloud Run，尤其是講它的 networking & security 設定，卻讓人覺得這個 serverless 方案沒有想像中那麼無腦即可使用。
Developing Applications with Cloud Functions on Google Cloud
身為 GCP serverless 另一員大將 Cloud Functions，值得好好掌握。
Service Orchestration and Choreography on Google Cloud
難得在 GCP 課程上看到這主題，很值得照著他的範例把玩一遍。
DevOps & SRE
系列／Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Cloud DevOps Engineer (秀肌肉)
- Logging, Monitoring and Observability in Google Cloud
- Reliable Google Cloud Infrastructure: Design and Process
- Getting Started with Google Kubernetes Engine
- Google Cloud Fundamentals: Core Infrastructure
- Developing a Google SRE Culture
Site Reliability Engineering: Measuring and Managing Reliability
這門課滿特別的，把 SRE 的 SLI/SLO 講得很仔細。譬如說，面對複雜系統，是否該臚列很多很多的 SLI？課程如是說：
You should aim to only have one to three SLIs covering each user journey, even if your system and user journeys are relatively complex.
我發現，在 OKR & OGSM 講究的精簡指標觀念，在 SRE 裡面也是。 所以，不要以為落落長的指標才是好的。
ML & Big Data
這系列重頭戲，我還在苦苦追趕，請恕我此刻暫時無法寫出什麼心得。 :)
系列／Data Engineering, Big Data, and Machine Learning on GCP Specialization
- Google Cloud Big Data and Machine Learning Fundamentals
- Modernizing Data Lakes and Data Warehouses with Google Cloud
- Building Batch Data Pipelines on Google Cloud
- Building Resilient Streaming Analytics Systems on Google Cloud
- Smart Analytics, Machine Learning, and AI on Google Cloud
系列／Machine Learning on Google Cloud Specialization
- How Google does Machine Learning
- Launching into Machine Learning
- TensorFlow on Google Cloud
- Feature Engineering
- Machine Learning in the Enterprise
其中，像 How Google does Machine Learning 這門課提到的 “Responsible AI Development” 議題，值此生成式 AI (AIGC) 火熱的時刻，讀起來格外有感。
系列／Advanced Machine Learning on Google Cloud Specialization
- Production Machine Learning Systems
- Computer Vision Fundamentals with Google Cloud
- Natural Language Processing on Google Cloud
- Recommendation Systems on Google Cloud
- Machine Learning in the Enterprise
系列／Customer Experiences with Contact Center AI - Dialogflow ES Specialization & Customer Experiences with Contact Center AI - Dialogflow CX Specialization
把玩一下聊天機器人吧。
以上就是我個人偏食的菜單，希望給大家一些啟發，好好善用這個深度與廣度兼具的大補帖吧。
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對 GCP 認證考試相關課程感興趣的，可參考 “Google Cloud Certification: 2023 Guide” 一文。 ↩︎