Marco Grimaldi

L2 Managed Services Engineer @ NTT DATA · Language Teacher

3 minute read

🤖 From Repetition to Automation: A Practical Review

Just a heads-up: This review reflects my personal experience only. It is not sponsored in any way.

ℹ️ Intro

Repetition is something almost every professional deals with, no matter the field. Whether it’s updating spreadsheets, managing files, or responding to recurring requests, routine tasks can quickly eat up valuable time. The ability to automate even a portion of that work can open the door to greater efficiency, consistency, and focus on higher-value activities.

This isn’t just an IT challenge. From business administration to project coordination, from finance to education, the ability to understand and apply automation can be a powerful advantage. In my case, working in technology made the need especially clear, and I wanted to explore how Python could help me simplify workflows and develop practical skills that extend well beyond a single job title.

Thanks to a grant from Experiencia Fundae, I enrolled in the Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate. My goal wasn’t to change careers but to build a stronger professional toolkit in an era where automation and AI skills are becoming essential.

📚 The Automation Toolkit: A Breakdown of the Courses

The curriculum takes you from basic scripting all the way to building automation that can scale. While no prior IT background is strictly required, I personally found this certificate more technically demanding than others in the Google Career Certificate series, such as IT Support, Project Management, or Data Analytics, previously covered in my Cert Review series. The hands-on labs in particular require a good deal of patience and problem-solving, which makes completing the program both challenging and rewarding.

Google estimates around six months at 10 hours a week, but like all Coursera certificates, it’s self-paced. Below is an outline of the core courses:

  • Course 1: Crash Course on Python – An introduction to the essentials: variables, loops, functions, and turning ideas into executable code.

  • Course 2: Using Python to Interact with the Operating System – Learn how to automate file handling, manage processes, and use regular expressions to parse text and logs.

  • Course 3: Introduction to Git and GitHub – A valuable addition: version control basics with Git and GitHub. I’ve since used these skills directly in maintaining this personal website, which runs on a GitHub repository.

  • Course 4: Troubleshooting and Debugging Techniques – Practical strategies for diagnosing and fixing errors, both in code and in systems.

  • Course 5: Configuration Management and the Cloud – From local scripts to scaling solutions, you’ll explore automation in both physical and cloud environments.

  • Course 6: Automating Real-World Tasks with Python – A capstone project where you bring everything together to create a portfolio-ready automation.

  • Course 7: Accelerate Your Job Search with AI – A shared add-on across Google Career Certificates, focusing on AI-powered tools for resumes, job search, and interview preparation.

📦 Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways

What I appreciated most about this certificate is how practical it is. Rather than staying at the theory level, you spend time working directly with scripts, automating file operations, parsing logs with regular expressions, and testing out solutions in real scenarios. These aren’t abstract exercises — they mirror the kinds of repetitive tasks many professionals face every day.

On top of Python itself, learning Git and GitHub stood out as an essential skill. Beyond collaboration, version control has given me a structured way to manage projects — such as this website you’re reading, which lives in a GitHub repository, and it’s an instance and reflection of Course 3.

Personally, the real value of the program wasn’t in “becoming a programmer” but in learning how to apply coding as a problem-solving tool. Whether that means automating a ticketing workflow, managing system logs, or building something personal, the certificate provides a strong foundation and critical hands-on experience that can be adapted to many different professional contexts.

Disclaimer: This article is solely based on my personal account. I have not received any endorsement from Google or any related party. I aim to share insights that may help others assess whether the Google Automation with Python Professional Certificate aligns with their own objectives and needs. Whenever possible, I also encourage you to look into available scholarships or community resources that may foster lifelong learning for a more accessible educational experience.

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