<p><img src="https://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5f7380d90ab50d00184ad12e-2400/2016-10-04t120000z_1017088880_ht1eca4190g0h_rtrmadp_3_google-hardware.jpg" border="0" alt="Sundar Pichai speaks during the presentation of new Google hardware in San Francisco" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Beck Diefenbach" data-mce-caption="CEO Sundar Pichai speaks during the presentation of new Google hardware in San Francisco."></p><p></p><bi-shortcode id="summary-shortcode" data-type="summary-shortcode" class="mceNonEditable" contenteditable="false">Summary List Placement</bi-shortcode><p>The US unemployment rate sits at <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf">6.7%</a>. Thanks to COVID-19, millions of Americans are still out there looking for not just a new job but also an entire new career path.</p><p>Tech fields like UX design, data analysis, and project management are looking for promising candidates, and Google announced a new career-certificate program to help make them more accessible last summer.</p><p>The forthcoming program, called <a href="https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/grow-with-google/digital-jobs-program-help-americas-economic-recovery/">Google Career Certificates</a>, will be taught online by Google staff, take six months to complete, and be treated as the equivalent of a relevant college degree by the search giant, according to Kent Walker, Google's senior vice president of global affairs.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation=""><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today <a href="https://twitter.com/Google'ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@google</a> is rolling out a comprehensive new digital jobs program to help Americans get back to work, break down educational barriers by prioritizing skills, and support the countrys economic recovery. Details in my post and highlights below.<a href="https://t.co/c4GrH5OA6h">https://t.co/c4GrH5OA6h</a></p> Kent Walker (@Kent_Walker) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1282676980576653317'ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2020</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>He also linked to a <a href="https://t.co/c4GrH5OA6h">blog post</a> about the program.</p><p></p><p>The cost of the program hasn't been revealed yet, but <a href="https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/google-plan-disrupt-college-degree-university-higher-education-certificate-project-management-data-analyst.html">a similar program Google runs to train IT support staff costs $49 a month</a> while the student is enrolled, coming out to about $300 total. That suggests the company's new courses won't break the bank.</p><p>Google has also pledged to offer 100,000 need-based scholarships to those who find the tuition a stretch. A start date has also not yet been announced.</p><h2>So how exciting is this opportunity, really'</h2><p>While some questions remain about the program, one thing is clear: Google chose its career niches thoughtfully.</p><p>Helping companies design products that are easy to navigate for customers is <a href="https://skillcrush.com/blog/how-much-is-a-ux-designer-salary/#:~:text=Even%20at%20the%20entry%20level,year%20for%20senior%20positions%20(15%2B">a fast-growing, lucrative field</a>. UX designer ranks 27th in Glassdoor's list of the 50 best jobs in America, and according to the site, entry-level UX designers make an average of $75,000 to $80,000 a year. After seven to nine years of experience, that bumps up to just over $100,000.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/ways-to-increase-pmp-salary/">median salary for a project manager</a> is $116,000. For <a href="https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/how-much-do-data-analysts-make/">data analysts</a>, the number is $67,000. Pay for all these jobs varies by region, industry, and experience, but all are well-paid, in-demand career paths.</p><p>If Google certificates could get you one of these gigs in six months without a college degree, that would be an excellent deal indeed. But will they' Experts are cautiously optimistic.</p><h2>The proof is in the pudding.</h2><p>Google touts a group of over 50 employers, including Walmart, Hulu, and Sprint, it calls the <a href="http://grow.google/employers">IT Certificate Employer Consortium</a>. Those companies have agreed to accept Google's new certificates. But Sachin Gupta, a cofounder of the tech-hiring platform HackerEarth, told Business Insider he believed most companies would initially take a cautious approach to hiring based on the new certificates.</p><p>"It's unlikely that other companies will also treat the Google career certificate as equivalent to a related college degree, at least definitely not in the beginning, as they will not be familiar with the training," he said.</p><p>Other human-resources experts agree that acceptance of alternate qualifications is far from universal.</p><p>"Anecdotally, we find that around half of all employers are willing to experiment with hiring bootcamp grads, and if those hires do well, they will hire more of them," said Chris Berkner, the CEO of the Berkner Group, a tech-recruiting firm.</p><p>But these recruitment experts also said they felt when it came to such certificates, the proof is in the pudding. If the Google program manages to produce grads with real in-demand skills, talent-hungry companies will eventually sit up and take notice. It just might take awhile.</p><p>Allison Baum, a general partner at SemperVirens who is involved in many startup-hiring discussions, said that if Google hired graduates of these programs, she "would expect other companies to follow suit by accepting Google certifications as qualified education or creating their own programs."</p><h2>How to choose the right bootcampand get the most out of it.</h2><p>It's too early to tell whether the new certificate program will deliver on its promise, but with Google's unbeatable name recognition and a real hunger for tech skills out there, it might. In the meantime, those looking to reboot their careers without going back to college can consider <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/teach-yourself-to-code-best-online-coding-boot-camps-programming-2020-4">other bootcamp and online programs</a>.</p><p>"Go online and start researching different possible programs that look interesting, and then spend a couple of days watching online videos on that topic to make sure it's something you can get excited about," Berkner said. "If you're still feeling enthusiastic after that, then reach out to the most compelling programs, pick one, and dive in."</p><p>Once you've chosen a program, don't rely on the strength of that credential alone to get you a job. Convincing a company to hire you with alternative qualifications demands extra legwork.</p><p>"Try to back up those certificates with actual projects. Candidates with certificates can strengthen themselves as a candidate by building their own capstone project that demonstrates the skills that they have developed in whatever online course they were certified in," Gupta said.</p><p>And don't neglect traditional networking. Relationships always matter.</p><p>"In addition to expanding your skill set with a certificate program, build your network and invest in relationships that will help you progress your career," Baum said. "Reach out, ask for advice, figure out how you can help them first, and it will pay dividends in the future."</p><p>Whatever the fate of Google's certificate program is, the company's entry into the crowded bootcamp space is evidence that the idea of alternative online and bootcamp routes into lucrative tech careers is growing more mainstream. If you want to follow this path, just choose carefully and be sure to combine some hustle with whichever program you pick.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/linkedin-how-to-build-profile-noticed-recruiter-2020-8" >Here's what an effective LinkedIn profile looks like in 2020, according to recruiters and LinkedIn's director of talent</a></strong></p><p><strong>READ ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-land-remote-job-dell-twitter-salesforce-tech-2020-9" >Top tech companies like Salesforce and Twitter are currently hiring for remote jobshere's how to land one of these coveted roles</a></strong></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-career-certificate-alternative-college-program-2020-9#comments">Join the conversation about this story »</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/economist-weighted-voting-could-help-save-us-democracy-2018-5">A top economist explains how weighted voting could change democracy</a></p>
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