Google Cloud is one of the fastest-growing cloud companies in the world. There are thousands of open positions and plenty of reasons to start a career in one of them. In this blog, we’ll look at Google Cloud salary estimates, the best career paths, and the number one way to kick-start a career in Google Cloud.
If you’ve read any of our work before, you’ll already know that cloud careers offer some of the best opportunities in the world. For almost a decade, cloud technology skills have been growing in demand. And that was before the pandemic supercharged the need for businesses to undergo digital transformation through cloud technologies.
Nowadays, hard skills in cloud technologies are some of the most in-demand skills in the world. In 2020, LinkedIn placed it as number two in the workforce skills list, and just last year, Indeed placed it at the top of the list as the most in-demand hard skill set in the modern workforce. And with technologies like these only just getting started, it’s no surprise that there are so many fantastic opportunities (complete with great salaries!) currently available across all major cloud vendors. But that leaves just one problem: how do you choose which technology to specialize in?
In this blog, we’ll cover the top reasons why you should start a career in Google Cloud (formerly GCP), the opportunities available in Google Cloud, as well as Google Cloud career paths and salary estimates.
So why Google Cloud?
Google Cloud is a relatively new player to the cloud space, but it is also one of the fastest growing and most popular solutions for businesses that want to undergo a digital transformation.
The biggest benefit for businesses using Google Cloud is that it’s the only vendor to have a clear multicloud strategy that allows them to run and build apps anywhere. This also avoids vendor lock-in (where an organization is tied to a vendor exclusively after investing in their solution) and allows organizations to “adopt a modern cloud infrastructure that is open source at its core”.
But what does this mean for professionals who work in Google Cloud? The strong USPs that Google Cloud offers to organizations means that, even if it’s not the biggest cloud solution, it’s absolutely the best in certain situations.
And that makes demand for professionals who can utilize Google Cloud incredibly high – shown by the salaries, great job opportunities, and good job security that Google Cloud professionals have. There are other benefits to businesses using Google Cloud as well, including:
- The ability to make smart decisions with data: Google is the king of data and Google Cloud empowers businesses to create meaningful user experiences, generate useful insights at a global scale, and turn data into real-time decisions that improve the bottom line
- An opportunity to enhance and accelerate digital transformation: With Google Cloud’s data democratization, infrastructure and app modernization, and trusted transactors, organizations can truly drive cloud adoption and encourage innovation
- The ability to protect core products, data, and solutions: Google has been dealing with data and privacy for billions of websites globally for years – they’re absolutely the experts. With a Zero-Trust model at the core of the services, organizations can be confident that their important data is secure.
Google Cloud salaries are fantastic
Because of the high demand for the technical skills needed to work on a cloud technology platform, the salaries available to cloud professionals are really impressive. A Cloud Guru collated salary estimates from Glassdoor in the US in 2022, for the most popular roles in Google Cloud. Here’s what they found:
- Google Cloud Security Engineer: $121,150 (USD)
- Google Cloud DevOps Engineer: $110,759 (USD)
- Google Cloud Architect: $144,037 (USD)
- Google Cloud Developer: $103,193 (USD)
- Google Cloud Security Engineer: $121,150 (USD)
It is worth remembering that these salaries are estimates (there can be small differences in salaries due to factors such as job location, cost of living in that area, years’ experience, skills required, etc.) but clearly, the salaries available in Google Cloud are no small amount! If you’d like to check out other salary estimates for popular roles, check out this A Cloud Guru blog.
The most popular Google Cloud career paths
There are a wide range of specialities for skilled tech professionals in Google Cloud. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular career paths and the skills you’ll need to work each role.
Google Cloud Software Engineer
Cloud Software Engineers build, maintain, and manage apps that run on the cloud. They can work on any part of an application lifecycle and typically work with a team of other developers and professionals to help build an app.
Experience with coding languages such as C++ or Python are essential in this role and a lot of organizations will look for professionals with NoSQL database experience, as well as experience in systems like Redis or MapReduce. Plus, as you’d be working in a team very often, soft skills like good communication, time management, and organization are also incredibly important.
Google Cloud Consultant
Google Cloud Consultants are the all-important link between clients and experts and help organizations to get the most out of Google Cloud. They essentially act as a point of communication between clients and Google Cloud professionals. As a Consultant, you’d need to understand your client’s technical and business needs and then turn that information into actionable requests for the technical professionals you work with.
You’ll need fantastic communication and presentation skills to work in this role, as well as some experience in project management, requirements gathering, creating user stories, or documentation.
Google Cloud Automation Engineer
Automation Engineers build and maintain automation tools that help developers and teams to successfully manage any deployed cloud resources, as well as to deploy new ones.
You’ll need some experience with deploying or managing automation tools to work in this role, as well as experience with managing online infrastructure. Plus as this is a team-orientated role, like the Google Cloud Software Engineer, you’ll need good communication, time management, and organization skills as well.
You’ll need fantastic communication and presentation skills to work in this role, as well as some experience in project management, requirements gathering, creating user stories, or documentation.
Google Cloud Software Architect
As a Google Cloud Software Architect, you’d design and develop software for—you guessed it—cloud-based applications! Architects typically work with other Developers and Architects to generate blueprints for system architecture and deliver it in a way that’s scalable and secure (which is a big priority in Google Cloud).
As an Architect, you’d need a strong working knowledge of multiple programming languages to support the multicloud approach that is common in Google Cloud.
Google Cloud vs AWS
As we know, AWS currently dominates the cloud sector. In 2012, AWS owned a whopping 33% of the market share for cloud computing and infrastructure, with Google Cloud holding 10%, according to Synergy Group.
But Google is well known for never being second best, which is why they bring a strong list of USPs, such as offering a multicloud approach, to the table. So while it’s not the biggest, it’s often the best solution for a lot of businesses. As such, it’s a pretty safe bet to say that, in the coming years Google Cloud will become a huge part of the cloud.
That means that, as Google Cloud really takes off, professionals who are already trained and experienced will be able to snap up the top jobs! Clearly, Google Cloud is a great career path choice, but it’s also the most likely of the major platforms to become an even better one in the future! And until then, you can always take the advice of this Software Engineer with experience across all major cloud platforms and consider getting some AWS certifications under your belt while mastering Google Cloud.
Not only is there a lot of cross-over in how the technologies work, but Google Cloud also takes a multicloud approach, so having experience in other technologies will be a massive benefit as a Google Cloud professional, but will also mean you’re able to work in other technologies like AWS, as well!
How to start a Google Cloud career
As with any cloud technology, the secret to getting a job in Google Cloud is to have four things:
- Tech skills
- Certifications (these “prove” you have the tech skills)
- Consulting and communications skills
- Practical experience in a business setting (or work experience)
Of all four, what will really make you stand out as an applicant is the hands-on experience. Think of it like this: certifications are proof that you have understood the technical concepts in Google Cloud, but experience in a business setting will prove you can apply what you have learned on the job.
Fortunately, you’re in the right place for all four of those things! We’re experts at creating incredible cloud talent. Our training programs include training, certifications, and that all-important commercial experience working for a market-leading company.
Plus, you don’t need any prior experience with Google Cloud specifically to cross-train with us! As long as you have a keen interest in technology and some experience in a similar field, we can help you kick-start an amazing career in the cloud and become an in-demand Google Cloud Specialist. Interested?
Visit our Google Cloud careers page to learn more about a career with Revolent.
