Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate Review

Looking to become a data analyst? Here is a comprehensive review of the popular Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate offered on Coursera.

The digitalization era is opening up so many new exciting career opportunities in tech, and you don't always need a degree to get started...

Here is a review of the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate offered on Coursera to help you learn more about what the program includes, who it's designed for, and what you should know before deciding to enroll.

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Why Pursue a Career in Data Analytics?

In 2018, it was estimated that about 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created every single day.

Fast forward six years later and, as you can imagine, that pace is only quickening.

With such a boom in the availability of data and the trend of companies making big investments in big data analytics, having the skills to work with data isn't just valuable, it's a necessity.

Moreover, as the adoption of data analytics grows, so does its range of applications.

Organizations of all kinds - in industries as varied as entertainment, finance, health care, tech, and more - need data analysts to help them improve their processes and launch new products.

Because data analysts make sense of numbers and organize data in a meaningful way, they empower their teams to make better business decisions and as a result - are very much in-demand.

What is the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate?

The Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate is an online certificate program that's designed to help individuals develop the essential skills needed to launch a career in data analytics.

The certificate is part of Grow with Google - an initiative through which Google partners with libraries, schools, and other organizations to provide flexible and affordable online career training.

The certificate includes the following 8 courses:

Foundations: Data, Data, Everywhere
Ask Questions to Make Data-Driven Decisions
Prepare Data for Exploration
Process Data from Dirty to Clean
Analyze Data to Answer Questions
Share Data Through the Art of Visualization
Data Analysis with R Programming
Google Data Analytics Capstone: Complete a Case Study

With less than 10 hours of effort invested per week, the certificate is estimated to take less than 6 months to complete.

In addition, the course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.

What kind of jobs can I get with the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate?

This certificate will prepare you for jobs that include:

Junior Data Analyst
Junior Data Scientist
HR/Payroll Analyst
Finance Analyst
Operations Analyst
Database Administrator
Business Intelligence Analyst
Healthcare Analyst, and many more...

An Interesting Side Note

Google has announced that in it's own hiring practices, it will consider the Data Analytics Professional Certificate as equivalent to a four-year degree for related roles.

Also, upon completion of the certificate, you'll be able to connect directly with over 130 U.S. employers who are looking to hire graduates of the program.

=> See what's included in the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate.

Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate Reviews

Here is what others have said about the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate:

"For anyone starting out as a data analyst, this is a great introduction and is very inspiring."

- Rachel L., certificate learner

"The way the data analysis life cycle is presented and discussed makes this certificate a game changer for entry- and junior-level analysts seeking a career in data analytics."

- Norge Pena Perez, Bachelors Instructor, Data Analytics at Miami Dade College

"The content is approachable, hands-on, and focused on what analysts need on the job."

- Kevin Hartman, Director of Analytics at Google

What to Expect: Breaking Down the Curriculum

The Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate Program includes over 180 hours of interactive instruction developed by Google employees with decades of experience in data analytics.

Through a mix of videos, assessments, and hands-on labs, you'll get to simulate real-world data analytics scenarios that are critical for success in the workplace.

If you'd like to explore the course and quickly get a sense of what it's like, Coursera actually allows you to enroll in the certificate for free for 7 days.

At the end, I'll be sharing my personal thoughts on this program and whether it's worth it or not. But first, here's an overview of what to expect in each of the course modules:

Course One - Foundations: Data, Data, Everywhere

The first course in the Google Data Analytics Certificate provides a general overview of the topics that you'll be exploring throughout the program.

Learning objectives:

Define and explain key concepts involved in data analytics including data, data analysis, and data ecosystem

Conduct an analytical thinking self assessment giving specific examples of the application of analytical thinking

Discuss the role of spreadsheets, query languages, and data visualization tools in data analytics

Describe the role of a data analyst with specific reference to jobs/positions

Course Two - Ask Questions to Make Data-Driven Decisions

Next, you'll learn how to ask effective questions to make data-driven decisions, while connecting with stakeholders’ needs.

Learning objectives:

Explain how each step of the problem-solving road map contributes to common analysis scenarios

Discuss the use of data in the decision-making process

Demonstrate the use of spreadsheets to complete basic tasks of the data analyst including entering and organizing data

Describe the key ideas associated with structured thinking

Course Three - Prepare Data for Exploration

In the third course, you’ll learn how to use tools like spreadsheets and SQL to extract and make use of the right data.

Learning objectives:

Explain factors to consider when making decisions about data collection

Discuss the difference between biased and unbiased data

Describe databases with references to their functions and components

Describe best practices for organizing data

Course Four - Process Data from Dirty to Clean

In this course, you’ll learn how to check and clean your data using spreadsheets and SQL. You'll also learn how to verify and report your data cleaning results.

Learning objectives:

Define data integrity with reference to types of integrity and risk to data integrity

Apply basic SQL functions for use in cleaning string variables in a database

Develop basic SQL queries for use on databases

Describe the process involved in verifying the results of cleaning data

In this professional certificate, you'll learn to apply basic SQL functions for cleaning and transforming data.

Course Five - Analyze Data to Answer Questions

Next, you'll explore the “analyze” phase of the data analysis process, by performing complex calculations on your data to complete business objectives and formatting your data using spreadsheets and SQL.

Learning objectives:

Discuss the importance of organizing your data before analysis with references to sorts and filters

Demonstrate an understanding of what is involved in the conversion and formatting of data

Apply the use of functions and syntax to create SQL queries for combining data from multiple database tables

Describe the use of functions to conduct basic calculations on data in spreadsheets

Course Six - Share Data Through the Art of Visualization

In the sixth course in this professional certificate, you’ll learn how to visualize and present your data findings as you complete the data analysis process.

Learning objectives:

Describe the use of data visualizations to talk about data and the results of data analysis

Identify Tableau as a data visualization tool and understand its uses

Explain what data driven stories are including reference to their importance and their attributes

Explain principles and practices associated with effective presentations

Course Seven - Data Analysis with R Programming

Next, you’ll learn about the programming language known as R. You’ll find out how to use RStudio - the environment that allows you to work with R - and discover how R lets you clean, organize, analyze, visualize, and report data in new and more powerful ways.

Learning objectives:

Describe the R programming language and its programming environment

Explain the fundamental concepts associated with programming in R including functions, variables, data types, pipes, and vectors

Describe the options for generating visualizations in R

Demonstrate an understanding of the basic formatting R Markdown to create structure and emphasize content

Course Eight - Google Data Analytics Capstone: Complete a Case Study

Finally, in the last course in the certificate, you'll have the opportunity to complete an optional case study, which will help prepare you for the data analytics job hunt.

Learning objectives:

Differentiate between a capstone, case study, and a portfolio

Identify the key features and attributes of a completed case study

Apply the practices and procedures associated with the data analysis process to a given set of data

Discuss the use of case studies/portfolios when communicating with recruiters and potential employers

Conclusion: Is the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate Worth it?

If you're a beginner to data analytics, then I think enrolling in the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate is definitely worth it.

Compared with the IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate - which you might also be considering - the Google Professional Certificate focuses on R rather than Python, so keep this in mind if you have a preference.

Generally, R is better suited for statistical analysis while Python is more relevant for machine learning and large-scale applications, so I guess there's a reason Google chose it for the certificate :)

Of course, if you want to learn Python you could always enroll in the Google professional certificate and take a python course alongside it.

One major advantage of the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate is that it goes beyond just equipping you with the technical skills needed to become a successful data analyst.

It also provides you with interview tips, mock interviews and helpful materials for building an online portfolio, so that you're truly job-ready.

From my experience taking the Google IT Support Professional Certificate, I can also say that Google's course delivery style is engaging and that the Coursera site itself is easy to navigate.

Overall, this professional certificate provides an enriching educational experience and teaches you concrete skills that top employers are hiring for right now.

Therefore, it's worth looking into the program whether you're casually exploring new interests or actively switching careers.

=> You can enroll in the Google Data Analytics Certificate here.

Happy learning!