Review of Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate on Coursera

A Google certification is a great place to start if you want to work as a Data Analyst. In this review, you’ll learn everything there is to know about the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate on Coursera. We went over the courses and lessons and will explain what they cover, what you’ll learn, and how long it will take you to become a Google certified data analyst. The Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate is an excellent choice for anyone looking to improve their practical data analysis skills. The certificate consists of eight courses that cover all of the daily tasks that a modern data analyst is expected to perform. If you don’t have a related college degree but enjoy working with data and spreadsheets, this is one of the best certifications to obtain a well-paying entry-level position.

The Job Market for Data Analysts

I find the job market for new Data Analysts (and, to a lesser extent, Data Scientists) to be quite perplexing. My opinion is that:

1. Data skills are in high demand, and I believe they will continue to be so for a very long time.
2. It’s difficult to find people to fill these positions and keep them.
3. Finding work for new data analysts is difficult.

This is based on my own experience and that of others over the last few years, not on extensive data or research. I understand that a few things must be in place for the supply of data professionals to meet their demand, both from those looking for work and those hiring. One thing that could help is if there was a way to train Data Analysts in the skills they require while also providing a certification that employers could recognize.

What Is Google Data Analytics Certification, and What Does It Entail?

The Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate on Coursera will assist you in developing the necessary practical skills to work as a Data Analyst. The Google data engineers created the training program available through Coursera as part of the Google Career Certification program. There are no prerequisites for this certificate. Anyone interested in pursuing a career in data analysis can use it as a guide. After completing this course, you can apply for various jobs, including junior data analyst, associate data analyst, and marketing analyst. This entry-level certification is one of the most valuable Google Career Certifications you can pursue because the average salary for data professionals in the United States is around $67,900 per year. You will receive 12 college credits from the ACE if you complete this course and receive certification. This is the equivalent of four bachelor’s degree-level college courses.

What Will You Discover?

This certificate’s goal is to teach students how to analyze and process data to gain valuable business insights. You’ll be able to do the following by the end of this Google certification:

1. As a junior data analyst, complete all required tasks.
2. To analyze and present data, use data cleaning, analysis, and visualization tools.
3. To process data, combine the R programming language with SQL and Tableau.
4. Spreadsheets can be used to perform complex calculations.
5. To visualize and present data, create dashboards.

Time and Certification Invested

The Google Data Analytics Certification takes a total of 181 hours to complete. You can study for 8 months at a rate of 20 hours per month. To earn the Google Data Analytics Certificate, you must complete eight courses, including all graded assignments and exams.

How Much Does It Cost to Become Certified in Google Data Analytics?

The Google Data Analytics Certification costs $312 in total. Coursera offers the course as part of their $39 per month Coursera plus subscription. Students take an average of 8 months to complete the course and become certified (8 x $39). Before committing to a paid plan, Coursera offers a 7-day free trial to review the course material.

Getting Started and Finishing The Course

If we use the number of ratings for each of the 8 courses as a proxy for how many students complete and rate the course, the completion rate appears to be fairly low (December 2021). I’ve never taken a Coursera course, but I assume they’re like most platforms in that they ask for student ratings quite aggressively. The course has 456k students enrolled, but Course 1 of 8 has only 22k ratings, or less than 5% “conversion.” It’s understandable that there’s a large drop-off at first because enrollment is free, but after just 7 days, one must begin paying $39 per month for the subscription, so the actual commitment to continue with Course 1 reflects real enrolment better.

Displaying the number of students enrolled is a two-edged sword. It conveys a high level of “social proof,” leading students and hiring managers to conclude, “Wow, so many people took this, it must be good.” On the other hand, I can imagine it’s a psychological setback for newcomers who may believe, “Oh no, the job market is saturated.” This is especially harmful if they’ve heard that the field is saturated. Getting this certification is meant to help you stand out in the job market and acquire the necessary skills for that first role. However, as we’ll see, this Certification is unlikely to be held by many people.

So, Course 1 has 22k ratings, followed by a sharp drop in ratings to 7k for Course 2 and finally 1.7k for Course 8. Only 7% of the initial course’s rating is carried over to the final course. There are various reasons for this, but the difference struck me as significant. “Don’t worry, there isn’t a glut of Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate on Coursera,” I concluded. What, after all, is a saturation? If we assume that Data Analysts add value to the economy, then hundreds of thousands of people who have been trained in data analysis would be a huge boon to the economy! But I’m getting off track.

Contents of the Google Data Analytics Certificate

Eight online courses are included in this certificate. Although you are free to take the courses in any order, you are strongly advised to do so in the order listed below.

1. Foundations: Data, Data, Everywhere:

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to define and explain what data analytics is, what data analysts do, and what tools they use to carry out day-to-day tasks. The material is divided into five weeks, and it will take you around 21 hours to complete this course.

There are six graded assignments in this course. All of the exams are multiple-choice quizzes.

2. Ask Questions to Make Data-Driven Decisions:

You’ll learn how to identify needs and ask the right questions to make data-driven decisions in this course. You’ll also learn how to understand and solve problems using structured thinking. It’s a four-week course that’s relatively short. You’ll need to set aside 19 hours to complete this course.

This course’s exams consist of five quizzes.

3. Prepare Data for Exploration:

After you’ve completed the first two courses, which are mostly theoretical, you’ll begin data analysis using spreadsheets and SQL in the “Prepare Data for Exploration” course. You’ll learn how to extract data using SQL and how to analyze and present your findings using a spreadsheet. You’ll enjoy this course more than any other in the Google Data Analytics certification if you enjoy working with data. This course requires a total of 21 hours of time investment.

Five multiple-choice quizzes are included in the graded work.

4. Process Data from Dirty to Clean:

In this course, you’ll learn more about data cleaning, which is one of the most important aspects of data analysis. You’ll learn what data cleaning is and how to perform basic data cleaning tasks with spreadsheets and SQL. This is a hands-on course that takes six weeks to complete. It will take 23 hours to complete all of the topics in this course.

This course includes four quizzes and a course challenge exercise that allows you to put your data cleaning skills to the test. The course challenge is simple to complete if you’ve gone over the practical examples presented at the start of the course.

5. Analyze Data to Answer Questions:

The “Analyze Data to Answer Questions” course delves deeper into data analysis with more complex spreadsheet formulas and SQL statements. To answer specific questions, you’ll learn how to perform complex data calculations. This course takes a total of 26 hours to complete.

6. Share Data Through the Art of Visualization:

How you present your findings to key stakeholders is an important aspect of data analysis, and this course is all about data presentation. This course is highly practical and covers the theoretical aspects of data presentation. You’ll learn how to create stunning presentations using Tableau, a data visualization platform. Even if you don’t take all eight courses that make up the Google Data Analytics certification, this one is well worth your time. Tableau is a powerful data visualization platform, and the skills learned in this course can be applied to a variety of jobs. This course will take you 24 hours to complete.

7. Data Analysis with R Programming:

The programming language “R” can assist you with data analysis. Some people will enjoy this course while others will despise it. This is an excellent course to take if you want to learn how to use a powerful programming language to perform deep data analysis. However, if you don’t want to learn how to program, you might find this course uninteresting. However, if you want to become Google Data Analytics certified, you’ll need to take this course and pass all of the exams (6 graded assignments in total). This course will take you 38 hours to complete.

To avoid any misunderstanding, this is a simple course to follow. The information is organized logically and is simple to understand for anyone, including beginners. However, it is a lengthy course, and it will take longer to complete for those who are unfamiliar with programming concepts.

8. Google Data Analytics Capstone: Complete a Case Study:

The series comes to a close with this course. You will receive your Google Data Analytics Certification after successfully completing this course! Many employers use case studies to evaluate analytical skills, and you will have the opportunity to complete one as part of this course. You’ll need to choose a scenario, ask questions, prepare, process, and analyze data to answer those questions. In essence, you’ll need to put all of the skills you’ve learned in the previous seven courses together. You’ll also learn how to begin your job search for a data analytics position and how to prepare for the interview.

Why Should You Take This Course?

Google, one of the world’s largest tech companies, created the course. I assume what they teach and ask for is very relevant for them and other large tech companies, but I have no prior experience working in those environments. My focus is on the broader situation, which involves hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of businesses. The company has a few hundred to a few thousand employees, and it needs people who can work with data. My evaluation of whether this is a good or bad certification is based on the following questions:

• To what extent are they exposed to the entire data/analysis pipeline?
• What percentage of their analytical thinking is developed?
• Is it possible for them to learn how to learn?

I don’t think we can expect too much from any course that teaches these skills, especially for someone who is just getting started (unless the fees are outrageous!) The field of Data Science – and the role of Data Analyst – is so vast and varied that it’ll be easy to criticize if the content doesn’t align with your priorities. Even decades into their careers, working professionals can be on completely different paths and largely disagree on what an introductory course should cover. If Google can create a course that most people agree has some value for newcomers, I believe they will have succeeded.

Exams for Google Data Analytics Certification

To earn the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate on Coursera, you must complete all eight courses, including all marked assessments. You’ll be given a number of exercises at the end of each week. Some are optional, while others are mandatory and clearly marked. You can download your Google certification once you’ve completed all of the marked exams. The quizzes are simple to complete. Below are a few sample questions to give you an idea of what the exams will be like. Except for critical thinking exercises, everything that is asked on the exams is covered in the course lessons.

How Difficult Is It to Obtain a Google Data Analytics Certification?

The Google Data Analytics Professional Certification is not difficult to obtain. You don’t need a degree or any prior data analysis experience. Basic computer skills and the ability to work with spreadsheets are all that is required. The course begins by explaining what data analysis is and how it works to the students. It then explains how to process data in spreadsheets and use the R programming language in an easy-to-understand manner. At the end of each course, the exams are primarily multiple-choice questions, with some practical assignments thrown in for good measure. If you’re willing to put in the time to study the material thoroughly and complete the labs, you’ll be able to complete this course in eight months and receive your certification.

Is The Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate on Coursera Worth It?

It is well worth the time and effort to obtain the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate on Coursera. It’s one of the most important certifications to have when starting a career as a data analyst. The course is created by Google Engineers and is accepted as a valid professional certification for entry-level positions in the industry. The average salary for data analysts in the United States is around $67,900 per year, which is higher than the national average for similar entry-level jobs. Obtaining a data analytics certification also opens up new career possibilities. Companies across the board are seeking certified professionals to analyze their data and provide data-driven solutions.

Additional Google Certifications

The Google Data Analytics Certification is a professional credential offered by Google as part of its Career Certification program. There are four more courses in the program. You can read our comprehensive reviews of all Google certifications to determine which one is right for you.

• Google IT Support Professional Certificate Review
• Google IT Automation Professional Certificate Review
• Google UX Design Professional Certificate Review
• Google Project Management Professional Certificate Review

Conclusion

I went into the review with an open mind but a neutral (perhaps even professional skepticism?) attitude, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The number of students I’ve seen who recommend it to one another convinced me to take a closer look myself. Hiring managers, I’d like to hear about their experiences hiring alumni of this Certification. I believe this is a valuable addition to the ecosystem and has the potential to attract a large number of newcomers to the industry. The cost is not insignificant for many people, but I believe that $39/m represents excellent value given the breadth of topics covered. I’m excited to see how this develops, and I hope it means that we’ll soon have many more people who can analyze data!

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