The Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate is a six-course Coursera program built by Google that teaches Python scripting, Git, and configuration management to IT professionals — enabling them to automate repetitive tasks, manage systems at scale, and work effectively in DevOps and Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) environments. It is the logical follow-up to the Google IT Support certificate for people targeting systems administration, DevOps, or cloud operations roles.
Google IT Support certificate holders who want to progress to systems administrator and DevOps roles. IT support professionals with one to two years of experience who want to add automation skills to their profile. Anyone targeting roles that involve infrastructure management, configuration management, or cloud operations — where manual click-and-configure approaches are being replaced by code.
Python fundamentals — variables, functions, data structures, and control flow. Python for system administration — file operations, process management, and OS interaction. Regular expressions for text processing. Managing files and directories at scale. Git and version control — commits, branches, pull requests, and collaboration workflows. Troubleshooting and debugging Python scripts. Configuration management — Puppet fundamentals for managing system state at scale. Automation in the cloud — interacting with cloud APIs and automating cloud resource management.
Systems Administrators with Python automation skills earn $90,000–$120,000 AUD. DevOps Engineers earn $120,000–$170,000 AUD. Site Reliability Engineers (SREs) earn $140,000–$200,000 AUD. Python-proficient IT professionals are in strong demand across Australian technology, managed service providers, and the cloud operations teams of large enterprises.
Approximately $59 USD per month on Coursera. Completable in approximately four to six months at ten hours per week. Total cost approximately $225–$350 AUD.
Pros: Google brand. Python + Git are universal skills valued across IT, DevOps, and data roles. Employer Consortium access. Practical automation focus rather than software engineering theory. Cons: Some Python experience recommended before starting — complete beginners should start with a Python basics course first. Configuration management content uses Puppet specifically — Ansible and Terraform are more commonly used in Australian DevOps contexts and require supplementary study.
Do I need to have done Google IT Support first? It is recommended but not required. If you already have IT support experience and want to add Python automation skills, you can start this certificate directly.
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission
Compare with OthersLaunch your tech career with Australia's most accessible IT certificate. No degree needed — learn troubleshooting, networking, Linux and IT security from Google in just 6 months.
The foundational IT certification that Australian employers require for every IT support role. CompTIA A+ is the industry standard — covering hardware, operating systems, troubleshooting, and security across two exams.
The vendor-neutral networking certification that opens doors to network administrator, network engineer, and cloud networking roles in Australia. A natural step after A+ for anyone serious about a technology career.