Breaking Barriers: My Personal Account of clearing Google Cloud Certified, Professional Data Engineering Certification Exam.

When Mr. Vinay (changed name), at my company, asked me to get certified as a Professional Data Engineer, I had no clue what these certifications are for, what is their value in the market, or whether they would help me with my pitch for next job or look good on my resume. To be honest with you, one other thing that was running in the back of my mind was — for God’s sake, I already have a PhD ! Do I really need certifications ??

It took me some time to ask, explore, and understand these certifications. During the process, I also came to know that there are many professional certifications available in the market for cloud, different technologies, management etc. Senior colleagues advised me that having certification is beneficial as it helps professionals get noticed and having certifications in booming technologies add value to your CV. Companies often prefer certified professionals as it enhances their profile and instill trust in clients. However, what disappointed me at one stage was when one of my friend mentioned that any certification in the market can be arranged. Although, I didn't delve much into the conversation, I understood what she was referring to. From these conversations with seniors and friends, one thing became clear to me: certifications are cherry on the cake, and not the cake itself. As I progressed in my journey, this realization became more evident.

Why I decided to give this exam ?

1. I wanted to broaden my knowledge of Data Engineering at greater velocity. There were concepts that I kept hearing in conversations with my colleagues, but I had no clue about them. I thought that preparing for this exam would provide me a fast track to understand and apply those concepts.
2. I wanted to broaden my understanding of Google Cloud infrastructure and services. When I checked the content and learning path, I discovered that Google Cloud has curated learning paths for most of their professional certifications, exploring further, the Data Engineering Learning path what echoed in my mind was:

. So there was much ground to cover, and I became convinced that I needed to complete the learning path.

3. It’s been a while since I prepared for any exam, so I was missing that academic part of my soul. And this was the closest opportunity for me.

4.We had very few Google Certified Data Engineer at our company, so it was a great opportunity to stand out.

5. And last but not the least, From one of the You tube video, I learned that if you clear certification , you get goodies from the Google Cloud. Not bad !!

My Challenges

1. Limited understanding of Google Cloud Infrastructure

At that time, I had a very little exposure to the Google Cloud offerings. I had already started working on BigQuery and Vertex AI, but that was it.

2. Limited Time

Like everyone else when you are working full time, we always have less time for anything else.

3. Inertia

It is hard to put effort into understanding newer concepts, practicing and testing them. The routine work at office often increase our inertia. Just as Newton’s first law states: “Every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force”; I needed an external force. Thanks to Mr. Vinay for acting as that external force.

4. No Guidance

There was no proper guidance available to me on how to prepare and prioritize the available study material. So, I needed to experiment with my strategies.

If you starting to prepare for Data Engineering Certification, check this article. Feel free to get in touch for any guidance.

How did I prepare ?

At first, I aimed to clear this exam within 3 months, which I think is a decent amount of time if you plan your journey properly and allocate enough time for preparation. It also depends on your exposure to the Cloud Infrastructure.

So, I first started with the Learning Path available in Google Cloud, it consisted of videos, exercises and Qwiklabs to try hands-on practice.Frankly, this was a long, frustruting, and time taking process. Even when I watched videos at 1.25–1.5 speed, I was able to complete 70% of it but not all. In parallel I enrolled in Linux Academy Course, and completed it.

But my performance in the practice exam was pretty bad.

Needless to say, Youtube videos and other resources were also helpful. Next, I completed Official Study Guide, along with the questions at the end of the chapter to solidify my understanding. Along with this book, Online practice tests from Wiley was also available on their site, which I completed next.

You see I did not want to leave anything to fate…

BLOCKER..

I was on right track and prepared well but I lacked confidence, partly because it has been a long since I attempted an exam. However, I knew I needed to schedule it now; otherwise, the process will never end. So, I schedule for first week of July 2022. But guess what? A week before the exam, I panicked and cancelled it. Little did I know my money will stuck with Webassessor (but that’s a story for another time). Note: I still have not received that money back, their customer support sucks. At that point, I was considering two options: either chase Webassessor to retrieve my $120 and take the exam once I received it, or wait for a free voucher. Free vouchers are given if you complete the Learning path within a specific time frame.

While I waited, I decided to keep practicing and familiarize myself with the real exam. So, I purchased Wizlab tests, which were reasonably priced. I liked these tests for two reasons. Firstly, they had good questions that gave me a sense of the actual exam. When I eventually took the exam, I realized it was a wise decision to take these practice tests because they helped me become familiar with the format and content. Secondly, the answers provided references, allowing me to review and reinforce my understanding of concepts as needed. I could go back and forth, revise, and clarify my understanding if required.

Finally, I received my voucher from Google Cloud so I scheduled the exam in November.

You have the option to either take the exam at a center or choose the comfort of your home. I decided to select the center because I wouldn’t have to worry about electricity or internet disruptions. I knew that I would perform better in an exam setup with fewer distractions and someone physically monitoring.

The Exam Day

After this long preparation, I was not ready to fail, not even in my thoughts. I was obviously nervous. I scheduled the exam for 10 AM in the morning and arrived at the center around 9:45. Upon arrival, I was asked for two ID’s. I had a physical copy of my driving licence and I showed PAN card in my phone. The proctor asked me to fill in a few details on their system and then allocated a locker to me. As instructed, I kept my mobile, watch and purse in the locker. However I was allowed to keep my water bottle. The proctor then ushered me into another room and assigned me a seat.

After thoroughly reading the instructions, I clicked a few check in boxes, and the first question appeared on my screen. It took me more than 15 minutes to complete the first five questions, and I was uncertain about the answers. I soon realized that at this pace, I might not be able to attempt all questions. Therefore, I decided to go through the entire test once and then possibly return to review the questions for which I was not quite sure of the answers. Most of the questions were scenario based, and the ones with multiple correct answers were particularly confusing.

For the next hour, I went through all the questions and marked the ones that I wasn’t confident about. After the first pass, there were more than 30 questions for review. During the next pass, I re-evaluated these questions. For most of them, I didn’t change my answer, but for a few I made some changes. However, even after the review, there were still 2–3 questions for which I remained unsure.

I finally submitted my exam after 2 hours. Once submitted, I began searching for “Pass/Fail” indication on the screen. I knew that no detailed result would be provided, and I would never truly know how well I performed. When I was still searching for the pixels forming the words “PASS” or “FAIL” ( I don’t remember if all the letters were capital), the proctor (who was standing behind me by then) said, “Congratulations, you have passed!”. Shortly after, I could see the golden word printed in black: PASS.

Afterwards

I was relieved, called home to share the good news. I checked the Webassessor login to re-confirm that I have Passed. Now it was time to wait for goodies from Google Cloud. After a few days, an email arrived from Google Cloud asking me to select a merchandise item. Following that, in a matter of days, I received a hoodie.

and here is my certificate ..

Next was to go for Machine Learning Certification… that story in another post.

Thanks for reading.

Have questions related to this certification, drop your comments. Also, you can connect with me via Linkedin or write to me at dkimothi.learning@gmail.com.