Tips for Making the Most of Google Cloud Documentation
You typically devote a significant amount of time as a Google Cloud practitioner to studying the guides, commands, and tutorials on the documentation pages. Over the years, the documentation team has added several features to make working with Google Cloud documentation easier and more productive.
Some of this advice may be familiar to you, and I hope that at least one of them will be helpful to you. Here is my list of helpful advice, in no particular order.
Interactive Tutorials or Walkthroughs
This excellent feature of the documentation lets you complete an interactive tutorial in a series of steps right inside the Google Cloud Console. The Support icon in the top Action Bar provides access to several tutorials that can be accessed from the Google Cloud Console.
Search
The Google Cloud console’s Search bar at the top makes it easy to find various product services, tutorials, documentation pages, and even Google Cloud Resources (such as the names of Compute Engine VMs).
The Search bar is probably the fastest way to get to a product (extra points for power users who have used the “pin” feature to lock frequently used products at the top of the list in the left navigation bar). You can find the specific Product page from the hamburger menu on the top left and the subsequent left navigation bar.
A screencast that shows you how to search for a specific product is provided here. You will notice that it provides you with various sections (Tutorials, Google Cloud Resources, etc.) in addition to simply directing you to a specific product.
The View All Products link in the navigation bar on the left can be used to quickly view all of the products and the documentation associated with them. That is shown in the screencast that follows.
Do you require more reference guides, Quickstarts, and tutorials?
You have probably noticed that we have a list of tutorials, Quickstarts, and reference guides for each product as you move through the documentation. I can learn more about a product in detail in a few different ways.
First of all, you’ll see a Learn icon on some of our product pages. A sample of the Compute Engine product homepage can be found here.
To access a variety of product-related documentation, click the Learn button.
I’d like to give a few more interactive tutorials (walkthroughs) a shot from time to time. You should have noticed that the Start a tutorial link on the Support icon in the top action bar gives you access to some interactive tutorials. You can get additional interactive tutorials from the following list, which is limited:
Let’s say you want to learn more about IAM and want to look at the many interactive tutorials that are part of this service. Enter IAM into the main Search bar at the top. As we saw earlier, this will display a list of search results.
As can be seen above, we provide a few results in the Documentation and Tutorials section. Interactive Tutorial is the operative word here.
You can further narrow your search to interactive tutorials by selecting “See more results” from the search results page.
Saving your favorite documentation pages
A Bookmark icon can be clicked on at the top of each documentation page to save it to your collection of documentation pages, which you can then easily reference from your Google Profile.
For instance, a page of documentation on how to start and create a VM instance in Compute Engine can be found here. I want to save this document as a favorite. I simply need to click the Bookmark icon.
You have the option of saving it to My saved pages or creating a New Collection to store it there. In my example above, I chose to bookmark this page as part of a new collection called Compute Engine.
How do you access all of the pages you’ve bookmarked? There will be a row of three dots on the top bar, next to your Google Profile picture; click on that. You will now have access to your Google Developer Profile for that account thanks to this. Saved pages are one of the alternatives.
Your Saved Pages will be displayed when you visit the page:
All of your bookmarks will be accessible when you tap on any of the collections you have created.
Providing Feedback
Google Cloud Documentation makes it simple for you to provide feedback, which is valuable. On the documentation pages, pay attention to the Send Feedback button. If you click that, it will assist you in providing us with feedback regarding the particular page or the product documentation as a whole.
Interactive code samples are still one of my favorites because they significantly increase developer productivity, especially when attempting various gcloud commands. The particular feature involves using placeholder variables, such as Project ID, Region, etc., in commands that must be repeated across a series of commands.
The feature has been well-documented in the following blog post, which is well over two years old. I’ve included a screencast of the same thing here, as well as the text of that blog post about this feature:
“You only need to replace the variable once if a page has multiple code samples that use the same placeholder variable. All instances of the PROJECT_ID variable, including any other command line samples on the page, will use the same Google Cloud project ID if, for instance, you replace a PROJECT_ID variable with your own Google Cloud project ID.
I hope you found these hints to be helpful.
In 2023, the cloud is a great place to advance your career. Project managers, product owners, and business analysts are examples of positions that do not necessitate a technical background and offer excellent salaries and room for advancement in a field that is always changing. Coding and technical expertise are essential for others, such as administrators, solution architects, and developers.
To get that dream job, you need experience and knowledge in the cloud. However, where do you begin? And how can you keep up with the rapid pace of cloud technology change? Check out the following advice. Additionally, there are free and suggested training opportunities below to support your development!
Examine your experience as a starting point.
Even if it appears unconventional, your experience can be an excellent entry point into cloud computing. Think creatively about opportunities and skills that can be used elsewhere. Several possibilities exist for where you might be right now:
• You are already employed in IT, but not in the data center or legacy systems. Head of Content Marketing at Google Cloud, Forrest Brazeal.
• Try your hand at becoming a developer advocate or a sales engineer with your previous experience.
• You do not possess the college degree that is required for the position.
• Your business has a cloud segment, but your primary focus is elsewhere. Meet new people! Get in touch with your colleagues who do what you want. Take their advice on improving your skills.
Learn about the cloud and create a portfolio of your work to demonstrate your cloud-applicable experience if you are applying for a technical position. We recommend that everyone acquire the following essential skills before starting:
• The code cannot be changed. Due to their prior coding experience, individuals with software development backgrounds typically find it simpler to enter and navigate the cloud environment. Every day, you need automation, basic data manipulation, and scaling. Learning Python is a great place to start if you don’t already know any other programming language.
• Knowledge Linux. You will need to be familiar with the Linux filesystem, the fundamental Linux commands, and the containerization basics.
• Acquire an understanding of fundamental networking concepts like DNS, subnets, the IP Protocol, and the others that sit on top of it.
• If you want to work at Google, make sure you know everything there is to know about the cloud, especially what Google Cloud is all about.
• Acquaintance with open-source software. Learning Kubernetes for containers and Terraform for automation across clouds is well worth the effort.
Boost your targeted hands-on skills
Visit Google Cloud Skills Boost for a comprehensive collection of training to help you upskill into a cloud role, including hands-on labs that give you real-world experience in Google Cloud. Boost your targeted hands-on skills A free trial period of thirty days is available to new users2. Consider the following recommendations:
Free labs and courses include:
• A Tour of Google Cloud Hands-On Labs, which last 45 minutes;
• A Tour of Google Cloud Sustainability, which lasts 60 minutes;
• Introduction to SQL for BigQuery and Cloud SQL, which lasts 60 minutes;
• Infrastructure and Application Modernization with Google Cloud, which is an introductory course with three modules;
• Preparing for Google Cloud certification, which includes courses that help you prepare for Google Cloud certification exams.
Build hands-on projects.
This makes something tangible with the cloud skills you’ve acquired and uses it as a story in an interview. Make a project on GitHub so that others can see it in action and properly document it. Include your method for making decisions. Here’s an illustration:
- Create a web application or API
- Create the application’s code.
Get valuable cloud knowledge for non-technical roles
Having a solid understanding of cloud principles is essential for tech-adjacent roles, such as those in business, sales, or administration. Choose the infrastructure for deploying that application in the cloud. Choose your storage option. We suggest taking the free Cloud Digital Leader training courses. After completing the training, you could also go the extra mile and take the Google Cloud Digital Leader Certification exam:
The following are some of our other resources: the Google Cloud Innovators Program, which will assist you in growing on Google Cloud and connect you with other community members; the Cloud Digital Leader Learning Path, which teaches you about cloud capabilities, products, and services and how they benefit businesses; the Google Cloud Digital Leader Certification, which allows you to demonstrate your cloud expertise by earning a certification; and the Commit to Learning in the New Year. You can join for free and gain access to learning new skills and the cloud’s future! Start today.
Whether you’re looking into Google Cloud Data, DevOps, or Networking certifications, completing weekly Arcade games will help you get off to a strong start in the new year. On Google Cloud Skills Boost, this January, play to win in The Arcade while learning new skills and winning prizes. We will feature a brand-new game each week to demonstrate and develop your cloud skills, as well as certification-based learning paths.
With our annual subscription of $299, you can make 2023 the year you build your cloud career and commit to learning throughout the year. This subscription includes a $200 certification voucher, a $299 annual subscription to Google Cloud Skills Boost with access to the entire training catalog, live learning events, and quarterly technical briefings with executives, as well as $500 in Google Cloud credits (and an additional $500 in Google Cloud credits after you successfully certify).