How to Get Free Hands-on Training for Google Cloud Certification
Google Cloud has been offering free training promotions in collaboration with Qwiklabs and Coursera to encourage more people to take the certification exams. For the current offer that ends on September 30, Coursera offers the first month free for relevant courses for never-paid users only (credit card required), and Qwiklabs offers free one-month access with a promo code (no credit card required). Below are the details on how to get access to the offers, and how to get the most out of your free months on Coursera and Qwiklabs.
Decide which exam to take
The starting point will be the main Google Cloud Certification page, where you can learn more about all the different certifications. Based on your background and experience, you should decide which exam you want to take first.
Download your learning path
Now, that you have decided which exam to take, you are ready to download your learning path. Go to the Certification Preparation page.
Click on the Register now button to go to the registration form at the bottom of the page. Fill in the form with your information, select the required path, and submit. You should receive an email with a link to download your learning path file.
The file contains two more links, one for the Coursera offer and one for the Qwiklabs offer.
Redeem Coursera offer
Click on the offer link in the learning path file and sign up. Enroll in the courses in your learning path for free.
Redeem Qwiklabs offer
Click the link in the learning path file to go to the Qwiklabs Google Certification page. That opens a page with a promo code already filled. Copy the code to use later.
Scroll down and click on one of the skill badges related to your selected path to start your registration.
The next page asks for your access code. Once you provide the code, that unlocks the first lab for free and adds credits to your account. Sign in or create an account and complete that first lab and once you finish the lab, that will unlock your one free month for all other labs.
Get the most out of your month
- Start by finishing the courses, labs, and quests recommended by Google in your learning path.
- Complete all the skill quests related to your exam and earn badges.
- Complete as many challenge labs as you can before your exam. Challenge labs are the real learning experience on Qwiklabs. You don’t want to miss out on them.
- Enroll in any other quests you may find relevant. You will find many quests almost complete except for one or two labs. Just do those and complete the quest.
- If you still have time, feel free to explore more courses, labs, and quests you may be interested in, even if they are not related to your exam.
