Are Google certifications worth it? (2023 review)

Google career certification programs have been around for a few years and are becoming ever so popular among students and employees who are considering a career change.

Most offered by Google in partnership with Coursera, the professional certification courses help people acquire new skills and upgrade their knowledge for various industries.

Google certifications are worth it because they can be a valuable asset for job seekers and professionals looking to advance their careers. They can demonstrate your skills and knowledge to potential employers, and they can help you stand out from the competition.

As the founder of “Grow with Google”, Lisa Gevelber, puts it, the affordable and flexible online certification courses have been developed to close the skill gap in the IT, design, advertising, and project management markets.

Google career certifications are well worth the effort and time of anyone who aims to gain job-ready skills applicable to the tech sector. They are also recognized by a number of educational organizations.

What are Google certifications?

Google certifications are earned through the completion of Google’s professional online courses. They are designed to help people gain knowledge and skills in IT support, analytics, marketing, UX design, project management, and more.

You can enroll in different level courses, from Beginners to Advanced, depending on your existing skill set (or lack of) in a specific subject.

What’s great about Google’s career certification initiative is that you can complete the programs in your own time online and at your own pace. So, even if you’re employed full-time, you can still fit your studies around your job.

In addition, you don’t require previous experience or skills for most Google certification courses, which take from 3 to 6 months to complete, with an exam to pass at the end.

Last but not least, professional online learning programs are generally affordable.

The Google certificate is valid for a specific period of time, depending on the particular program you’ve enrolled in.

Are Google certifications free?

There are free Google certification courses. “Fundamentals of Digital Marketing” on Google Digital Garage is free.

With Google Skillshop, you can benefit from additional training, learn to use Google workplace tools for free, and earn a certificate (ex: Google Ads certification).

But does Google give free certificates after completion of a free course? Note that Google offers many free online courses, which, however, do not lead to earning a professional certification.

How much are Google certifications?

The monthly fee for most Google professional certification courses is $39, with a 7-day free trial. The cost depends on the subject, level, and duration of the specific set of courses in the program. Each can be paid in monthly installments.

In 2022, one of the most expensive career certification programs is in Data Analytics. It costs $312 and can take around 6 months to complete.

A few Google certifications cost as little as $156. You’ll be prompted to pass the exam in 4 months.

It’s worth mentioning that a big portion of people who earn a Google career certificate comes from a low-income background, as the founder of “Grow with Google”, Lisa Givelber, points out. This exemplifies that Google’s social impact efforts in the work-based learning field have been successful and worth it.

How many Google certifications are there?

Currently, there are just under 20 professional certification programs in English from Google and Google Cloud. Some of them are offered in other languages, such as German, Russian, Arabic, French, Portuguese, and more.

Let’s explore 7 of the more popular Google certifications below:

1. Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce

This career certification program is designed to introduce you to the digital marketing and e-commerce world.

You’ll be taught how to create and manage digital marketing campaigns, as well as analyze and measure the performance results.

You’ll also learn how to engage with your customers, in order to expand and retain your client base.

Potential jobs: Media planner, Marketing coordinator, Email marketing specialist, Digital marketer, SEO expert, PPC specialist, and E-commerce associate.

2. Google Project Management

Learn how to plan and lead projects with the popular Google project management career certification program.

The set of courses will teach you about strategies in communication, program management, creating project documentation, and executing scrum tasks.

You’ll get familiarized with using special software tools and applying useful scrum methods.

Potential jobs: Project assistant, Project manager, Project analyst, Scrum master, Operations associate, Project administrator, and more.

3. Google Data Analytics

Several courses of different levels comprise the Data Analytics certification program from Google.

You’ll be developing your analytical and data-processing skills with the use of specialized analytical and SEO measuring tools.

Data collection and keyword analysis are an integral part of the skillset you’ll be acquiring in this certification program.

Potential jobs: Junior data scientist/analyst, Data technician, Marketing or business performance analyst, Operations analyst, etc.

4. Google IT Support

The IT support career certification program is designed to develop your technology-based skills, such as operating computer networks and systems, installing software programs, assembling company computer hardware, and maintaining wireless networks.

You’ll also learn how to provide customer support and troubleshoot various problems by using binary code.

Potential jobs: IT support specialist, Help Desk technician, IT assistant, Database administrator, System analyst, Network engineer, etc.

5. Google UX Design

You’ll learn about the foundation of design processes, including creating prototypes and wireframes.

You’ll master UX research and learn to work with specialized design tools in order to create engaging designs.

You’ll be testing the usability of products and analyzing how users interact with apps and websites.

6. Google IT Automation with Python

This is an advanced-level IT certification program designed to upgrade your skills in information technology.

With Python being the most in-demand programming language, you’ll learn how to program with it, automate tasks by writing Python scripts, analyze IT problems and resolve them, as well as use Git and GitHub for version control.

You can earn over $95,000 once you get certified in IT Automation with Python and find a relevant job position.

Potential jobs: Python automation engineer, Python QA automation engineer, Test automation engineer with Python, and more.

7. Google Cloud Developer

The Cloud Developer certification will introduce you to the ins and outs of Google Cloud products and services. You’ll learn how to build, design, analyze, and maintain cloud-native applications.

Some of the skills you’ll acquire are related to application programming interfaces, cloud computing, application development, cloud storage, Google Compute, Google App engines, and more.

After completing the set of 6 courses, you’ll be able to monitor, troubleshoot and enhance the application performance and infrastructure in Google Cloud.

This certification can also help you achieve multi-cloud fluency once you get familiar with the core concepts of Google Cloud.

Potential jobs: Google Cloud developer, Google Cloud engineer, Google Cloud consultant, etc.

Are Google career certificates worth it?

Google career certification courses are designed and taught by recognized specialists, including Google employees. They have proven credentials and expertise in their field.

So, does a Google certificate have value?

If you’re committed to developing your expertise in a particular industry, you can enroll in one of the Beginners professional certification courses from Google or Google Cloud and gradually build on your skills by taking up an advanced-level course in a related subject.

Furthermore, Google offers several industry specializations in partnership with different universities that build on Google’s career certificates and help learners gain additional competencies for specific job markets.

Is Google IT Support certification worth it?

Getting certified in IT support is absolutely worth it. It will help you enter a career in the high-demand information technology field, with approximately 400,000 available jobs in the US

Entry-level salaries in the sector are more than attractive, ranging from $40,000 to $70,000.

Is Google Data Analytics certification worth it?

Gaining key data analytical skills and the respective professional certification will open up numerous in-demand job opportunities for you.

With more than 380,000 available positions in the field and a median entry-level salary of $74,000, it’s worth considering a Google Data Analytics certification.

Is Google Project Management certification worth it?

There are nearly half a million job openings in project management, where the median entry-level salary exceeds $70,000.

Therefore, getting professionally certified at an affordable cost in this field will definitely prove worth your while.

Is Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce certification worth it?

Considering that digital marketing and e-commerce are high-growth and high-demand industry sectors with over 200,000 job roles available, a Google career certification in this field is more than worth it.

About 75% of certificate holders say that they have come across more career opportunities. Note that the average salary in this niche is about $50,000.

Is Google UX Design certification worth it?

Earn up to $92,000 in an entry-level UX design job when you get your skills in this field certified by Google.

Although the design job market is rather competitive, with under 100,000 available roles at the moment, if you're committed, hard-working, and talented, you’ll have every chance of landing your desired UX design employment role.

Which Google certification is best?

Google’s IT certificates are the most popular. From the more basic IT support certificate to the highest paying certification for a Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer, people tend to choose a career development or career change in the high-growth information technology industry.

Google offers many certifications in different subjects. The best Google career certification program for you is the one that will help you get that dream job in a specific industry niche.

So, in a nutshell, you’ll need to first have an idea about what career path you want to take and build your skill set gradually by starting from the basics and moving on to a more advanced level course.

How long does it take to finish a Google certificate?

Google career certifications can take up to 6 months to complete, depending on the type and complexity of the program. Commonly, the courses are self-paced, so it’s up to you how much time you invest in studying and revising.

How do you prepare for a Google certificate course?

No previous experience or particular skills are required in order to enroll in most certification programs offered by Google unless you’re considering taking an advanced-level course.

What you’ll need is the motivation to commit to learning new skills and dedicate from 5 to 10 hours a week of your time to study and complete practical tasks before passing the exam.

What can you do with a Google certification?

Google certifications are useful in many ways. See what you can do with a Google career certificate:

• Claim up to 12 credits towards your degree in several universities and colleges in the USA;
• Build on your specific Google certificate by additionally training and preparing for high-growth industries with specializations in partner universities;
• Enroll in a next-level or related Google certification program after completing a beginners course in the same field;
• Get an entry-level or high-paying job in selected in-demand industry sectors

How do you add Google certification to your resume?

Google certificates are shareable and can be added to your resume and profile on career advancement platforms, such as LinkedIn and Upwork.

You can also save the certificate to your drive as a PDF file and print it or attach it when sending your resume and other certifications to a potential recruiter.

Will a Google certificate help you get a job?

A Google professional certificate could help you get a job, as many companies are actually looking for candidates that hold specific certifications, be it in Google Analytics or Google Cloud computing.

Moreover, if you gain your Google certificate on Coursera, you’ll be able to seek job opportunities and apply directly on their exclusive job platform.

It connects graduates of 6 popular Google career certification programs to 150+ companies that are members of the Google Employers Consortium.

Still, it’s worth pointing out that a Google certification will help you primarily get equipped with the right skills to land a job in specific in-demand industry sectors.

My experience with Google certifications

I know for a fact that certificates are definitely worth your while. I have several Google digital marketing certifications (free and paid), one of which, Google Ads, helped me understand the ins and outs of online advertising.

Moreover, it helped me land a marketing job at an international company operating on 4 continents 2 years ago. So if you're still wondering whether to sign up for one, my advice is to go for it.

Frequently asked questions