After finally finishing the CloudU curriculum it’s easy to see why the certification is free.While I did learn a fair amount of new information about Cloud Computing, much of the curriculum is recycled throughout the ten lessons.

Ben Kepes does a wonderful job of explaining the differences between the three layers of the cloud computing stack. Initially I wasn’t sure how to differentiate between Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS). While the line between the two is indeed blurring, Kepes’ lesson plan gave me further insight into the differences between them.

Kepes also does a good job explaining various ways to move your business to the Cloud. Whether your operation is large or small there is some great advice to either going all in with your move or proceeding with a slow migration.

Where the curriculum falls apart is in its length. The lessons typically focus on two aspects of Cloud Computing: what makes up the Cloud and how to plan a move to the Cloud. You could easily condense the ten lessons to five. This would not only make it more accessible to people, it would also get rid of all the repeating that takes place throughout the lessons.

Speaking of accessibility, Rackspace should also invest in a proofreader. Throughout the entire curriculum you will find grammar errors, spelling mishaps and an overall lack of editing. As I mentioned before, this can make it hard to progress through the lessons, but it can also cause your judgment to be questioned if you recommend the certificate to a friend or coworker.

BOTTOM LINE: If you’re looking to learn a bit about what Cloud Computing is and how it works from a basic standpoint, this is not a bad program to consider. It is by no means a resume builder, and probably won’t get you a promotion, but it gives you something to consider if you’re planning a move to the Cloud. I would recommend this only for self interest, and not for job placement.