Is Google's Cybersecurity Certification Worth It? (Deep Dive & Honest Review!)

Summary

In this video, Jerry from Simply Cyber.io discusses the Google Cyber Security Certificate, addressing common queries about its value and relevance in the job market. The certificate is an educational curriculum for beginners, covering basics like networking, threats, security tools, and ethical hacking. Jerry shares his experience with the course, highlighting its comprehensive nature and practical value, despite not being a direct job requirement. He also emphasizes the importance of leveraging course knowledge to enhance one's resume and interview performance.

Takeaways

• 😀 Jerry from Simply Cyber introduces the Google Cyber Security Certificate, a beginner-friendly educational curriculum offered by Google through Coursera.
• 🎓 The certificate is designed for individuals with no prior experience in cybersecurity who wish to learn the fundamentals and pursue an entry-level career.
• 📚 The curriculum covers a range of topics including networking, threats and attacks, security tooling, risk management, compliance, incident response (IR), ethical hacking, and cloud security.
• 🔍 Jerry personally took three of the eight courses to evaluate their quality and found them to be good, with a mix of video content, reading material, and hands-on exercises.
• 📈 The courses are heavy on theory but also include capstone projects at the end of each course, providing practical application of the knowledge learned.
• 💼 Jerry suggests that while the certificate may not be explicitly required in job postings, the knowledge gained can be valuable in interviews and should be highlighted on resumes.
• 📁 Each course completion provides a certificate and downloadable templates, helping to build a toolbox of information for professional use.
• 🕒 The Coursera platform offers a 7-day free trial, after which a monthly subscription of $49 is required for continued access.
• 🚀 Jerry recommends using the free trial to complete at least one course to understand the course structure and content quality.
• 🌐 The Google Cyber Security Certificate may not be as well-known as other industry certificates, but it covers comprehensive knowledge that can be beneficial for entry-level positions.
• 🔗 Jerry encourages viewers to check out the course content and join the Simply Cyber Discord server for networking and support.

Q & A

What is the Google Cyber Security Certificate?

The Google Cyber Security Certificate is an educational curriculum designed for beginners, offered by Google through the Coursera platform. It is intended for people with no prior experience in cybersecurity who want to learn the fundamentals and pursue an entry-level career in the field.

Who is the Google Cyber Security Certificate designed for?

The certificate is designed for beginners in cybersecurity, including those pivoting from other jobs, recent high school or college graduates, and even retired military personnel, regardless of age or prior background knowledge.

What topics are covered in the Google Cyber Security Certificate curriculum?

The curriculum covers a range of topics including networking, threats and attacks, security tooling, risk management, compliance, incident response (IR), ethical hacking, and cloud security.

How is the curriculum structured?

The curriculum is broken up into eight different courses, each covering specific aspects of cybersecurity such as network security, managing risk, fundamentals of information security, and others.

What is the format of the courses in the Google Cyber Security Certificate?

The courses include video content, reading materials, hands-on exercises, and quizzes at the end of every section to assess skills. Each course ends with a Capstone project that provides a scenario for students to apply their learning.

What are the benefits of completing the courses in the Google Cyber Security Certificate?

Upon completion of each course, students receive a certificate that can be shared on social media and added to their professional resume. Additionally, students gain access to downloadable templates and tools that can be used in their professional work or to build a portfolio.

Is there a time limit for completing the courses in the Google Cyber Security Certificate?

The courses are asynchronous, allowing students to learn at their own pace. However, the entire Coursera platform is free for seven days, after which a monthly subscription fee applies.

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

While the Google Cyber Security Certificate may not be as widely recognized in job postings as other industry certifications, it provides comprehensive knowledge that covers all the topics tested in those certifications, potentially giving students an edge in job interviews.

Can the Google Cyber Security Certificate help in getting a job in cybersecurity?

Although the certificate itself is not commonly listed in job postings, the knowledge gained from the courses can enable candidates to speak intelligently during job interviews and provide material for their resumes that hiring managers find valuable.

What additional resources are available for those interested in the Google Cyber Security Certificate?

Prospective students can join the Simply Cyber Discord server for networking and support from other aspiring cybersecurity students and active practitioners. There is also a link in the video description to try the Coursera platform for free for seven days.

How can one keep up with the latest in cybersecurity while pursuing the Google Cyber Security Certificate?

Jerry from Simply Cyber.io recommends joining his daily live stream, the Simply Cyber Daily Threat Brief Podcast, where he discusses top cyber news stories and shares his insights from 20 years of industry experience.

Outlines

00:00

📘 Introduction to the Google Cyber Security Certificate

Jerry from Simply Cyber introduces the Google Cyber Security Certificate, an educational curriculum for beginners offered by Google through Coursera. Designed for individuals with no prior experience in cybersecurity, the program aims to teach the fundamentals and prepare them for entry-level positions. Jerry outlines the curriculum's content, which includes networking, threats, security tools, risk management, compliance, incident response, ethical hacking, and cloud security. The program is structured into eight courses, each offering a certificate upon completion. Jerry also mentions his own experience with the program, having completed three of the courses, and provides an overview of the course structure and the value of the knowledge gained.

05:00

📚 In-Depth Look at the Google Cyber Security Certificate

The second paragraph delves deeper into the specifics of the Google Cyber Security Certificate. Jerry discusses the course format, which includes video and reading content, hands-on exercises, and quizzes to assess skills. He notes the heavy emphasis on theory with less focus on technical hands-on experience. Each course ends with a Capstone project that provides a scenario for students to apply their knowledge. Jerry highlights the value of the downloadable templates provided in the courses, which can be used to build a professional toolbox. He also addresses the flexibility of the learning platform, the seven-day free trial, and the monthly subscription cost after the trial period. Jerry explores the question of whether the certificate can help secure a job, noting that while it's not explicitly mentioned in job postings, the comprehensive knowledge gained is beneficial during interviews and can be listed on resumes.

10:01

🔍 Comparing the Google Cyber Security Certificate with Other Industry Certifications

In the final paragraph, Jerry compares the Google Cyber Security Certificate with other well-known industry certifications. He does not find the Google certificate specifically mentioned in job postings but argues that the knowledge provided by the program covers and even exceeds the requirements of entry-level certifications. Jerry suggests that the comprehensive curriculum, which includes topics like incident response, digital forensics, security operations, pen testing, and cloud security, equips students with a broad understanding of the field. He encourages students to take advantage of the free trial to explore the course content and to consider focusing on specific courses that align with their career goals. Jerry concludes by inviting viewers to join the Simply Cyber Discord server for networking and support.

Keywords

💡Google Cyber Security Certificate

The Google Cyber Security Certificate is an educational curriculum designed by Google for beginners in the field of cybersecurity. It is offered through the Coursera platform and is aimed at individuals with no prior experience who wish to learn the fundamentals and pursue an entry-level career in cybersecurity. In the video, it is discussed as a comprehensive program covering various aspects of cybersecurity, such as network security, risk management, and ethical hacking.

💡Coursera

Coursera is an online learning platform that offers a variety of courses, including the Google Cyber Security Certificate mentioned in the video. It is a platform where learners can access educational content from various institutions and experts. The Google Cyber Security Certificate is broken down into eight different courses on Coursera, each focusing on different aspects of cybersecurity.

💡Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity refers to the practice of protecting internet-connected systems, including hardware, software, and data, from theft, damage, or unauthorized access. In the video, cybersecurity is the main theme, with the Google Cyber Security Certificate being a program designed to educate beginners on the essential concepts and skills needed to enter this field.

💡Incident Response (IR)

Incident Response is a critical aspect of cybersecurity that involves preparing for and responding to cyber incidents, such as security breaches or attacks. In the context of the video, the Google Cyber Security Certificate covers incident response as part of its curriculum, teaching students how to manage and mitigate the effects of cyber threats.

💡Ethical Hacking

Ethical hacking, also known as penetration testing, is the practice of testing an organization's security systems by simulating a cyber attack to identify vulnerabilities. The video mentions that the Google Cyber Security Certificate includes ethical hacking as one of the topics, indicating that students will learn how to think like a hacker to better protect systems.

💡Cloud Security

Cloud security refers to the protection of data and applications that are hosted in cloud computing environments. In the video, cloud security is listed as one of the areas covered by the Google Cyber Security Certificate, emphasizing the importance of securing data and services that are increasingly being moved to cloud platforms.

💡Capstone Project

A capstone project is a culminating academic task that demonstrates the skills and knowledge acquired throughout a course of study. In the context of the video, each of the eight courses in the Google Cyber Security Certificate ends with a capstone project that gives students a practical scenario to apply what they've learned.

💡Risk Assessment

Risk assessment is the process of identifying, analyzing, and evaluating risk to minimize its impact on an organization. In the video, risk assessment is used as an example of a capstone project in one of the courses, where students are asked to scope out an audit and document their findings.

💡Templates

Templates in the context of the video refer to pre-designed documents or forms that can be used to streamline certain processes, such as risk assessments or shareholder communications. The Google Cyber Security Certificate allows students to download these templates after completing each section, building a toolbox of resources for their professional use.

💡Free Trial

A free trial is a period during which users can access a product or service without charge to evaluate its value. The video mentions that Coursera offers a seven-day free trial, during which students can access the Google Cyber Security Certificate courses at no cost. This allows potential students to explore the curriculum before committing to a subscription.

💡Professional Resume

A professional resume is a document used by job seekers to present their skills, experience, and education to potential employers. In the video, it is suggested that completing the Google Cyber Security Certificate and its courses can provide valuable content for a professional resume, showcasing a candidate's knowledge and skills in cybersecurity.

Highlights

Introduction to the Google Cyber Security Certificate by Jerry from Simply Cyber.io.

The certificate is an educational curriculum designed for beginners with no prior experience in cybersecurity.

Offered by Google through Coursera, the program covers fundamentals of cybersecurity for entry-level careers.

The curriculum is broken into eight different courses covering various aspects of cybersecurity.

Jerry's personal experience with the courses, having completed three out of the eight.

Each course completion provides a certificate that can be shared on social media and added to a professional resume.

Courses include a mix of video content, reading material, hands-on exercises, and quizzes.

The program is heavy on theory but includes Capstone projects at the end of each course.

Templates for risk assessments and other documents are provided and downloadable.

The course offers a suggested schedule and message board for student interaction.

Coursera platform is free for seven days, after which a monthly subscription of $49 is required.

The certificate may not be explicitly required in job postings, but the knowledge gained is comprehensive.

Jerry suggests using the knowledge and course completions to enhance a resume for potential employers.

The Google Cyber Security Certificate's content aligns with other industry entry-level certifications.

The program provides a broader knowledge base than some industry tests.

Jerry encourages viewers to take advantage of the free trial to explore the course content.

Invitation to join the Simply Cyber Discord server for networking and support.

Transcripts

hey what's up everybody it's Jerry from

Simply cyber.io and in this video I'm

going to be talking about the Google

cyber security certificate

a ton of questions about this

certificate on my live streams questions

like is it any good should I get it

instead of a different industry sir can

I help me get a job by the end of this

video I guarantee you I will have

answered all those questions and many

more so do me a favor get comfortable

buckle up and let's dig into the Google

cyber security certificate

[Music]

now before I reveal all the answers

about this certificate program if you're

looking to break into the industry I

want to make you aware of my morning

daily live stream the simply cyber daily

threat brief podcast it's every morning

at 8 A.M Eastern live there's hundreds

and hundreds of practitioners who are in

there networking with each other and we

basically cover the top cyber news

stories of the day I've been in the

industry 20 years I give my opinion on

each of those stories on how you can

operationalize it it's all about Good

Times Link in the description below if

you want to join us on the next live

stream I also want to thank Corsair for

sponsoring this video the thoughts and

opinions are my own though but

definitely appreciate the hookup I am

going to cover a ton of information in

this video so if you're interested I put

bookmarks below so you can just jump to

the you know section of the video that

matters to you so let's get into it the

Google cyber security cert what is it

first of all it's a Google cyber

security certificate educational

curriculum designed for beginners and

offered by Google through the Coursera

platform it's literally designed for

people with no prior experience in cyber

security who want to learn the

fundamentals of the field and pursue an

entry-level career in cyber security

that is the deal if you are pivoting out

of your current job and into cyber

security if you just graduated high

school or college and you want to get

into the field if your retiring military

doesn't matter what your age is doesn't

matter what your situation is prior

background knowledge this is a solid

fundamental approachable no prerequisite

type course for you to get it's going to

cover networking threats and attacks

security tooling risk management

compliance IR or incident response

ethical hacking and Cloud security Now

what's important to note is the

curriculum is actually broken up over

eight different courses okay the courses

are about network security managing risk

fundamentals of information security

rights so that's your first course Linux

SQL you get on the command line you talk

about incident response You Learn Python

right there's a just a ton of diverse

information and topics that are covered

in here now I didn't want you to think

that I'm just like making this stuff up

been spitting it out at you so I

actually signed up and took three of the

eight courses and as you can see right

here I got you know this is like the

certificate I got three of them in total

four passing this this one is for the

network and security course so every

time you pass one of the eight courses

you get this cool cert that you can

share on um your socials and add to your

professional resume as far as what

you've accomplished and how you're doing

with your progress the eight courses as

I mentioned are the fundamentals here

they are up here now this is what it is

I've told you also who is it for right

so if you're looking to get more

information then this is perfect for you

I myself have 20 years of Industry

experience so this is a bit you know

level one day one type stuff for me so I

was able to actually just kind of crank

through take the quizzes and see what's

up you know there's a large group of

people who are looking to learn and get

more information on cyber security so

that's absolutely the deal now is it any

good good question in my opinion I I

took it the courses are good there are

video content there's reading content

there's some like Hands-On kind of like

exercises where like you draw a line

from this box to this box to make it

right there's a quiz at the end of every

section um to assess your skills it is a

good course now the depth of knowledge

that it gets into it's very heavy on the

theory side a lot of explaining how

things are and how they work a little

less on the technical Hands-On side they

do have something at the end of every

course remember there's eight courses at

the end of each course there's kind of

like a essentially like a Capstone

project where they like give you a

scenario and then you're supposed to

kind of execute whatever the ask is so

like one of them was like doing a risk

assessment they have like a toy company

with like a situation and you're gonna

scope out the audit and then the next

document they give you is kind of like

your findings of the audit it really

does spoon feed you you're not getting

as much practical Hands-On skills of

like actually conducting the audit but

the nice thing is they show you the

before and the after they invite you to

make an attempt at looking at the before

and then kind of drafting what you think

it could be you know after and then

compare your answers to them another

phenomenal thing that is super valuable

is that each section at the end where

they have these like risk assessment

templates or shareholder memorandum or

whatever you're allowed to download

those templates and keep them for

yourself so as you finish all of this

coursework you're actually building a

nice little toolbox of information and

templates that you can then leverage for

your own benefit in work or in you know

making a portfolio or what have you for

potential employers or when you do get

employed so that's definitely Wicked

awesome one thing to point out that's

very very interesting is that course and

the other eight courses they do provide

you with an explanation on suggested

schedule how to keep you accountable

there is a message board so you can

share with other students you are able

to take it at your own pace so it's it's

asynchronous learning so this is very

practical if you like work days and then

you have the kids or whatever and then

when they go to bed you want to crank

out a couple hours of learning because

you're working on pivoting into cyber

security so it's very flexible in that

way and I absolutely love that and

appreciate it one interesting thing to

note is the course is free for 7 days or

the the entire Coursera platform is free

for seven days I was able to you know

log in and sign up for these classes

ripped through them and you know take

them and then go on to the next one I am

on day two of my seven day free trial

you do have to put a credit card in when

you sign up so if you don't have a

credit card that's going to be an

immediate blocker for you after the

seven days they will charge you forty

nine dollars a month for access to the

platform so it is possible to grind and

go through all eight courses in that

seven day free trial but based on the

amount of time and activities inside the

course um they say it's 170 hours worth

of content each course has like a four

week training schedule as a suggested

schedule like I said I went through

three and in one day there are different

scales for different people but I want

you to be mindful that it would be

really hard if you have zero background

to jump in this and absorb all of this

content in a meaningful way in seven

days it's possible but it could be

difficult so just be mindful that you

may end up having to pay 49 I would say

one month is probably enough time if you

prioritize learning this content one

month is definitely a reasonable amount

of time to just drink from the fire hose

and get on with learning this uh stuff

but important to note now can I help you

get a job we'll say this I looked at job

postings and I did not find a

certification in job postings however

what I will say is the eight courses

they cover everything from like incident

response to digital forensics to

security operations to pen testing to

Cloud security like they cover a whole

bunch of stuff right it's very very

comprehensive so what I would say is

while there isn't a Job saying do you

have this cert there is a boatload of

knowledge that you would gain which

would enable you to speak intelligently

during those job interviews and I would

also strongly encourage you to take

whatever you learn in these courses and

put that on your resume as a hiring

manager I'm interested in what you can

do for me if you just said hey I

completed this particular course right

here okay I completed the connect and

protect Network and network security

class hey I completed the play it safe

manage security risk class as a hiring

manager I don't know what that means

right manage security risks I mean are

you talking about physical security are

you talking about hardening operating

systems are you talking about standing

up a firewall GRC work educating the

business on best practices and that's

reducing risk like I don't know what

that means but if you tell me that you

used a packet sniffer to analyze packets

on the wire in order to determine you

know a compromise of an external host or

something like that like you'll be able

to piece together quite a lot of resume

bullets based on not just the content in

this but also those Capstone projects at

the end of each course so definitely a

lot of value there that's how I would

see it helping you get a job very very

specifically again you know you get

certificates for completing each section

so definitely don't sleep on that how

does it stack with other industry certs

as I mentioned before there are some

really really well-known industry certs

in the industry for entry level and this

particular one the Google cyber security

certificate I don't hear it Banning

about in circles as far as like the

entry level certificate again having

said that the knowledge is super

valuable and I didn't do a one-to-one

crosswalk but my anecdotal review of

this is that all of the content that are

in those certification those industry

search for entry level all of the

knowledge that you're actually tested on

is inside of these eight courses so you

are getting the knowledge you're

actually getting more than the knowledge

that's required for those because those

like the one I'm thinking about the big

one in the room that doesn't you know

find out if you understand how to write

code in python or if you know what SQL

is or if you can like use a Linux

command line it's it's you know it's a

multiple choice test so I actually argue

that you get more about that I would

encourage you there's a link in the

description below to go check this out

like I said it's seven days for free go

check out the course content at a

minimum bang out one of the courses see

what it's like like I mentioned each

course has kind of a different vibe and

flavor to it so you might be able to

just get in there and do the detection

and response course because you're

looking to Bone up as a sock analyst

right so you can just focus on that or

maybe you've never learned programming

and you want to pick up python in a

cyber security way take that class right

so you don't have to do all of them but

you might be able to take advantage of

some of it uh in that seven day window

and who knows maybe you just continue on

so use the link below I want to you know

say thanks to Coursera for allowing me

the opportunity to collaborate on this

video as well as going in and taking

those classes myself and really being

able to answer your questions the

community's questions around what are

your thoughts around the Google cyber

security certificate super pumped about

it if you have any questions drop them

in the comments below I'll do my best to

answer them again thanks so much to all

of you and hope to see you on the simply

cyber Discord server where there's

thousands and thousands of aspiring

cyber security students and active

practitioners who are networking

engaging supporting each other and being

inclusive I'll drop a link you

definitely want to jump on that one I'm

Jerry from Simply cyber I hope you got

value from the stream or from this video

and until the next one stay secure here

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