Introduction

Why should you consider becoming a G-Suite Admin? Becoming a G-Suite Administrator takes time and will cost money.

I did it because I wanted to move out of my comfort zone and to learn how a Google for Education domain is set up. I always want to know why things work the way they do! I feel that this knowledge helps me to function more effectively as a certified trainer. I feel I can share even more knowledge with the educators and school administrators I work with.

Step 1: Setting Up a Domain:

I should point out right up front that I had a G-Suite training domain created in advance. If you are already a Google for Education Certified Trainer, you are allowed to set up a training domain. You do not have to be a Google Certified Educator or Trainer to become an admin. You can set up a trial domain for free for 14 days. 

If you are a trainer, Google has a website dedicated to helping Certified Trainers acquire and set up their own training domain.

There is also an awesome YouTube Playlist all about setting up a training domain by Louis Shanafelt, Google for Education Certified Trainer. In his playlist, Louis walks you through the process of setting up your own domain from start to finish. I found the playlist to be incredibly helpful and fairly easy to understand.

Step 2: Preparing for the Exam:

Once my domain was set up, I learned to use all of the admin features of the domain using Coursera’s self-paced course, G-Suite Administrator Fundamentals. You will need to set up a Coursera account and pay for the course. The cost of the course was $99.00 at the time I took it in the latter part of 2017. Starting early in 2018, expect changes to the course as a new, beta administrator exam rolls out! The online course was extremely thorough and covered all of the essentials: Accounts, Users, Groups, Organizations, Security, and G-Suite Services. The Coursera training modules are very interactive, featuring periodic knowledge checks and hands-on exercises.

If you don’t like the idea of taking the certification exam after an online course, find a Google for Education Certified Administrator Bootcamp in your region. Amplified IT  is an example of  a G-Suite partner offering a one-day face-to-face PD for G-Suite Administrators. Check out the other G-Suite partners in your region; you may find other opportunities to train in a live setting. Contact your local Google Educator Group (GEG). Chances are, there are plenty of admins and trainers in your local Google Educator Group (GEG) who can help you find hands-on professional development sessions.

Step 3: Taking the Exam:

FYI, the procedures for taking the exam are changing as I am creating this blog post. In the past, to become a G-Suite admin you had to register on the Kryterion site (the site for all Google for Education certification exams). Sometime during January of 2018, the exam will be moving to a new platform. Monitor this website for more details as Google completes the transition. I’ll be sure to update this post when the new exam platform becomes available.