Author Archives: Natalie Van Kleef Conley

From IT Certificate completers to Googlers

Like many success stories, our journey to create the Google IT Support Certificatewas inspired by a challenge: We had issues finding qualified candidates to fill our own IT support team. We developed the Google IT Support Certificate (IT Cert for short), which requires no experience or degree, and helps prepare people for entry-level jobs in IT support in three to six months. In addition to helping us fill roles at Google, we created a hiring consortiumof over 50 national employers, including companies like Hulu, Sprint and Walmart, which consider graduates for roles.

In today’s economic environment, we’re committed to creating further access to job training to help people grow their career and economic potential. We’ve seen great results with the IT Cert: 80 percent of program participants report a positive career impact like a raise or a promotion, and 58 percent of participants identify as Black, Latino, female and/or veteran. But our work is not done. We recently created more pathways to jobs, including new Google Career Certificates in high-paying, high-growth career fields that do not require a degree, a new apprenticeship program at Google that teaches the certificate and a program that will bring the IT Cert to 100 career and technical education high schools for free by the end of 2021. 


Learn more today by joining our Grow with Google OnAir session, Plan Your Next Career Move with Google's IT Certificate. And read on to hear from graduates who experienced everything from homelessness to unemployment before taking the Google IT Cert and starting a role at Google.

Chelsea, who works at a Google data center

Chelsea Rucker, Data Center Technician, Google

Chelsea Rucker had recently moved out of a shelter for homeless women in Nashville with her two young daughters. After taking a job at her local Goodwill, she learned the organization had partnered with Google to offer its IT Cert program. She received a program scholarship and spent the next several months enrolled in the self-directed course, carving out time to study while balancing her duties as a single mother and her 40-hour work week at Goodwill. After completing the program, she found an open IT role at Google, but struggled with imposter syndrome. 

“I thought there was no way Google would hire me,” she says. “After I gathered up the courage, I sent them my resume.” Chelsea landed the job at Google and credits the IT Cert program with giving her the foundational knowledge she needed to succeed. 

“Nobody ever talks about how this is possible—if we become well-versed in technology, we’ll find all kinds of opportunities..I’m a firm believer that difficult does not mean impossible,” Chelsea says. 

Xavier, a Google IT Resident

Xavier Heydt, IT Resident, Google

Xavier had always been good with computers, even helping family and friends build them, but had never really considered an IT career. He started with Linux and Python courses at a community college, but then heard about the Google IT Cert and finally saw a career he was interested in. He enrolled in the program. “It was like a fire hose of knowledge,” Xavier says. 

After completing the program, he shared his resume with several companies from the program’s hiring consortium. Within two weeks, a Google recruiter reached out and encouraged him to apply to Google’s Information Technology Residency program. Thanks to the courses, he was ready for the technical interviews and got a job in internal IT support at Google’s Ann Arbor office. “I don't know what my career trajectory would have been without the certificate program,” he says. “My experience at Google has been life-changing and the Google IT Cert is what opened that door for me.”

Aldi, who works as a Google IT Resident

Aldi Suryoutom, IT Resident, Google

Aldi first was introduced to computers when he was around 7, growing up in Indonesia. His father brought home a PC with a Pentium 1 microprocessor in it. He would spend hours exploring how this new machine worked, trying to understand how the programs operated and tinkered with the hardware until the computer would freeze up. 

Aldi enrolled in the IT Cert program and loved the process and lessons. “The IT Cert program does a great job of preparing us for interviews with real word examples and practice,” he says. “I used to program to prepare for my interview questions that the recruiters asked me.”  Aldi was offered a job within Google’s IT services and went from being a student technician to working in an IT support role. “Everything I learned from the IT Cert program led me to Google,” he says.

A new certificate to help people grow careers in IT

When Grow with Google launched the IT Support Professional Certificate, we aimed to equip learners around the world with the fundamentals to kickstart careers in information technology. Now, on the program’s two-year anniversary, we’re expanding our IT training offering with the new Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate. Python is now the most in-demand programming language, and more than 530,000 U.S. jobs, including 75,000 entry-level jobs require Python proficiency. With this new certificate, you can learn Python, Git and IT automation within six months. The program includes a final project where learners will use their new skills to solve a problem they might encounter on the job, like building a web service using automation. 

With over 100,000 people now enrolled in our original certificate program, we’ve seen how it can aid aspiring IT professionals. While working as a van driver in Washington, D.C., Yves Cooper took the course through Merit America, a Google.org-funded organization that helps working adults find new skills. Within five days of completing the program, he was offered a role as an IT helpdesk technician—a change that’s set him on a career path he’s excited about. All over the world, people like Yves are using this program to change their lives. In fact, 84 percent of people who take the program report a career impact—like getting a raise, finding a new job, or starting a business—within six months. 

Among the many people who’ve enrolled in the IT certificate, 60 percent identify as female, Black, Latino, or veteran—backgrounds that have historically been underrepresented in the tech industry. To ensure learners from underserved backgrounds have access to both IT Professional Certificates, Google.org will fund 2,500 need-based scholarships through nonprofits like Goodwill, Merit America, Per Scholas and Upwardly Global. Along with top employers like Walmart, Hulu and Sprint, Google considers program completers when hiring for IT roles. 

Self-paced and continuous education is one way we’re helping expand opportunity for all Americans. Our Grow with Google trainings and workshops have helped more than 3 million Americans grow their businesses and careers. With this new professional certificate, even more people can continue to grow their careers through technology. 

A new way for job seekers to stand out to IT recruiters

Almost two years ago, Grow with Google introduced the IT Support Professional Certificate, a program that helps people prepare for entry-level roles in IT, with no experience or degree necessary. IT support skills are highly teachable, and a four-year degree isn’t typically required to build a successful career in this field. We knew that if we could train beginners on technical skills, we could create paths to real jobs—both at Google and at other companies across the country. So we created a hands-on curriculum and made it available on Coursera to prepare learners for IT support jobs in under six months.

Google and CompTIA badge

Now, Google is teaming up with CompTIA, a nonprofit trade association, to provide a dual badge of completion. Employers widely recognize the CompTIA A+ certification as a valued credential for high-growth IT support roles. Now, learners who complete the Google IT Support Professional Certificate and pass the CompTIA A+ certification exams will have access to a new dual credential from CompTIA and Google: a badge that can be posted on LinkedIn to catch the attention of potential employers. 

One recipient of the dual credential is Leo Chui, who was a personal trainer for 12 years when he decided he was ready for a career change. “I have always been passionate about technology and I always wanted to work in that field, but I didn’t have a university degree,” he says. “I simply did not have the means to take on student loans in order to pursue my dreams and also keep a roof over my head.” Leo believes that the IT Support Professional Certificate aligns with the training in CompTIA’s certification exams. He says the training and the badge gave him the confidence to start applying for positions in the field, and he just landed his first IT job. 

With this dual badge, people who complete the Google IT Support Professional Certificate and receive the CompTIA A+ certification are better set up to share their skills with potential employers. 

A new pathway to roles in IT Support

Today, we’re launching the Google IT Support Professional Certificate hosted on Coursera—a first-of-its-kind online program to prepare people for roles in IT support. With no previous experience required, beginning learners can become entry-level job ready in eight to 12 months. This program is part of Grow with Google, our initiative to help people get the skills they need to find a job.


There’s no better example of a dynamic, fast-growing field than IT support. With more and more people relying on computers for some part of their work, growth in IT support is outpacing the average rate for all other occupations. In the United States alone, there are currently 150,000 open IT support jobs (according to Burning Glass), and the average starting salary is $52,000 according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.  

I helped hire Google’s IT staff for several years when I led our internal IT support program; it was often challenging to find qualified candidates. But I knew that candidates didn't need traditional four-year college degrees to be qualified—and also found that IT was very teachable. So in 2014 we partnered with the nonprofit organization Year Up to create a program aimed at training and hiring non-traditional talent for IT support internships and full-time roles. The program was a success, and its graduates inspired us to think about how we could make a bigger impact beyond Google. Watch the story of one of our program graduates, Edgar Barragan:

Edgar Barragan: IT Support Specialist

Now we’re using the training we implemented at Google as the basis of a new program available to anyone, anywhere, as part of the Grow with Google initiative. No tech experience or college degree is necessary.


With over 64 hours of video lessons and a dynamic mix of hands-on labs and other interactive assessments, all developed by Googlers, this certificate program introduces people to troubleshooting and customer service, networking, operating systems, system administration, automation, and security—all the fundamentals of IT support. Throughout the program, people will hear directly from Googlers whose own foundation in IT support served as a jumping-off point for their careers.


Since we know training is just the first step, we also want to help with the next one—the job search. Once people complete the certificate, they can opt in to share their information directly with top employers, including Bank of America, Walmart, Sprint, GE Digital, PNC Bank, Infosys, TEKSystems, UPMC, and of course, Google, all who are looking to hire IT support talent.


To ensure job seekers from all backgrounds have access to the program, we’re subsidizing the cost of the certificate on Coursera to $49/month and providing financial support to more than 10,000 learners in the United States. Need-based scholarships, funded by Google.org grants, will be offered through leading nonprofits focused on underrepresented communities including Year Up, Per Scholas, Goodwill, Student Veterans of America, and Upwardly Global. Full financial assistance is also available to those who qualify.  


You can find out more and enroll at the Google IT Support page on Coursera.


I’ve seen firsthand how educational opportunities can transform people’s careers and lives. By making the Google IT Support Professional Certificate accessible on Coursera, we hope to open the door for everyone to begin a career in technology.

A new pathway to roles in IT Support

Today, we’re launching the Google IT Support Professional Certificate hosted on Coursera—a first-of-its-kind online program to prepare people for roles in IT support. With no previous experience required, beginning learners can become entry-level job ready in eight to 12 months. This program is part of Grow with Google, our initiative to help people get the skills they need to find a job.


There’s no better example of a dynamic, fast-growing field than IT support. With more and more people relying on computers for some part of their work, growth in IT support is outpacing the average rate for all other occupations. In the United States alone, there are currently 150,000 open IT support jobs (according to Burning Glass), and the average starting salary is $52,000 according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.  

I helped hire Google’s IT staff for several years when I led our internal IT support program; it was often challenging to find qualified candidates. But I knew that candidates didn't need traditional four-year college degrees to be qualified—and also found that IT was very teachable. So in 2014 we partnered with the nonprofit organization Year Up to create a program aimed at training and hiring non-traditional talent for IT support internships and full-time roles. The program was a success, and its graduates inspired us to think about how we could make a bigger impact beyond Google. Watch the story of one of our program graduates, Edgar Barragan:

Edgar Barragan: IT Support Specialist

Now we’re using the training we implemented at Google as the basis of a new program available to anyone, anywhere, as part of the Grow with Google initiative. No tech experience or college degree is necessary.


With over 64 hours of video lessons and a dynamic mix of hands-on labs and other interactive assessments, all developed by Googlers, this certificate program introduces people to troubleshooting and customer service, networking, operating systems, system administration, automation, and security—all the fundamentals of IT support. Throughout the program, people will hear directly from Googlers whose own foundation in IT support served as a jumping-off point for their careers.


Since we know training is just the first step, we also want to help with the next one—the job search. Once people complete the certificate, they can opt in to share their information directly with top employers, including Bank of America, Walmart, Sprint, GE Digital, PNC Bank, Infosys, TEKSystems, UPMC, and of course, Google, all who are looking to hire IT support talent.


To ensure job seekers from all backgrounds have access to the program, we’re subsidizing the cost of the certificate on Coursera to $49/month and providing financial support to more than 10,000 learners in the United States. Need-based scholarships, funded by Google.org grants, will be offered through leading nonprofits focused on underrepresented communities including Year Up, Per Scholas, Goodwill, Student Veterans of America, and Upwardly Global. Full financial assistance is also available to those who qualify.  


You can find out more and enroll at the Google IT Support page on Coursera.


I’ve seen firsthand how educational opportunities can transform people’s careers and lives. By making the Google IT Support Professional Certificate accessible on Coursera, we hope to open the door for everyone to begin a career in technology.

Source: Education