Why I decided on the Google Cybersecurity certification

On the Service Desk, you see a lot of things every day, from trivial problems with printers to complex outages in interconnected systems. But the more the systems and identity management started to make sense to me, the more I was naturally drawn to one specific area — IT security (Cybersecurity).

Therefore, I decided that my next formal step in education will be to obtain the Google Cybersecurity Certificate. In this article, I will summarize the reasons why I chose this particular course and not another.

1. Focus on practice, not just theory

Certifications in the IT field can be divided into two large groups. Some are heavily theoretical (often managerial ones), where you memorize definitions and frameworks, and then the highly technical ones. The Google Certificate does explain general threat models and methodologies (like NIST and CIS frameworks), but primarily it forces students to work practically with tools like Linux command line, Python, SQL (for data investigation), and SIEM systems (specifically Splunk and Chronicle).

This sounds much better than just cramming terms before an exam.

2. Synergy with my current work on the Service Desk

Although I am not a full-time penetration tester, I see real users every day and how they react to systems. I teach them not to use bad passwords and not to get fooled. In the end, security mostly doesn’t fail due to a technical “Zero-day” threat, but due to the human factor (someone opening a malicious attachment).

By connecting my current knowledge of IT Service Management and a structured overview of cyber defense, I will gain a relatively strong and sought-after foundation. It will help me on support to identify a potential attack (such as a compromised account) much earlier and react better to it. Having security-oriented people in IT support is a huge plus for any corporation.

3. An excellent stepping stone for potential analytics

The Google Certificate is primarily designed for entry-level Cybersecurity Analysts (those in so-called SOC teams — Security Operations Center). This makes it a perfect stepping stone for obtaining even more advanced certificates, the CompTIA Security+ certification (where Google directly provides a discount after completing this course).

How do I intend to study?

Although Google recommends spending over half a year on the study, divided into smaller hourly chunks per week, I would like to cut through it much faster because I already carry some theory from networking and operating systems from my university studies or precisely from IT support practice.

I am currently supplementing my process for strong practice by playing and learning on the TryHackMe portal, thanks to which I immediately translate all principles and theories into practice using real terminals (whether offensive or defensive scenarios).

If you are considering a similar step or perhaps work in a helpdesk and are looking for a way to move forward — I highly recommend taking a closer look at the field of cybersecurity. The gateway of future opportunities here is enormous.