By Julianne Hill, Digital Skills Program Manager, Goodwill Industries of Michiana, Inc.
Welcome back to the stackable credentials blog series. In the previous blog, I explored the concepts of stackable credentials and their benefits. If you have not had a chance to read it, please do so to have a better understanding of what I will cover in this blog.
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 four that are directly IT 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 IT 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 Google IT Certificates that are stackable. The Google IT programs typically include watching videos, reading supplemental material, passing quizzes, as well as completing labs to test hands-on knowledge.
Google IT Support Professional Certificate
If someone is interested in entering the IT Industry, I recommend they start with the Google IT Support Professional Certificate. IT support professionals are in demand in both small businesses and large organizations.
These professionals problem-solve and troubleshoot to keep networks and computers running smoothly, while at the same time providing excellent customer service. The Google IT Support curriculum includes topics like troubleshooting and customer care, networking, operating systems, system administration, and security. This certificate provides the individual the skills necessary for an entry-level IT job. I have personally taken this course and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the IT industry. It provides great foundational knowledge to build upon.
The Google IT Support Professional Certificate Program includes 5 courses and 142 instructional hours. For my scholarship program, the cohort is split into 12 week intervals, making the approximate hours of study per week 12 hours.
Google Cybersecurity Certificate
According to Grow with Google, from Lightcast US Job Postings, there are 213,000 job openings in cybersecurity. The Google Cybersecurity Certificate gives foundational knowledge and skills needed to enter the industry. Some of the job-ready and in-demand skills are identifying common risks, threats, and vulnerabilities. Another important step is learning techniques on how to mitigate these things. This course was built by Google experts in cybersecurity.
Some of the learning topics include programming for cybersecurity tasks, frameworks and controls that inform security operations, using security information and event management (SIEM) tools for cybersecurity, detecting and responding to incidents using an intrusion detection system and performing packet capture and analysis.
This program is brand new to Google. I plan to make this certificate program a 12 week course with the approximate hours per week being 13 as there are 8 courses and 152 course hours.
Google UX Design Certificate
According to Grow with Google, from Lightcast US Job Postings, there are 138,000 job openings in UX Design. The Google UX Design Certificate prepares an individual for an entry-level position in UX Design. UX Designers’ work is to make products and tools in a way that makes them more accessible and useful for users.
Foundational knowledge provided by this certificate includes developing personas, user stories, and user journey maps, conducting usability studies, creating wireframes and prototypes, building a professional portfolio, and testing and iterating on designs.
The UX Design Course includes 237 hours, so my program runs this certificate in a 20 week cohort, making the approximate hours of study per week 12. I have also had an individual that completed the program in 10 weeks. It just depends on how many hours are devoted per week.
Google IT Automation with Python Certificate
IT Automation with Python is an advanced certificate course. It builds on foundational knowledge and there is an expectation that learners are familiar with the concepts of basic IT. From the feedback I have received, there may even be a need for supplemental research to completely understand the concepts. Python is a programming language. Just like learning a spoken language, it takes time and practice to learn.
Some learning concepts covered by the Google IT Automation with Python course are IT Automation, Python programming, testing in Python, troubleshooting and debugging, and how to set up a developer environment.
This program includes 6 courses and 119 instructional hours. I do not include this program in my cohort model of 12 or 20 weeks because I have found that the pace of learning really depends on the person’s previous experience with the material. There is an active Python programming community, so do not be afraid to reach out for help for concepts you may struggle with.
Thank you for hanging in there with me through the technical aspects of the Google IT Certificate Programs. There is a lot of valuable information that will help you make informed decisions about the directions to take.
Please remember that yes, you should do research into your interests, the industry, the job demand, the job titles, the pay scale, and the certificates to stack, but you do not have to do it alone. There is an expansive Goodwill network out there to assist you. If the Goodwill staff that you connect with is not familiar with the Google Certificate Programs, I promise you that they can find one of us who is.
Now that we have covered the stackable Google IT Career Certificates, the next and final blog in the series will cover stackable Google IT Business Career Certificates. I cannot wait to share these with you! There are five extremely valuable certificates in this category, so please stay tuned.
Best wishes on your career journey. Goodbye for now!
Sources: Coursera.org & Grow with Google
