ONLY UNSPONSORED Review of the Google Cybersecurity Certificate From Coursera

Summary

The video script offers a critical review of the Google Cyber Security certificate, highlighting its shortcomings such as lack of emphasis on foundational knowledge, neglect of the Windows operating system, and overemphasis on Python. The reviewer, having completed the certificate, suggests that it is not a valuable stepping stone for a career in cybersecurity and that other certifications might be more beneficial for job seekers.

Takeaways

• 📜 The Google Cyber Security certificate is a new entry in the certification field with a professional certificate aimed at preparing individuals for a career as a cybersecurity analyst.
• 💻 The program is entirely online with on-demand training, allowing learners to proceed at their own pace without any prior experience needed.
• 🎓 Course completion may qualify individuals for various cybersecurity positions such as Security Analyst, IT Security Analyst, and Cyber Defense Analyst, among others.
• 🌐 Google's Career Circle is mentioned as a resource for job seekers, although it's noted that this service is available for free and not exclusive to the certificate holders.
• 🏆 The reviewer has completed the entire program with a 100% score in each course, providing a first-hand perspective on the content and structure of the certificate.
• 📚 The program consists of eight courses covering topics from foundational cybersecurity knowledge to hands-on labs and preparation for cybersecurity jobs.
• 🎥 Course content includes video lectures, readings, discussion prompts, self-review activities, interactive plugins, quizzes, and graded assessments.
• 🖥️ There is a significant focus on Linux and SQL, with less emphasis on Windows, which the reviewer finds problematic given the widespread use of Windows in organizations.
• 🐍 The course on automating cybersecurity tasks with Python is considered the best of the program, but the reviewer criticizes the overemphasis on Python as a mandatory skill in cybersecurity.
• 🗑️ The reviewer's overall opinion is negative, suggesting that the Google Cyber Security certificate is not valuable and that foundational knowledge is more critical for beginners in the field.

Q & A

What is the main claim about the Google Cyber Security Certificate?

The main claim is that the Google Cyber Security Certificate prepares individuals for a career as a cybersecurity analyst, providing job-ready skills to identify risks, threats, and vulnerabilities, as well as techniques to mitigate them.

What are some of the jobs one might qualify for after completing the Google Cyber Security Certificate?

After completing the program, individuals might qualify for jobs such as Cyber Security Analyst, Security Analyst, SOC Analyst, Information Security Analyst, IT Security Analyst, and Cyber Defense Analyst.

How is the Google Cyber Security Certificate structured in terms of courses?

The certificate includes eight different courses covering topics from foundational cybersecurity knowledge to preparing for cybersecurity jobs, with a focus on hands-on practice and application of skills.

What is the cost associated with obtaining the Google Cyber Security Certificate?

The cost is associated with the Coursera subscription fee, which is $49 per month or $399 per year. However, the speaker mentions completing the program without having to pay, indicating there might be some flexibility in the payment requirements.

How does the Google Cyber Security Certificate address the learning of Python?

The certificate emphasizes the importance of Python in cybersecurity, offering a course that teaches the basics of Python, writing scripts, and debugging. It suggests Python is a mandatory skill in the cybersecurity field, which the speaker finds concerning as it might not be accurate for all roles.

What is the speaker's main criticism about the Google Cyber Security Certificate?

The speaker criticizes the certificate for lacking core knowledge teaching, ignoring the Windows operating system, overemphasizing Python, and not aligning with what employers are asking for. They believe the certificate needs a significant overhaul to be considered valuable.

What is the role of Career Circle in the context of the Google Cyber Security Certificate?

Career Circle is mentioned as a service that provides exclusive access to help find jobs upon completion of the certificate. However, the speaker points out that Google's own service description indicates that Career Circle doesn't charge anyone, making the exclusive access aspect misleading.

How does the Google Cyber Security Certificate approach hands-on practice?

The certificate includes self-review activities, labs, interactive plugins, and practice quizzes for hands-on practice. However, the speaker notes that the labs are document-based and lack hands-on experience with tools, except for the incident response course which includes beginner-level tool usage.

What is the assessment structure for the Google Cyber Security Certificate courses?

Each course includes video quizzes, practice quizzes, and graded quizzes. To obtain the certificate, one must score 80 or higher on each graded quiz across all eight courses. There is no limit on the number of attempts, but there is a restriction of three attempts within a 24-hour period.

How does the Google Cyber Security Certificate compare to other certifications in the field?

The speaker suggests that the Google Cyber Security Certificate is not as valuable as other certifications from an employment standpoint. They mention Google's own Security Plus certification as a more worthwhile option.

What is the speaker's final verdict on the Google Cyber Security Certificate?

The speaker concludes that the Google Cyber Security Certificate belongs in the trash, indicating strong disapproval due to the issues mentioned, such as lack of core knowledge teaching and overemphasis on Python.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Google's Cyber Security Certificate

The paragraph discusses the Google Cyber Security Certificate, questioning the authenticity of claims made in sponsored videos. It highlights the lack of unbiased reviews and the author's intention to provide an honest perspective. The Google certificate is described as a new entry in the field, offering online, self-paced training with no prior experience required. It promises to prepare individuals for roles like security analyst and includes a job readiness aspect through Career Circle, despite the author's skepticism about this service's exclusivity.

05:00

🎓 In-Depth Analysis of the Certificate Program

This paragraph delves into the structure of the Google Cyber Security Certificate program, detailing its eight courses. It outlines the content covered in each course, from foundational cybersecurity knowledge to specialized topics like network security, Linux and SQL, and incident response. The author emphasizes the hands-on components, such as labs and interactive plugins, and the assessment methods, including graded quizzes and a final certificate requirement. The paragraph also mentions the author's completion of the program with perfect scores, lending credibility to their review.

10:00

🚫 Critical Evaluation and Conclusion

The final paragraph presents a critical evaluation of the Google Cyber Security Certificate. The author expresses strong dissatisfaction, suggesting that the program should be discarded. They criticize the lack of core knowledge teaching, the忽略 of the Windows operating system, and the overemphasis on Python. The author also notes that employers are not seeking this certificate and that Google itself recommends a different, more valuable certification. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for viewers to share their thoughts on why they are interested in cybersecurity.

Keywords

💡Google Cyber Security Certificate

The Google Cyber Security Certificate is a professional certification program offered by Google in partnership with Coursera, designed to prepare individuals for a career as a cybersecurity analyst. The program claims to teach job-ready skills without requiring prior experience and is delivered entirely online. In the video, the reviewer shares their personal experience and critique of the certificate, highlighting its perceived shortcomings and biases.

💡Cybersecurity Analyst

A cybersecurity analyst is a professional who protects an organization's data and networks from digital threats. They identify and mitigate risks, vulnerabilities, and potential cyber-attacks. The Google Cyber Security Certificate aims to prepare individuals for this role, teaching skills that are in demand within the cybersecurity industry.

💡Coursera

Coursera is an online learning platform that offers a wide range of courses, including those from universities and corporations. In the context of the video, Coursera is the platform through which Google delivers their Cyber Security Certificate, providing on-demand training for learners at their own pace.

💡Linux

Linux is an open-source operating system that is widely used in servers, supercomputers, and embedded devices. In the context of the video, Linux is one of the operating systems covered in the Google Cyber Security Certificate, with a focus on learning commands and managing the file system via the bash shell.

💡SQL

SQL (Structured Query Language) is a domain-specific language used to manage and manipulate relational databases. In the Google Cyber Security Certificate, learning SQL involves using it to retrieve information from databases, which is a critical skill for analyzing and securing data.

💡Incident Response

Incident response in cybersecurity refers to the process of detecting, containing, eradicating, and recovering from security incidents or breaches. The video discusses the 'Sound the Alarm: Detection and Response' course, which covers steps involved in incident response and introduces tools like Wireshark and Splunk.

💡Python

Python is a high-level, interpreted programming language known for its readability and versatility. In cybersecurity, Python is used for automating tasks, writing scripts, and performing various security-related functions. The video critiques the Google Cyber Security Certificate for overemphasizing the importance of Python, suggesting that it is mandatory in the cybersecurity field, which may not be accurate for all roles.

💡Career Circle

Career Circle is a feature mentioned by Google as part of the Google Cyber Security Certificate, intended to provide career support and job search assistance to learners. However, the video reviewer points out that when they searched for Career Circle, it appeared to be a free service available to anyone, regardless of certificate completion.

💡Security Plus

Security Plus is a certification offered by CompTIA, focusing on the fundamentals of cybersecurity and IT infrastructure. It is considered a more valuable certification from an employment standpoint compared to the Google Cyber Security Certificate. The video reviewer suggests that Security Plus might be a better choice for those seeking to enter the cybersecurity field.

💡CISSP Exam Domains

The CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) exam domains are a set of knowledge areas that cover the key aspects of information security as defined by (ISC)². The video mentions that the Google Cyber Security Certificate uses these domains to guide the discussion in its courses, which can help align the program's content with industry standards.

💡Job Interview Preparation

Job interview preparation involves learning and practicing strategies to succeed in job interviews. In the context of the Google Cyber Security Certificate, the final course 'Put It to Work: Prepare for Cyber Security Jobs' includes guidance on how to prepare for job interviews, including discussing escalation procedures and using the STAR method for answering interview questions.

Highlights

Google's cybersecurity certificate is fairly new to the certification and training industry.

The certificate claims to prepare individuals for a career as a cybersecurity analyst.

Google's certificate promises to teach job-ready skills such as identifying risks, threats, and vulnerabilities.

No prior experience is needed to qualify for the certification, and it's provided entirely online.

The program includes eight different courses covering a range of cybersecurity topics.

The course offers exclusive access to Career Circle for job finding assistance.

The reviewer completed the entire program with a 100% score in each course.

The courses include videos, readings, discussion prompts, self-review activities, and labs.

Graded quizzes are required with a passing score of 80 or higher to obtain the certificate.

The certificate program is estimated to take about six months of study at a cost of $49 per month or $399 per year.

The first course, Foundations of Cyber Security, covers basic cybersecurity concepts and security ethics.

The course on network security lacks hands-on experience with tools and focuses mainly on Linux.

The Python course emphasizes the importance of Python in cybersecurity, potentially overstating its necessity.

The final course prepares learners for job interviews and escalation procedures in cybersecurity.

The reviewer concludes that the Google cybersecurity certificate is not recommended due to several shortcomings.

Transcripts

I'm sure you've seen the videos making

significant claims about the Google

cyber security certificate and how

amazing it is but are they really

telling the truth I have literally not

seen one video reviewing the Google

cyber security certificate that wasn't

sponsored by either Google or Coursera

and honestly it's very clear in those

videos that they have a ton of bias in

them forget that I'm gonna give you my

honest perspective on the certificate

and the only review video that isn't

sponsored and trust me they really tried

but I kept declining their offers so

it's pretty likely that if you have any

interest in cyber security that you've

heard about the Google cyber security

certificate it's fairly new to the

certification or training game in the

industry but of course it has the name

Google attached to it so people are

automatically going to give it some

credibility if we look at what they say

on the website it says it's going to

prepare you for a career as a cyber

security analyst with a professional

certificate from Google learn job ready

skills that are in demand like how to

identify common risks threats and

vulnerabilities as well as the

techniques to mitigate ate them you

don't need prior experience to qualify

for the certification and it's provided

entirely online with on-demand training

which means that you can go at your own

pace some of the jobs they say can

qualify for after you complete the

program or cyber security analyst

security analyst sock analyst

information security analyst I.T

security analyst and cyber defense

analyst additionally they talk about

when you complete the certificate you'll

get exclusive access to Career Circle to

help finding jobs but when I actually

Google this service it says they don't

charge anybody anyways this aspect is

outside of the scope of what we're going

to talk about in this video but I do

find that pretty interesting before we

dive deeper into this video I just want

to show you that I have actually gone

through this program and completed the

certificate if we scroll down here

you'll see my main certificate for the

entire program

we'll see the different courses and see

that I've completed every single one of

them with a hundred percent score the

reason why I show you that is because

some people are talking about the

program without ever having looked at it

deeper and the majority of the people

talking about it definitely didn't

complete the certificate that's not me

though because I did it all right now

that's out of the way let's talk more

about the actual training aspect for

starters there's eight different courses

that are included with the certificate

alright so we're on the certificate

website if we scroll down we'll see the

courses that are included with the

certificate so first of all it starts

out with foundations of cyber security

this talks about recognizing core skills

and knowledge needed to become a cyber

security analyst identify how security

attacks impact business operations

explain security ethics identify common

tools used by cyber security analysts

here you're going to learn to identify

the primary threats risks and

vulnerabilities to business operations

examine how organizations use security

Frameworks and controls to protect

business operations Define commonly used

security information and event

management or Sim tools and use a

Playbook to respond to threats risks and

vulnerabilities

course 3 is connect and protect networks

and network security you're going to

Define the types of networks and

components of networks illustrate how

data is sent and received over a network

understand how to secure a network

against intrusion tactics and describe

system hardening techniques

the next course is tools of the trade

Linux and SQL you're going to learn to

explain the relationship between

operating systems applications and

Hardware compare graphical user

interface or GUI to a command line

interface navigate and manage the file

system using Linux commands via the bash

shell and use SQL to retrieve

information from a database

next course is assets threats and

vulnerabilities you're going to learn to

classify assets analyze an attack

service to find risks and

vulnerabilities identify threats such as

social engineering malware and web-based

exploits and summarize the threat

modeling process

next one Sound the Alarm detection and

response you're going to identify the

steps to contain eradicate and recover

from incident learn to analyze packets

to interpret network communication

understand basic syntax components of

signatures and logs in nutrition

detection systems ids's and network

intrusion detection systems nids tools

and you're going to perform queries and

security information and event

management or Sim tools to investigate

an incident

the next course is automating cyber

security tasks with python

you're going to learn to explain the

Python programming language and how it's

used in cyber security you're going to

learn to create new user-defined python

functions you're going to learn to use

regular Expressions to extract

information from text and you're going

to practice debugging code and then the

final course is putting it to work

prepare for cyber security jobs here

you're going to determine how and when

to escalate a security incident you're

going to learn to engage with the cyber

security Community you're going to learn

about finding and applying to cyber

security jobs and you're going to

prepare for job interviews so you can

see that sounds like a pretty tall order

for a lot of these courses to accomplish

now let's talk about what each course

includes first of all it has videos led

by Google instructors to teach New

Concepts introduce the use of relevant

tools offer career support and provide

inspirational personal stories you're

going to get readings that build on the

topics discussed in the videos introduce

related Concepts share useful resources

and describe case studies there's

discussion prompts to explore course

topics for better understanding and

allow you to chat and exchange ideas

with other Learners in their discussion

forums you're going to get self-review

activities and labs to give you Hands-On

practice and applying the skills that

you're learning and allow you to assess

your own work by comparing it to a

completed example now you can

theoretically say that you did these and

just keep moving they don't actually

validate it there's interactive plugins

these encourage you to practice specific

tasks and help you to integrate

knowledge that you've gained in the

course you get in video quizzes to help

you check your comprehension as you

progress through each video you get

practice quizzes that allow you to check

your understanding of key Concepts and

provide valuable feedback and to get

graded quizzes that demonstrate your

understanding of the main concepts of a

course you have to score 80 or higher on

each graded quiz to obtain the

certificate and you can take a graded

quiz multiple times really as many as

you want to get a passing score they

don't limit the overall amount of times

but they do require that you only take

it a maximum of three times within 24

hours also the quizzes aren't proctored

so you can just take them whenever you

want if you're enjoying the content so

far make sure to leave a like so that

YouTube knows you enjoy the con content

also that it's helpful for other people

make sure to check out the description

for more resources related to this video

and let's get back to the content all

right so let's talk about what it takes

to actually get the certificate first of

all you have to take all eight courses

you have to pay the course certificate

fee so Coursera costs 49 per month or

399 dollars per year they estimate that

the certificate is going to take you

about six months if you study seven

hours per day so that's roughly about

294 dollars if you pay monthly now keep

in mind that when I completed everything

in about four days it actually just

awarded me the certificate without

forcing me to pay so I'm not really sure

if that's an actual requirement you also

have to complete all these assignments

there's no penalty for late assignments

so if you skipped over something then

you came back and then you did it again

no big deal also have to pass all the

graded quizzes in all eight courses with

a score of 80 or better all right so now

I want to shift gears and talk about

each one of the courses in this

certificate course one is foundations of

cyber security Now typically any

certificate certified education or

training course starts out with an

introductory section that way you don't

get overwhelmed right out of the gate

this is no different I actually don't

mind starting with this basic

information but the information that was

included in this section is probably way

more basic than you need to actually get

started another problem I have with this

section is for an introduction course I

expect there to be a discussion about

core or foundational information like

how networks operate none of that kind

of information was discussed in this

section and that's a huge Miss in my

eyes this is a typical student is going

to have very little knowledge when they

first start out course two is play it

safe manage security risks something

that you'll see in many of the courses

and what's covered in this program uses

something called the cissp exam domains

to drive the discussion I'm not saying

that the domains aren't accurate in the

cissp but they basically start drifting

your attention to another certification

that's much higher level right away in

the course you'll learn more about

threats risks and vulnerabilities and

that's always a good discussion this

course also introduces security

Frameworks like the nist RMF or or risk

management framework and a wasp finally

things wrap up talking about the

incident response process just like with

the first course everything is

conceptual and you still don't get

exposure to the foundational information

that I would expect course 3 is connect

and protect networks and network

security Now this section starts going

into some of the TCP knowledge that you

need and more lab exercises are required

the labs are all document based like

reading a raw Network log but there's no

hands-on experience with tools course 4

is tools of the trade Linux and SQL up

to this point there are definitely

issues with the program and it really

doesn't get any better one of the major

problems that I saw with this course is

there's a huge focus on the Linux

operating system and literally a Sensor

2 talking about windows are you kidding

me Windows is one of the most widely

adopted operating systems of

organizations that you're going to have

to protect and they barely even mention

it in passing it's literally like they

tried to shove SQL into this section to

disguise the fact that they don't talk

about windows at all it must be because

Google hates Microsoft or something but

seriously what a joke at least they give

you a few Hands-On examples with Linux

they also mentioned Kali Linux here but

they don't show you anything about it so

it's just another word to you course 5's

assets threats and vulnerabilities this

course spends a lot of time talking

about asset classification roles

regarding data o wasp and the pasta

threat model framework I wouldn't really

expect this section to be crazy in depth

for a beginner certificate so I have no

issue really either way course six is

Sound the Alarm detection and response

this course is all about incident

response luckily there are some Hands-On

Labs where you can use tools like

Wireshark Splunk and a few others the

labs themselves are very beginner level

but this is one of the better courses of

this program because you actually get

exposure to the tools course 7 is

automated cyber security tasks with

python overall in my eyes this is the

best course from this program you'll

learn the basics of python including

writing basic Python scripts and how to

debug them my major concern with python

throughout this course is that Google

has embedded a strong impression that

python is a skill that you won't be

successful unless you have they really

try to convince you of this and that's

dangerous for people that are new to the

industry because frankly that's not true

additionally they really overload this

section which further emphasizes the

idea that python is mandatory in cyber

security what are you doing Google

seriously course 8 is put it to work

prepare for cyber security jobs

something that they do in this course

that's not always talked about or

covered is escalations I think that's

actually an important discussion to have

with newer or more Junior people so I

appreciate that they also talk about the

star method for interview questions and

how to develop a resume although I have

very strong opinions on topics like

these I think it's a positive thing to

at least include content on them in

general what's covered is fairly basic

in this course question of the day why

do you want to work in cyber security

let me know down in the comment section

below all right the moment you've all

been waiting for what's my opinion on

the Google cyber security certificate

honestly it belongs in the trash

although there's some things that I can

appreciate in this course it's really

one of those things that they would have

to recreate to even get close to getting

my seal of approval they don't do a good

job of teaching in the core knowledge

that you need they completely ignore the

Windows operating system system they

over emphasize the need for python to be

successful and other issues that at this

point aren't worth talking about because

of those glaring issues additionally

employers aren't asking for the

certificate and Google themselves even

tries to push you towards the security

plus next which is a way more valuable

certification from an employment

standpoint I just don't know why vendors

keep trying to push cyber security

certifications as the first step when it

relies heavily on knowing the

foundational information first it makes

no sense if you use logic as always make

sure to leave a like comment and

subscribe check out the description for

more resources related to this video and

I'll see you next time