Google career certificates are among the most popular professional certifications you can achieve online. They are designed and offered by Google as part of the Google career certificate program, which aims to help people with no prior experience build job-ready skills and find work in the IT industry.
In this comprehensive review, you’ll learn everything you need to know about Google career certifications.
We have registered for this program and gone through all nine certificates. We followed all the courses and took all the exams.
Our goal is to help you understand how the Google career program works, what each certification offers, how much it costs, how long it takes to get certified, and what career opportunities you can pursue as a Google certified professional.
What are Google Career Certificates?
Google career certificates are entry-level professional certificates developed by Google practitioners. The program includes seven certificates.
Each certificate consists of several online courses that can help you build job-ready skills to start a career in IT support, UX Design, Computer Programming, Data Analytics, Project management, Digital Marketing & eCommerce, or Cybersecurity.
What is unique about this program is that you don’t need to have any prior experience or knowledge to go through the lessons. They are designed to help people learn the basics and get entry-level jobs.
What is the Cost of Getting a Google Career Certificate?
Google career certificates cost between $98 and $392. The average duration to get a certification is between 4 to 8 months.
Coursera uses a monthly subscription model that costs $49. This means that every month you’re subscribed for a certificate, you’ll have to pay $49.
The table below shows how long it will take you to get certified by studying 30 hours per week on average.
| Certificate | Cost | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Google IT Support Professional Certificate | $294 | 6 months |
| Google UX Design Professional Certificate | $196 | 4 months |
| Google IT Automation With Python Professional Certificate | $196 | 4 months |
| Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate | $392 | 8 months |
| Google Project Management Professional Certificate | $196 | 4 months |
| Google Digital Marketing & eCommerce Professional Certificate | $294 | 6 months |
| Google Advanced Data Analytics Professional Certificate | $294 | 6 months |
| Google Business Intelligence Professional Certificate | $98 | 2 months |
| Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate | $245 | 5 months |
If you can finish a certificate faster than the above estimates, it will cost you less, but from experience, it will be too difficult. There is a lot of material to cover in each course, and to go through all lessons and exams properly, you’ll need to allocate the required time.
Google offers funding through the social finance initiative. You can apply for funding and do the training at no upfront cost. You can repay the cost of a certificate in small monthly installments only if you get a job with a minimum salary of $40K per year.
Google Career Certificates List
The Google career certificate program includes nine certificates:
- Google IT Support Professional Certificate
- Google UX Design Professional Certificate
- Google IT Automation Professional Certificate
- Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate
- Google Project Management Professional Certificate
- Google Digital Marketing & eCommerce Professional Certificate
- Google Advanced Data Analytics Professional Certificate
- Google Business Intelligence Professional Certificate
- Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate
1. Google IT Support Professional Certificate
The Google IT Support professional certificate is the most popular Google career certificate. It prepares students to enter the IT industry as support specialists.
This certificate includes 5 online courses, and it takes, on average, 6 months to complete.
The courses cover the following topics: technical support fundamentals, computer networking, operating systems, system administration, and IT security.
Upon completing this certificate, you can apply for entry-level jobs and work as an IT support specialist, junior system administrator, or system analyst.
The starting salary for an entry-level IT support specialist in the US is around $50,000 annually. Professionals with more experience (10+ years) can become senior Information Technology specialists and earn a salary of $69K per year.
You should pursue this certification if you like working with computers (operating systems, networks, hardware), solving problems, and helping others.
Read our Google IT Support Professional Certificate Review to learn more about this certification.
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2. Google UX Design Professional Certificate
The Google UX Design Professional Certificate prepares students for a career in web and application design.
This certificate includes seven online courses and takes an average of 4 months to complete.
The courses cover the following topics: foundations of UX design, building wireframes, performing UX research, creating websites, and mobile app prototypes.
This is a highly practical course, and besides teaching you the theory of user experience design, it will also help you build skills to work with popular tools like Figma and Adobe XD.
Once you get certified, you can apply to work as a UX designer, web designer, application designer, or web developer. The average salary for entry-level UX design jobs is $58,600 per year and can rise to $108K per year for the more experienced (10+ years).
You should pursue this certification if you have a creative mind and like to design websites and software that solve people’s problems and needs.
Read our Google UX Design Certificate Review to learn more about this certification.
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3. Google IT Automation Professional Certificate
The Google IT Automation With Python Professional Certificate is the most popular programming certification offered by Google. It teaches students how to create computer programs and automate common tasks using Python.
This certificate includes six online courses and takes an average of 4 months to complete.
The courses cover topics related to computer programming, including how to use Python to create programs and scripts, how to use Git and GitHub to store and distribute your software, and how to write efficient computer code.
This is a pure programming course; although no prior experience is required, it’s not for everyone. You should take this course if you want to start a career as a software developer. If you find programming confusing or difficult, it’s better to choose some other Google career certificate that is not so technical.
Students who complete this certification can easily find a job and work as Python programmers either in a company’s IT department or as freelance developers.
Read our Google IT Automation Certificate Review to learn more about this certification.
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4. Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate
The Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate is one of the most valuable Google career certifications you can get.
Certified data analysts get an entry-level salary of $67,900 per year and can grow to more than $110K per year once they get 10+ years of working experience.
The certificate includes eight online courses, and it takes at least eight months to complete all lessons and get the Data Analytics Certification.
Courses cover topics related to data management, including data processing, data visualization, and data analysis.
Besides learning to perform data analysis, students will build the skills needed to use the R programming language to make data-driven decisions.
This certificate suits people who like working with data, numbers, spreadsheets, and presentations.
Read our Google Data Analytics Certification Review to learn more about this certification.
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5. Google Project Management Professional Certificate
The Google Project Management Professional Certificate is the best certification to pursue if you want to start a project management career.
It’s an entry-level certification that can get you a job as a project manager and prepare you to obtain the PMP certification, the industry standard in project management.
The average salary for entry-level project managers is $59,000 per year. Experienced project managers handling big projects can easily get a minimum of $100K annually.
So, while this certification alone is not enough to get you to the higher end of the pay scale, it’s a great starting point.
The certification includes six courses and can be completed in four months.
During the lessons, you’ll learn how to plan, run, and monitor projects using the most commonly used tools and methodologies.
You should consider this certification if you like working with teams, organizing projects, and solving problems.
A significant advantage of the project management certification is that you can use your skills and work as a project manager in almost any industry you want. It’s not limited to the IT industry, as all companies of different sizes can use the help of a good project manager.
Read our Google Project Management Certificate Review to learn more about this certification.
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6. Google Digital Marketing & eCommerce Professional Certificate
The Google Digital Marketing & eCommerce professional certificate is the most popular Google digital marketing certificate. It prepares students to enter the digital marketing and eCommerce industry as digital marketing and e-commerce specialists.
This certificate includes 7 online courses, and it takes on average, 6 months to complete.
The courses cover the following topics: digital marketing, SEO, social media marketing, email marketing, marketing analytics, and eCommerce marketing.
Upon completing this certificate, you can apply for entry-level jobs and work as a Junior Digital Marketing Specialist, SEO Specialist, Google Ads Specialist, Email Marketing Specialist, and Junior eCommerce Specialist.
The starting salary for an entry-level digital marketing specialist in the US is around $51,000 annually. Professionals with more experience (10+ years) can become Digital Marketing Managers and earn a salary of $97K per year, or eCommerce Specialists earn a salary of $58K per year.
You should pursue this certification if you like working with online marketing, SEO, eCommerce, social media, email marketing, and other digital marketing channels.
Read our Google Digital Marketing & eCommerce Certificate Review to learn more about this certification.
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7. Google Advanced Data Analytics Professional Certificate
The Google Advanced Data Analytics Professional Certificate is the advanced version of the entry-level Google Data Analytics Certificate (number 4 above).
This certification is suitable for anyone wishing to get a senior-level position and pursue an annual salary of over $120K.
Although there are no official prerequisites, the program assumes prior knowledge of foundational analytical principles, skills, and tools. It’s designed for people working in the field of data analytics or graduates of the Google Data Analytics Certificate or a similar program.
The certificate includes seven courses and takes six months to complete.
- Foundations of Data Science
- Get Started with Python
- Go Beyond the Numbers: Translate Data into Insights
- The Power of Statistics
- Regression Analysis: Simplify Complex Data Relationships
- The Nuts and Bolts of Machine Learning
- Google Advanced Data Analytics Capstone
It’s worth noting that to get certified, you need to complete the first six courses (lessons, graded assignments, and labs). The capstone course is optional and not required for certification.
During the lessons, you’ll learn data analytics theory and practice through several Python labs.
Upon completion, you can apply for several senior-level jobs, including senior data analyst, data analytics scientist, data science analyst, and data analytics consultant.
Read our Google Advanced Data Analytics Certificate Review to learn more about this certification.
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8. Google Business Intelligence Professional Certificate
The Google Business Intelligence Certificate is an advanced-level program for professionals already working in data related positions or have basic level education in data analysis and BI.
The certification will help you build Business Intelligence skills and you’ll learn advanced concepts like data modeling and data visualization.
The certificate includes 3 courses, and the total time required to complete them is around 2 months.
The median annual salary for BI professionals in the US is $96K and there are currently more than 100K job openings for BI related jobs in the US alone.
The learning outcomes of this certificate are:
- Learn how to use Google’s BigQuery to collect, process, and analyze large datasets.
- Develop skills in data visualization and analysis using Tableau and other BI tools.
- Understand how to design effective data models and create data dashboards.
- Practice working on real-world projects to build a portfolio of BI-related work.
- Prepare for interviews and career advancement opportunities in the field of BI.
Read our Google Business Intelligence Certificate Review to learn more about this certification.
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9. Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate
The Google Cybersecurity professional certificate is the recently released Google career certificate. It prepares students to enter the Cybersecurity space as cybersecurity analysts.
This certificate includes 8 online courses, and it takes 5 months to complete on average.
The courses cover the following topics: cybersecurity fundamentals, asset security risks, network security, threat detection and response, cybersecurity task automation with Python, and preparation for securing a cybersecurity job.
Upon completing this certificate, you can apply for entry-level jobs and work as a cybersecurity analyst, security analyst, or security operations center (SOC) analyst.
The starting salary for cybersecurity specialists in the US is around $80,000 annually. Professionals with more experience (10+ years) can become senior Cybersecurity analysts and earn a salary of $160K annually.
You should pursue this certification if you want to learn how to protect businesses from cyberattacks. It’s a highly practical course that also prepares you for the CompTIA Security+ exam, the industry-leading certification for cybersecurity roles.
Read our Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate Review to learn more about this certification.
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Are Google Career Certificates Worth It?
Google certificates offer many benefits to students, and they are certainly worth the time and effort. According to a recent survey, 75% of Google Career program graduates got a job, promotion, or salary increase after completing their certificate.
Google certificates are prepared by Google practitioners who are experts in their fields. Everything you’ll learn in the courses is practical advice you can use in your job and is not just theory.
The cost and time investment to get a Google professional certificate is reasonable, and the Google funding option makes them accessible to everyone.
The certificates are aimed at beginners, and they have no prerequisites. This helps people with no prior experience (or a degree) to build job-ready skills and quickly find a job.
All certificates are recognized by the American Center of Education (ACE), which means you get college credits if you want to continue your education and get a bachelor’s degree.
Google is actively supporting the program and will continue to do so in the future.
Once you get certified, you can access various tools and resources to help you build up your resume and prepare for job interviews.
Can I Get a Job After a Google Certificate?
One of the more substantial benefits of a Google certificate is that it opens up new job opportunities. After you complete your certificate, you’ll get access to an exclusive job platform to connect with over 150 US employers accepting candidates who have completed a Google Career Certificate.
The Google Career Certificates Employer Consortium includes big companies like Google, Target, Verizon, and Deloitte that are committed to considering Google Career Certificate graduates for entry-level jobs.
You can also find a job using popular job platforms, knowing that your certificate is recognized in the industry as a valid credential for entry-level positions.
Can a Google Career Certification Get You a Job at Google?
It is not guaranteed that a Google career certification will get you a job at Google. Google has many job openings that anyone can apply for. Google Career Certified professionals can follow the same process as the other candidates.
Other Google Certifications
Google career certifications are not the only professional certifications offered by Google. Google is also offering another Google Digital Marketing Certification and a Google Ads certification for people looking to start a career in digital marketing. They also offer Google Cloud Certifications.
Conclusion
Getting a Google career certification is a great choice for people who don’t have a college degree but want to start a career in industries where a college degree is needed.
A career certification does not replace a degree but allows you to get an entry-level job, get a good salary, and then continue your education or get a better job by building real work experience.
Alternatives to Google career certifications are digital marketing certifications. Digital marketing is not technical, and it’s something that anyone can learn with out without a degree. It’s also a very popular career option with high demand and higher salaries than IT-related jobs.
Drop a comment below if you have any questions about Google Career Certifications. We’ve reviewed all certificates and courses and are happy to answer your questions.
