By Julianne Hill, Marketing Manager, Goodwill Industries of Michiana, Inc.
Welcome back to the stackable credentials blog series. In the previous blog, I explored Google IT certificates along with best practices. In today’s blog, we will cover Google’s five stackable business certificates. If you read Part 2 of this blog series, please feel free to skip down to the Stackable Google Business Certificates section, as the next portion will be a repeat for you.
Before starting your research on and investment in stackable credentials, research is essential. It is vital to have a specific industry or career path in mind that you wish to pursue. O*Net, the Occupational Information Network, and My Next Move, can provide valuable insight into industries, careers, and the training necessary for each.
In an upcoming blog I will delve into best practices in using O*Net and My Next Move. For now, I recommend taking the O*Net Interest Profiler assessment to assist you in your career exploration journey. This interest profiler is something I require of all the applicants to the scholarship programs I manage as it helps identify their interests before they begin their investigation into stackable credentials and the world of work.
Exploring the Value of Google Certificates
Now let us dive into the topic of Google’s stackable certificates and their value. When I took over the Grow with Goodwill Digital Career Accelerator scholarship program, we only had one certificate to offer: Google IT Support Professional. Since then Google has added eight additional certificate programs, for a total of five that are directly business related. This has allowed me to impact my region in a much larger way. I have a strong passion for the Google certificate programs, and I am excited to pass on that enthusiasm to you.
Some of the benefits to the Google certificate programs:
- Industry relevant and industry recognized skills
- Designed in collaboration with industry experts with a focus on skills that enhance employability and career prospects
- The programs are completely virtual and hosted on the Coursera.org platform.
- Individuals can work at their own pace
- Completing the program makes an individual’s resume stand out (as an employer I can attest to this.)
- Google backs up their certificate completers by providing free, exclusive, access to CareerCircle
- 1-on-1 job coaching
- Interview and career support
- Connection with the Google Career Certificates Employer Consortium (over 150 companies committed to hiring completers)
- As a Goodwill Scholarship recipient, individuals also receive 1-on-1 support from Goodwill staff to provide wrap-around support to complete the certificate program and attain employment.
Stackable Google Business Certificates
Now that we have gone through the need for research before deciding on an education and career path and the benefits of the Google Career Certificates let us delve into the stackable Google business certificates. The Google business programs typically include watching videos, reading supplemental material, passing quizzes, and completing projects to put what you have learned into practice.
Google Project Management Certificate
If someone is interested in entering the business industry, I recommend they start with the Google Project Management Certificate. Project Management professionals are in demand in both small businesses and large organizations. Many jobs use project management tools and skills without having the Project Manager title.
According to Grow with Google, from Lightcast US Job Postings, there are 715,000 open jobs in project management. Google Project Management is a foundational course, meaning that it does not require any previous knowledge or experience in the field.
The Google Project Management course provides instruction on various topics. Students will gain expertise in understanding team dynamics, leadership abilities, conducting productive meetings, effectively identifying and managing stakeholders, identifying and managing risks, and estimating time and budgets. In addition to these skills, students will gain industry-specific knowledge, including the application of Agile and Scrum frameworks. The skills learned will prepare an individual for an entry-level job in project management.
The Google Project Management Certificate Program includes 6 courses and 155 instructional hours. For my scholarship program, the cohort is split into 12-week intervals, making the approximate study hours per week 13 hours.
Google Digital Marketing & E-Commerce Certificate
The Google Digital Marketing & E-Commerce program is one of the newer additions to the Google career certificate program portfolio. To say I was ecstatic to see this program added to the offerings is to put it lightly. Marketing and business development are passions of mine, and I was thankful to have the opportunity to share this passion with my community through this program.
On a side note, before we delve further into the details of the Google Digital Marketing & E-Commerce program, I am currently working on my Master’s program in Digital Marketing through Western Governors University (WGU). As part of my degree program, WGU strongly encourages us to complete the Google Digital Marketing & E-Commerce program. When I discovered this, I realized even more how industry-recognized Google career certificates are becoming. After further research, I found that WGU is one of many universities backing the certificate programs.
According to Grow with Google, from Lightcast US Job Postings, there are 213,000 open jobs in digital marketing and e-commerce. Google Digital Marketing & E-Commerce is also a foundational course, meaning that it does not require any previous knowledge or experience in the field.
Google Digital Marketing & E-Commerce students will acquire expertise in developing strategies for digital marketing and e-commerce, understanding marketing analytics, using channels like search, social media, and email to attract and engage consumers, building e-commerce stores, growing customer loyalty, and analyzing performance. Additionally, this program will instruct how to use popular platforms such as Canva, Constant Contact, Hootsuite, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Shopify, Twitter, Google Ads, and Google Analytics.
The Google Digital Marketing & E-Commerce Certificate Program includes 7 courses and 171 instructional hours. For my scholarship program, the cohort is split into 20-week intervals, making the approximate hours of study per week 9 hours.
Google Data Analytics Certificate
The Google Data Analytics program is one I can personally recommend. I had completed 4 of the 8 courses of the program when I had to put it on pause because I started my Master’s program. I am eagerly awaiting the time when I complete the program. One of my favorite things about this program is how it gives instruction on making data-driven decisions.
According to Grow with Google, from Lightcast US Job Postings, there are 483,000+ open jobs in data analytics. Google Data Analytics is also a foundational course, meaning that it does not require any previous knowledge or experience in the field.
This program covers using data to solve problems, data types and structures, how to analyze data, data storytelling with visualizations, and using R programming for analysis.
The Data Analytics Certificate Program includes 8 courses and 188 instructional hours. For my scholarship program, the cohort is split into 20-week intervals, making the approximate hours of study per week 10 hours.
Google Business Intelligence Certificate
The Google Business Intelligence program is one of the newest Google career certificate programs. This program is Advanced, meaning that previous knowledge and/or experience is recommended before starting.
According to Grow with Google, from Lightcast US Job Postings, there are 166,000+ job openings in business intelligence.
In this program, students will acquire expertise in business intelligence analysis, ETL process, data modeling, engaging with stakeholders about data findings, and dashboards and reporting. Some tools that students will learn to use are BigQuery, Tableau, and SQL.
The Business Intelligence Certificate Program includes 6 courses and 77 instructional hours. For my scholarship program, the cohort is split into 12-week intervals, making the approximate hours of study per week 7 hours. Again, this is an advanced program, so I recommend completing the Google Data Analytics program before starting Google Business Intelligence.
Google Advanced Data Analytics Certificate
The Google Advanced Data Analytics Certificate is another new Google career certificate program. It is also Advanced, meaning that previous knowledge and/or experience is recommended before starting.
According to Grow with Google, from Lightcast US Job Postings, there are 144,000+ job openings in advanced data analytics.
This program covers regression analysis, python, translating data, statistics, and machine learning. Some tools that students will learn to use are Jupyter Notebook, Python, and Tableau.
The Advanced Data Analytics Certificate Program includes 7 courses and 179 instructional hours. For my scholarship program, the cohort is split into 20-week intervals, making the approximate hours of study per week 9 hours. Again, this is an advanced program. My recommendation to individuals interested is to complete Google Data Analytics and Google Business Intelligence before starting Google Advanced Data Analytics.
Closing Remarks
Google Career Certificates have significant value in the job market. They provide education in high-demand fields. Let’s quickly review the steps before deciding on your stackable career certificate pathway. Research should be done for your interests, the industry, job demand, pay scale, and best practices for stacking credentials.
An important thing to note is that you do not have to go through these steps alone. There is an expansive Goodwill network out there to assist you. If the Goodwill staff you connect with is unfamiliar with the Google Certificate Programs, I promise they can find one of us who is.
I hope you have gained some valuable insight into what stackable credentials are, their importance, and what Google career certificates may be right for you.
Best wishes on your career journey. Goodbye for now!
Sources: Coursera.org & Grow with Google
