Hey, I’m Chris and I’m learning Google Cloud Platform.
Most of my career has been spent as an online advertising specialist, mainly involving the Google Ads (fka AdWords) platform and the related measurement and tracking systems. I spent the last 11 years working at Google, helping large agency & client partners get the most out of Google Ads for their key clients. I’ve been on a career break since the start of this year and have been using the amazing gift of time to teach myself new and interesting skills.
I’ve been building websites on and off since the age of 15, and have always kept my hand in with new online technologies as they’ve emerged. One thing that has fascinated me in recent years has been the rise of Cloud Computing.
Cloud Computing is a broad term most often used to describe compute power and storage made available over the internet. These resources can be used in much the same way as those of an on-premises data centre, to host and run whatever applications a company requires for its business. It’s been taking over the world in the last decade, due to the efficiencies in cost and time it offers, and continues to grow and innovate rapidly.
As a booming industry and a fascinating topic, learning more Cloud Computing seemed like a great use of my time. Focussing initially on my former employer’s offering, Google Cloud Platform, I first studied and passed their foundational Cloud Digital Leader certification. Eager to keep going, I started the long process of studying for the more advanced qualifications.
But there was a niggle. I started to realise that these months of study, whilst incredibly valuable to my own learning, weren’t going to result in anything tangible (other than the cert itself.) Also, although I was familiar with a lot of the technology and principles that comprise GCP, some elements were entirely new to me. And though the course materials I was using were great, I’ve always been someone who learns best by doing. I knew I needed to build something. But what? Googling led to some good ideas but they all seemed a bit too narrow in scope for what I needed. Then I found the Cloud Resume Challenge.
The CRC was first proposed by Forrest Brazeal just after the first COVID-19 lockdown began in 2020. It proposes that you build and host a resume online, whilst complying with the 14 requirements Forrest outlines. These requirements are designed to foster and demonstrate abilities in various key areas of Cloud Computing. The challenge is designed to be hard and offer as little help as possible, giving you a framework to guide your efforts, whilst leaving the learning and building up to you. The end result is something you can use to show the world what you’ve learned and what you can do.
Perfect. Exactly what I was looking for. Why am I even still typing? Let’s gooooooo…