I am about done with my capstone project in the final course of the Google Analytics Certification Process. I was a Planning and Analysis Manager a decade ago and took the course to get back into being a Data Analyst after a decade in marketing, martial arts, travel, and other projects. I found that my personality and skillset are best suited for working more on my own as an analyst.

I took the course to brush up on my skills and learn new ones. I watched a number of Youtube videos on how great the course is for getting into Data Analytics. Most of those videos have affiliate marketing links and aren't an unbiased take on the course and many of the people making reviews likely didn't take the course.

Here are some of my thoughts and observations.

The course says it takes 240 hours to complete. I think it could be done in 80 to 100 hours while watching all the videos in each course, doing the learning logs, practice problems, and capstone. If you are a college student on break, just bite the bullet and knock it out in 2 to 3 weeks. If you are a full-time professional, put in 10 hours a week and knock it out in 2 months.

If you are new to data analysis, the background, thought process, how to present findings, ideas, and career advice are very helpful. You can get much of the same advice from other online sources as well. If you have experience, you are basically doing the course for the certificate and picking up some new tricks and tips.

The technical aspects on Excel are solid. The Tableau, SQL and R are very basic. Anybody who takes the course as a beginner will need to learn a lot more Tableau, Excel, SQL, R or Python in order to really prepare themselves for a data analyst role. Also, depending on field, AWS, Salesforce, Google Analytics Tags, etc.

I have seen some people on here post their gripes about the course. Its a great start, almost like a Data Analytics 101 class, but then you have to challenge yourself to take the 200, 300 and 400 level classes in Tableau, Python, R, SQL, and Excel to build upon that foundation. Networking and building a portfolio are important as well. As you learn something new in SQL, or tableau take on a new project while the learning is fresh and pop it up on your portfolio.

The certificate and course aren't a silver bullet or magical. Its just the initial foundation that will require a lot more time, energy and work to learn, build a portfolio, networking, and apply for jobs. Its just the start, not even close to the finish.

Also, I looked at the job postings within the Google Data Analytics job site. Most of the jobs aren't entry level and a number of them require Bachelors or Masters in STEM fields. I am not sure they would really consider a non-college grad with just the certificate.