The Google IT Support Professional Certificate will be an entry into an IT profession. The certificates program, developed by Google and supplied by way of Coursera, requires no prior expertise or IT information. It’s designed to give learners the abilities they want for an entry-level IT function. The certificates course teaches abilities together with how to construct a pc and set up an working system, system administration and safety, networking, and troubleshooting.
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This system is part of Develop with Google, an organization initiative to develop job coaching alternatives. Since its launch in 2018, the program has had greater than 400,000 enrollments globally. With no expertise or schooling requirement and a low month-to-month subscription value, the Google IT Support Professional Certificate can function a pathway into the IT subject.
IT help is a high-growth, high-paying subject. The median annual wage in 2019 was about $55,000 per yr, in contrast with a median annual wage of about $40,000 for all employees, in accordance to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“The Google IT Support Professional Certificate prepares learners for an entry-level IT help function inside six months,” says Betty Vandenbosch, chief content material officer at Coursera. Designed as a “launchpad to an IT profession,” the course covers elementary IT abilities, together with troubleshooting, networking, working methods and system administration. It additionally helps learners put together for the CompTIA A+ exams, that are the industry-standard certification for IT, she says. You can earn twin certification by finishing each.
Since launching in 2018, the certificates program has helped historically underrepresented teams in tech put together for entry-level IT help roles, Vandenbosch says. Fifty-eight p.c of U.S. learners determine as Black, Latino, feminine or a veteran; greater than 60% don’t have a university diploma; and 45% report having lower than $30,000 in annual revenue.
“The IT help certificates is a stackable credential, that means it’s acknowledged by a point packages, akin to the College of London Bachelor of pc science, a totally on-line program on Coursera,” Vandenbosch says. “Learners can full the Google IT program, discover steady employment after which pursue a level, which regularly helps them transfer up of their subject,” a route she says brings worth to learners.
“As soon as somebody completes the program, Google additionally facilitates introductions with quite a few employers who acknowledge the certificates,” says Leroy Ware, co-founder and CTO of Knack.io, a customized job board for engineers.
He calls the certificates a stepping stone, and to proceed to advance your profession, it is best to earn extra certifications. As an example, “somebody who takes the IT help course would possibly begin working in IT help whereas then collaborating in one in every of the Google Cloud certification packages,” Ware says.
The Google IT Support Professional Certificate program is on-line and consists of 5 programs that use video lectures, quizzes and hands-on labs. Additionally it is accessible at greater than 100 U.S. neighborhood faculties.
“Learners can entry course supplies at any time through desktop or cellular,” Vandenbosch says. “The truth is, about half of all learners accessed Coursera by way of cellular in the final yr.”
Monetary assist is accessible on a course-by-course foundation by way of the hyperlink on the course’s homepage. If accredited, you’ll be notified by e mail and robotically enrolled in the course.
Course 1: Technical Support Fundamentals
In the first course of the Google IT Support Professional Certificate, you’ll get an summary of the program. The course introduces learners to the info expertise subject and its numerous aspects, together with pc {hardware} and software program, web, troubleshooting and customer support.
After completion, you’ll find a way to perceive the internal workings of the web, how the binary system works and the way to assemble a pc from scratch, together with how to select and set up an working system. You’ll study functions and the way they’re created and utilized by computer systems in addition to frequent problem-solving strategies utilized by IT professionals.
It’s designed to take 21 hours to full over six weeks and consists of 99 movies, 23 readings and 22 quizzes.
Course 2: The Bits and Bytes of Laptop Networking
This course offers learners an summary of pc networking, from fashionable networking fundamentals and protocols to the cloud and its functions. You’ll study the five-layer mannequin of pc networks, the commonplace protocols of transmission management protocol/web protocol communications, completely different community providers, and community troubleshooting instruments and methods. You’ll additionally achieve perception into cloud computing and storage.
The course is designed to take six weeks to full, with 5 to six hours spent studying every week for 34 hours of whole studying time. It consists of 96 movies, 22 readings and 34 quizzes.
Course 3: Working Methods and You: Changing into a Energy Consumer
The third course in the Google IT Support Professional Certificate program goes into extra depth on working methods and the essential duties IT professionals carry out on them, akin to managing software program and configuring {hardware}.
You’ll find out how system processes work and how one can handle them. Upon course completion, you’ll additionally find a way to arrange customers, teams and permissions, and configure disk partitions and file methods. You’ll work with system logs and distant connection instruments and troubleshoot frequent IT points. You’ll additionally find out how to use a graphical person interface and command-line interpreter to navigate Home windows and Linux file methods and the way to set up, configure and take away software program from these working methods.
The course is designed to take six weeks to full, with 4 to seven hours spent studying every week for 35 hours of whole studying time. It consists of 112 movies, 51 readings and 26 quizzes, plus hands-on observe.
Course 4: System Administration and IT Infrastructure Providers
This course exhibits learners how to work on a number of computer systems, as opposed to only one, by way of system administration. It introduces the multiuser surroundings and infrastructure providers that enormous and small organizations use. Learners get a deeper understanding of the cloud, from cloud infrastructure setups to managing cloud sources.
By the finish of the course, you’ll find a way to handle and configure servers and know the way to handle computer systems, person info and productiveness with {industry} instruments. You’ll even get schooled on how to recuperate a company’s IT infrastructure following a catastrophe.
The course is designed to take six weeks, with 31 hours of studying time plus a 14-minute remaining challenge. It consists of 90 movies, 36 readings and 35 quizzes, plus the remaining challenge.
Course 5: IT Safety: Protection Towards the Digital Darkish Arts
The ultimate course in the Google IT Support Professional Certificate program introduces the completely different pc system threats and the way to safeguard in opposition to them.
It offers background on encryption algorithms and the way they’ll safeguard knowledge. You’ll additionally study the “three A’s of knowledge safety: authentication, authorization and accounting,” and numerous community safety options, from firewalls to Wi-Fi encryption. Lastly, contributors find out how every component will be a part of a multilayered, in-depth safety structure.
By course completion, you’ll find a way to differentiate authentication from authorization and determine numerous authentication methods and kinds. You’ll additionally perceive how encryption algorithms and methods work, together with recognizing every of their advantages and limitations. You’ll find a way to consider and counsel methods to decrease potential dangers. You’ll additionally find a way to assist others higher perceive safety ideas and shield themselves.
The course is designed to take six weeks to full, with three to seven hours spent studying every week for 29 hours of whole studying time. It consists of 74 movies, 37 readings and 29 quizzes.
How Do You Put together for the Certificate Course?
The Google IT Support Professional Certificate has no conditions or prior expertise necessities. “This system is designed for learners with out a diploma or prior expertise to go from newbie to job-ready inside six months,” Vandenbosch says.
How Lengthy Does It Take to Get the Certificate?
The course is designed to be accomplished inside three to six months, offered you spend about 5 hours per week on studying. In accordance to Vandenbosch, the velocity at which learners full the course largely depends upon how a lot time they dedicate to the course supplies.
A 2020 Coursera research of on-line learners discovered that those that commit extra time to watching and reviewing movies fairly than skimming by way of the content material have a better completion fee. The report additionally discovered that the majority learners who accomplished their course did so in 40- to 60-minute studying blocks in a single to 5 studying periods every week, though every day studying periods additionally proved fruitful towards completion.
“With that in thoughts, we advocate that learners benefit from the versatile tempo of a totally on-line program to ensure that they perceive foundational ideas earlier than shifting on,” Vandenbosch says.
Is the Google IT Support Professional Certificate Price It?
In case your aim is to use the certificates to get a job in IT providers, it might be a worthwhile funding. This system consists of job help, permitting certificates holders to share their info with employers hiring entry-level IT expertise, together with Hulu, Infosys, Intel and Walmart.
The Google IT Support Professional Certificate will be worthwhile for learners not prepared to begin their careers but, too. “Since the program is (American Council on Training) licensed, learners can earn 12 school credit or the equal of 4 affiliate degree-level programs,” Vandenbosch says.
Know that the Google IT Support Professional Certificate is simply a place to begin, Ware says. Certificate holders ought to transfer rapidly to add cloud-based credentials, like a Google Affiliate Cloud Engineer certificates, which requires six months of labor expertise with the cloud and will be adopted by higher-level Google certifications. You may also take into account pursuing Amazon Net Providers certifications. Incomes extra certifications will improve your incomes energy and the vary of job alternatives, he says.
In recognition of IT help as a profession path fairly than only a job, in January 2020 Google launched a follow-up program for the IT help certificates, referred to as the Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate, to present beginner-level coaching in Python. In early 2020, the firm additionally introduced a brand new suite of certificates in challenge administration, knowledge analytics and person expertise design.
Are IT Support Abilities in Demand and What’s the Profession Outlook?
The demand for tech abilities has been rising for the previous decade. Employment in high-level digital content material greater than tripled from 2002 to 2016, in accordance to a 2017 Brookings Establishment report. Digitization has additionally created a whole lot of latest occupations, the assume tank’s report says, akin to resolution architect, cloud providers specialist and app developer. Practically one in three new jobs created since 2010 required high-level digital abilities, in accordance to the report.
These developments are seemingly to proceed at an rising fee due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as employers report larger digital adoption, creating rising demand for IT help abilities. About 40% of firms report needing employees with safety abilities, and 38% say they’re on the lookout for database/info administration abilities, in accordance to {industry} group CompTIA. Thirty-six p.c are on the lookout for these with PC help experience, 33% need storage and backup abilities, and 31% want employees with networking information.
All of this creates a rosy profession outlook for IT help abilities. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the pc help specialist job will develop at 8% over the subsequent decade – double the common development fee for all occupations. It expects 67,300 new pc help specialist jobs to be created from 2019 to 2029.
Will This Certificate Assist Me Get a Job?
“When requested, 80% of learners say it helped them advance their job search or profession inside six months,” Vandenbosch says. That is, partly, thanks to the Google hiring consortium that connects certificates holders with employers providing entry-level IT roles.
The consortium consists of greater than 50 nationwide firms which have dedicated to contemplating Google IT certificates completers for his or her entry-level IT roles. Some companions embrace Walmart, T-Cellular, the Cleveland Clinic, Hulu and, after all, Google. However whereas the consortium may also help you join with potential employers, you’re not assured a placement. Those that have accomplished the program advocate making use of elsewhere as effectively.
“Certifications are positively one thing employers take a look at when hiring in the engineering area,” Ware says. “For engineers, a lately acquired certification (one earned in the final yr or two) is an indication that the particular person is dedicated to staying abreast of their subject and interesting in continued schooling (and) coaching.”
Ware says relying on the hiring supervisor and job necessities, “a handful of certifications can carry as a lot affect as a bachelor’s diploma since conventional levels have a tendency to deal with theoretical subjects and do not normally produce abilities that may instantly translate to workforce productiveness.”
After all, a bachelor’s diploma remains to be necessary. Many hiring managers will use wording like, “B.S. in pc science or equal expertise.”
“For employers that acknowledge workforce expertise as a type of schooling, certs like (the) Google IT help cert and particularly a few of the increased cloud-focused ones may give a candidate an edge,” Ware says. Probably the most acknowledged certifications are most likely these from Google and Amazon Net Providers, or AWS, he provides.
Ware recommends certificates holders optimize their resume through the use of particular Google-related key phrases and providers all through their resume to entice hiring managers and switch their resumes into advertising instruments. As an example, you would possibly embrace phrases like “Google Cloud platform,” “Google IT help” and “IT help” all through your resume.
“Extra necessary than something for job seekers is that they undertake an inbound strategy to profession constructing that turns their resume right into a lead technology mechanism, fairly than spending time looking out and making use of to jobs,” Ware says.
