Level up: Free Coursera courses to build your skills in cloud computing

In an increasingly digital world, there’s no escaping technology permeating some – and in some instances, all – aspects of work, making tech skills such as cloud computing, increasing essential.

This is echoed in the World Economic Forum’s report, Jobs of Tomorrow: Mapping Opportunity in the New Economy, which says tech skills dominate many jobs of the future, and that digital skills will become increasingly critical to the world of work. 

If you already have some form of tech skills, it pays to pick something new in preparation for new career opportunities, or to grow in your current role.

Thankfully, upskilling in these areas is affordable or can cost very little thanks to advancements in online learning. Here are some of Coursera’s free courses to help you build your skills in the field:

Cloud Computing Basics (Cloud 101)

Cloud computing is among LinkedIn’s top five hard skills companies need the most in 2020, as many companies are built and run on cloud. 

This course is ideal for beginners, and will take approximately nine hours to complete. You’ll learn what cloud computing is, what it supports and how it is delivered. 

The course will also touch on storage services, cloud economics, levels of managed infrastructure and Azure services, in addition to exploring  different deployment models of cloud computing, to name a few.

Industrial IoT on Google Cloud Platform

Industrial internet of things (IIoT) is “the use of smart sensors and actuators to enhance manufacturing and industrial processes”. Many organisations can benefit from IoT solutions.  

This beginner course is offered by the Google Cloud team and covers the entire Industrial IoT network architecture from sensors and devices to analysis. 

It is different from most Coursera courses as there is very little video – most of the learning is done with short readings, quizzes and labs.  

The course also discusses sensors and devices, but the focus is on the cloud side. You’ll learn about the importance of scaling, device communication and processing streaming data. The course uses simulated devices in the labs to allow students to concentrate on learning the cloud side of IIoT.  

Coursera notes that 50% of learners got a tangible career benefit from this course.

Introduction to Cloud Identity

This is a good place to start for any new Cloud Identity, Identity/Access Management/Mobile Device Management admins if you want to begin your journey of managing and establishing security and access management best practices for your organisation.  

It is a 15-30 hour accelerated, one-week course that will help you utilise the basic functions of the Admin Console to manage users, control access to services, configure common security settings, and much more.

“Through a series of introductory lessons, step-by-step hands-on exercises, Google knowledge resources, and knowledge checks, learners can expect to leave this training with all of the skills they need to get started as new Cloud Identity Administrators,” notes Coursera.

These online courses are a great way to dip your feet into a new area of study, in which you can later decide whether to further your studies in a particular area with a postgraduate degree, or other forms of professionals certifications.