Google recently announced that it has partnered with Coursera and developed an online I.T. Support certificate program. There are probably a thousand different I.T. training programs available online, and I’m sure a lot have a thing called a “certificate” involved. I’m not sure what sets this Google course apart, content-wise, (not to mention results-wise) but it does have one important word—”Google”—right there in the name. It also has been developed with Coursera, which is, as far as I can tell, one of the more well-known online learning platforms. But it’s really the “Google” part that people are going to see and recognize as a credible factor when someone says they have this certificate.
Not Pictured, the scheming man. photo: @bannifuentes
I’m about a year into my I.T. career (about half that spent in self-directed training, job-training program training, and job-hunting) and I have still completed zero certifications. I am halfway through a CompTIA A+ training series on Udemy, but I started struggling with the format a little, and I also got an entry-level job in a small computer repair/I.T. shop, which, if I understand correctly, kind of negates the purpose of the A+. I enjoy learning technical things, like anyone volunteering to learn I.T. as a 35-year-old ought to be, but I had some moments of doubt when taking notes memorizing which Intel CPU has LGA 1150. C’mon, CompTIA, won’t there be a sticker on it??? C’mon.
I am more interested in this course for “personal” learning reasons than for any kind of super fancy-crap big-city east-coast-elite computer genius nerd pretension certificate. It’s just, right from the outset here, I feel like it is important to note that, fwiw, I am not a Google devotée or, I hope, otherwise unreasonably and emotionally attached or loyal to, or evangelical for, any technology (or anything else) brands. I feel like my personal perspective is solidly in the “why doesn’t this work yet” and “why do people ( who must be morons) pay for this” quadrants. Or however many sections there are in this Venn diagram of criticism that is this modern life. But none of that means I don’t appreciate what having a “Google certificate” could mean for a beginner’s I.T. career.
My technical skill level is probably in the “high-functioning entry-level” range, which may not be that clear a definition, as I am sure I know far less than many dedicated hobbyists. I have a lifelong appreciation for, and experience with computers, but I have really only been actively learning tech skills for one year.
So that’s kind of where I am at as I start the Google I.T. Support Professional Certificate course. They say at the outset that doing 8-10 hours per week will get you through the course in 6 months. More on how this schedule works out later. Also, Coursera costs $50/month so I am feeling a little incentivized to get through this faster than 6 months. I have applied for the “financial aid” program that Google has offered, but that appears to not be issued until the end of February—if you are selected at all. Who knows!
I’m going to try to do a post every week and kind of review the course content, as well as maybe some news items and some other stuff I am learning.
Now, on to learning what a “competer” is… I should look that up.
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