By Brandt Ranj
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Coursera, the online learning platform that allows you to take classes offered by top-ranked schools like Yale and Duke has partnered with Google to introduce the Google Professional Certificates program.
These multi-course curricula are being offered in the fields of Data Analytics, Project Management, UX (user experience) Design, IT Support, and IT Automation. Students who complete any of the programs will receive a certificate that can bolster a resume, or make them eligible for a new career. Google says 82% of U.S. graduates have reported a positive career outcome (new job, promotion, raise) within six months.
This collaboration is part of Google’s “Grow With Google” initiative, which aims help people looking to make a career change or boost their resume. These programs were designed by senior employees at Google, and will equip you with the practical knowledge to help you excel at an entry-level position in each field.
This includes learning about industry-standard platforms and applications you’d be using on a daily basis. You don’t need any prior knowledge or experience in any of these fields to start, every program was designed for beginners.
Each certificate program is broken down into between five and eight classes, which build upon one another as they get more complex. For example, the first course in Google’s IT Automation certificate is Crash Course on Python, the second is Using Python to Interact with the Operating System, and the sixth is Automating Real-World Tasks with Python.
All of these classes are completely online; you can work through all of the classes at your own pace, and review information from each one at any point. Coursera says it should take between six to eight months to complete one of Google’s Professional Certificates program if you dedicate five to 10 hours a week to your work.
It’ll take some time, but finishing one of these programs is one of the smartest investments you can make if you’re looking to break into a project management or IT fields. It costs $39 per month, and each program takes between three to six months to complete. Coursera offers a 7-day free trial, so you can test one of the courses in Google’s Professional Certificates program to see if it works for you.
One of the best aspects about the Google Professional Certificates program is that Google will continue to offer you resources after you’ve earned your certificate. This includes access to resume building workshops, career coaching sessions, and even mock interviews. It’s also created the Google Career Certificates Employer Consortium, which is made up of 130 U.S. companies, including Snap Inc. Target, Verizon, Best Buy, and Infosys.
Businesses who are part of this group have committed to considering Google Career Certificate holders for entry-level positions. They even post jobs on an exclusive job platform that only certificate holders can access. Google says there are over 1 million in-demand jobs currently available these certificate fields with an average salary of $63,600. The actual salary certificate holders would receive depends on the role and company.
If you’d like to go back to school or make a career change, but don’t have the ability to attend in-person classes, completing a Google Professional Certificates program is an excellent option. You’ll learn skills that can actually help you in your new field by well-qualified professionals, and be supported after you graduate.
You can learn even more about Google’s Professional Certificates program on Coursera here.
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