OtherSelf-paced (paths run from a few hours to several weeks)·Some free courses, full access around $29/month

Google Cloud Skills Boost (Generative AI Learning Path)

3.9

The hands-on labs run in a real cloud environment, which is the genuine draw, and the content is official and badge-bearing. Just be ready for click-along exercises and the occasional module that feels more like a product tour.

What We Liked

Hands-on labs run in a real, temporary Google Cloud environment, not a simulation
Official Google content that maps directly to its certifications and skill badges
A handful of the introductory generative AI courses are free to take
Strong choice if your job or your target job sits inside the Google Cloud ecosystem

What Could Be Better

Many labs are click-along scripts where you paste commands without really learning why
The shorter generative AI courses can read like marketing for Google's own products
Everything is tied to Google Cloud, so the skills do not transfer cleanly elsewhere
Lab credits and the subscription clock create pressure to rush through the material

Detailed review

Google Cloud Skills Boost is Google's own training platform, and if the name Qwiklabs rings a bell, that is what this used to be. The headline feature, and the reason to use it, is that the hands-on labs spin up a real, temporary Google Cloud project for you to work in. You are clicking around an actual console and running real commands, not poking at screenshots, and for cloud work that matters a great deal. The generative AI learning path strings together a set of these courses and labs, and finishing them earns skill badges you can show off, plus it lines up neatly with Google's certifications if that is where you are heading.

So far so good. My reservations are about how much you actually absorb. A fair number of the labs are essentially scripted, where you copy a command, paste it, watch it work and move on, and it is easy to complete one without really understanding why you did any of it. The shorter generative AI courses also carry a promotional edge, because they are naturally keen to show off Vertex AI and Google's own models, and at times it reads more like a guided tour of the product than teaching.

And of course everything is anchored to Google Cloud, so the skills do not lift cleanly across to AWS or Azure. If your world is Google Cloud, this is a sensible and official place to build real skills, and the live labs are better practice than watching any video. If your world is not Google Cloud, the lock-in is a real cost to weigh before you commit your time.

[ final ]

The verdict.

Worth it if you specifically need Google Cloud AI skills or are chasing one of its certifications, because the live console labs are the real value. Less useful if you want vendor-neutral understanding, and be ready to skim past the more promotional gen AI modules.