Is Google IT Support Specialization Useful?
My experience and thought about Google IT Support Specialization by Coursera
When Google decides to make a professional certification in Coursera back in 2017, they specifically mention that this certification is to “To prepare for an entry-level role in IT Support”. But is the certification really that useful?
This 5-course certificate, developed by Google, includes innovative curriculum designed to prepare you for an entry-level role in IT support. A job in IT can mean in-person or remote help desk work in a small business or at a global company like Google. The program is part of Grow with Google, a Google initiative to help create economic opportunities for all Americans.
To complete the certification we must complete the 5-courses (and its assignment) developed by Google. The 5-courses that makes up this certification are:
- Technical Support Fundamental
- The Bits and Bytes of Computer Networking
- Operating Systems and You: Becoming a Power User
- System Administration and IT Infrastructure Services
- IT Security : Defense Against The Digital Dark Arts
Google estimated that approximately it requires 8 months to complete, with pace 5 hours/week. But I personally completed the certification in under 10 days with pace 10 hours/day (It’s because I was in summer holiday that my free time is so many). I basically already have the ground work in IT field -high school major and an internship program. I suggested you out there to take your personal average pace based on your previous knowledge in IT field, don’t take too much rush time, but also don’t take too much time! If you still want to take less much completion time, check out this blog, this guy apparently complete in just 3 days!
To be honest the appearance of the certificate is not so convincing at all. It plainly just replicate the description of certification in its Coursera’s course. Also the list of courses they provide didn’t mention the skills we have acquired so far. But more dissapointingly the Google’s signature and company logo did not convincing at all! Despite the poor appearance of the certificate, props to Google for the amazing and valuable curriculum they make in the course. They really make the curriculum interactive by providing interactive quiz, hands-on lab using remote control from your computer, and discussion between student.
So the real question is.. Is it really useful at all?
Well in my perspective this certification is really below the standard average of other famous certification like CompTIA A++, Cisco CCNA, or VMWare. It is likelly that if you compete with someone who have famous certifications like above example and you just have this Google’s MOOC certification types, you will be failed.
But according to Anand:
I have been an IT professional for more than 16 years now. The IT Industry has a very wide range of job roles to offer but most of the freshers who graduate today have only one thing in their mind, they want to become software developers// they want to code// they want to program; everything else is second grade for them. This is a huge problem in the way these freshers approach their career.
Why? Because not everyone has the talent or the skills to become really good programmer or developer. Most folks end up being mediocre developers who struggle with their career. Few of them take smart decisions and move into IT Support. What Google has done with this certification is very good in terms of grooming freshers on IT Support even before they complete their graduation.
Beside the cost of this certification is not so expensive at all right? And actually you can get this certification for free if you can completed in under 7-day trials program.
My advice is you have to ask yourself first, what is your main intention. If you just want to learn something but also get the evident of what you have learned then this certification is waiting for you. If you want to take a specific job that require a certification, you should check if this kind of certification is still appropriate to the job you applied, based on the level of the job and the company type.
