Data analytics is one of the most sought-after skills in today’s job market. Whether it’s a tech company needing to keep track of enormous amounts of data of different kinds, or it’s a small business trying to analyse their user engagement, data analytics is an invaluable skill.

The ‘Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate’ on Coursera is one of the thousands of programmes that help teach the skill of data analytics.

What’s special about this course is that upon finishing, you receive an employer-recognized certificate from Google.This makes you eligible/qualified to be a Data analyst, even at big companies like Google.

What is this course series? Is it worth it? And can you potentially land a job as a Data analyst?

That’s exactly what I will answer in this article.

Is this course for you?

I don’t want to waste your time, so before I dive into the course content, let’s see if this course is for you.

Course Level:

This course is for beginners. So, the course is taught assuming you know none of this. If you already have experience with data analytics, this may not be the best choice for you.

Whether you’re background is in programming, maths, or stats (or even engineering or related discplines), this programme will hopefully fit your needs!

Length of Programme:

This programme consists of 8 courses.

The entire programme is approximated to take you 6 months with 10 hours put in every week. However, you can certainly can get it done much quicker.

If you are willing to commit, this course is a game-changer.

You only need to do the 8 courses if you want to get the full certification. You can just do 1 of the 8 to get a feel for data analytics – and you’ll be recognised for that.

What will you get upon completion?

Upon completing the 8 different courses you will receive an employer-recognized certificate from Google. You can show-off this certificate on your CV.

You will receive expert training from industry professionals at Google. This is the perfect opportunity to see the type of work that goes on in big-tech companies.

Additionally, you’ll complete a case study that you can share with potential employers to showcase your new skill set.

This programme will set you apart as a candidate for the top data analytics jobs.

What skills will you acquire?

• You will learn about the key responsibilities as a data analyst
• Understand how to clean and use large amounts of data
• Learn to do calculations and use tools such as spreadsheets, SQL, and R programming
• Learn how to professionally display and summmarise data.

Break-down of the 8 different courses

As I mentioned, to gain the full certificate you must complete 8 courses.

To help you decide if you want to go for the full certificate or just choose a particular course, I will give you a short break-down of each of the courses.

Foundations: Data, Data Everywhere:

This is the absolute foundations course. If this is your first time with data analytics, I recommend starting here.

By the end of this course:

• You’ll understand the need for data analytics and how to think analytically
• Use data analytics tools such as spreadsheets, query languages etc.
• How the skills you are learning are applied in real-world situations, and the type of job industry professionals do.

This is a brilliant place to start your journey of data analytics.

Ask Questions to Make Data-Driven Decisions

This is a more hands-on course, which will provide you with training on how data analytics is done in the real world.

As part of this course, you will:

• Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on project
• Delve into spreadsheets and their magic
• How to make your analysis as effective for the shareholder as possible

Another brilliant building-block. I would certainly recommend this course as well.

Prepare data for exploration

In this course, you’ll be working with databases and understand how decisions regarding data are logically made.

What you’ll learn:

• Learn about the different data types and data structures (crucial)
• How to effectively use and manage databases
• How to analyse the credibility of data

And the cherry on-top, you will receive tips on how to manage your online  presence and how to network with fellow industry professionals.

 The other courses:

The other 5 courses are:

• 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

Check out the links to further satisfy yourself that this programme is worth it.

Is this programme worth it?

This programme is setting you up to get the top job as a data analyst, in the top companies like Google itself.

This recognised certificate is the perfect embellishment for your CV and LinkedIn. You will be learning from the best, to become the best.

I strongly believe if you have any aspirations of becoming a data analyst, you must do this course.

Other recommend courses:

If you would rather do a different course, I would also recommend doing the Google AI for anyone course.

Again, a fantastic, in-depth course offered by Google. If this seems interesting, read our full, honest review of the course here.

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