Google Data Analytics and IBM Data Analyst are the certification programs for Data Analysts. Both certification programs have their own identification and popularity. And many people get confused about which one to choose? That’s why I have written this article and compared Google Data Analytics and IBM Data Analyst in various aspects. So read this comparison- Google Data Analytics Certification vs IBM Data Analyst and then decide which one is better for you.
So, without any delay, let’s get started-
Google Data Analytics Certification vs IBM Data Analyst
Before going into details, let’s have a quick comparison between both certification programs-
Rating-
Price-
Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate- $39/month
IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate- $39/month
Time to Complete-
Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate- 260 hours 6 months (10 hours/week)
IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate- 140 hours 11 months (3 hours/week)
Programming language–
Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate- R programming
Visualization tool–
Spreadsheets-
Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate- Google Sheets
Number of Courses-
Instructors-
Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate- Data Analysts will teach you.
IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate- Data Scientists will teach you.
Language-
Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate- English
IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate- Multiple languages such as English, Arabic, French, etc.
Pros-
1. You will learn with real data analysts and understand the real-world problems with them.
2. After completing the course, you will get access to Google’s network of over 130 different employers that are looking for people with this certificate.
3. You will gain an immersive understanding of the practices and processes used by data analysts in their day-to-day job.
4. You will learn the most popular tool Tableau for data visualization.
5. Google Data Analyst certification spends a lot of time setting you up for the job after the certificate.
1. The content of this program is well structured and provides a foundational base in data analytics.
2. Perfect program for complete beginners to gain hands-on skills practice by working with a variety of data sources, project scenarios, and data analysis tools, such as Excel, SQL, Python, Jupyter Notebooks, and Cognos Analytics.
Cons-
Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate-
1. The first course is very introductory and basic.
2. In the data visualization part, there should be more Tableau practice exercises.
IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate-
- The final assignment of the course Data Visualization with Python is hard to complete because the instructor didn’t explain too much about the assignment concepts.
- The Python for Data Science and AI is not a well-sequenced and complete course to learn Python. You need some python textbooks to supplement your learning.
So, this is a quick comparison of Google Data Analytics Certification vs IBM Data Analyst. Now let’s see the topics covered in both Certification programs-
Topics Covered in Google Data Analytics Certification Program
In Google Data Analytics Certification, there are 8 courses. So let’s see the details of each course.
Course 1- Foundations: Data, Data, Everywhere
This is the first course of the Google Data Analytics Certification. In this course, data analysts will discuss how they use data analytics and the tools of their trade to inform those decisions. You will also learn how the data life cycle and data analysts work. Overall this course is introductory and very basic. You will understand the fundamentals of data analytics.
Course 2- Ask Questions to Make Data-Driven Decisions
In the second course, you will learn how to ask effective questions to make data-driven decisions and you will also explore data of all kinds and its impact on real-life choices. This course will also teach you spreadsheets basics and how to use spreadsheets in your work every day. You will also learn strategies for managing stakeholder expectations.
Course 3- Prepare Data for Exploration
The third course is about Data Exploration. In this course, you will learn how to generate data and how analysts decide which data to collect for analysis. This course will also teach identifying different types of bias in data and how to ensure credibility in your data and databases. You will also learn how to organize and protect your data and how to manage your online presence.
Course 4- Process Data from Dirty to Clean
This course will teach about data cleaning. In this course, you will learn data cleaning techniques using spreadsheets and other tools. You will also learn how to clean data using SQL by using queries and functions. Then you will learn how to verify and report your cleaning results. This course will also teach you the job application process with a focus on crafting a resume. Overall this is a great course to provide an overview of the data cleaning process.
Course 5- Analyze Data to Answer Questions
In this course, you will learn data analysis. But before analyzing your data, you must know how to organize your data. And this course will first teach you about data organization in both spreadsheets and SQL. Then you will learn how to convert and format your data. You will also explore the functions, procedures, and syntax involved in combining or aggregating data. Then you will learn about data calculations.
Course 6- Share Data Through the Art of Visualization
After analyzing your data, you must know how to graphically represent your data. And this course is all about data visualization. In this course, you will learn all about Tableau and how to use Tableau to create dashboards and dashboard filters. You will also learn how to give an effective presentation about your data analysis.
Course 7- Data Analysis with R Programming
In this course, you will learn R programming, RStudio, and fundamental concepts associated with R such as functions, variables, and various R packages. Then you will learn how to structure, organize, and clean your data using R programming. This course will also cover Data frames and data visualization using R. R Markdown, a file format for making dynamic documents with R is also discussed by the instructors.
Course 8- Google Data Analytics Capstone: Complete a Case Study
This is the last course of Google data Analytics Certification. In this course, there is a case study that you have to complete and for this, you have to choose an analytics-based scenario and then ask questions, prepare, process, analyze, visualize and act on the data from the scenario.
In this case study, you can select the dataset of your choice. You will also get interview tips and guidance such as how to discuss your portfolio and highlight specific skills in interview scenarios.
So this is all about Google Data Analytics Certification. Now let’s see the topics covered by IBM Data Analyst.
Topics covered in IBM Data Analyst Professional certificate
Course 1- Introduction to Data Analytics
The first course provides a gentle introduction to data analytics with the help of real-world examples. This course will clear your doubts between Data Analysts, Data Scientists, and Data engineers. You will get to know about the roles and the responsibilities of a Data Analyst.
In this course, you will also explore the fundamentals of gathering data, cleaning data, analyzing the data, and how to share your data with the use of visualizations and dashboard tools. In a nutshell, this is an excellent and insightful course for beginners that provides an overview of all the bricks, tools, and concepts making the Data Analytics field.
Course 2- Excel Basics for Data Analysis
Excel is an important tool for working with data. That’s why this course will teach basic working knowledge of Excel spreadsheets for Data Analysis. In this course, you will learn basic level data wrangling and cleansing and how to analyze data through the use of filtering, sorting, and using pivot tables within the spreadsheet. In a nutshell, this course is well designed, detailed, and good for beginner and intermediate learners.
Course 3- Data Visualization and Dashboards with Excel and Cognos
This course is more focused on hands-on practice. In this course, you will gain a basic understanding of using spreadsheets as a data visualization tool. You will learn how to create data visualizations, such as charts or graphs. This course will also cover another dashboarding solution called Cognos Analytics. And you will explore Cognos by creating visualizations, building a simple dashboard, and discovering its advanced features.
Course 4- Python for Data Science and AI
This is the same course available in IBM Data Science Professional Certificate. In this course, you will learn Python basics, Pandas, and NumPy. This course provides only the required knowledge of Python for data science. All the modern methods and python libraries for data manipulation are included. There is one project in this course where you have to analyze a set of economic data using Watson Studio.
Course 5- Databases and SQL for Data Science with Python
This course covers basic and advanced SQL and databases like how to build databases, and how to collect and analyze the data using Python. If you are a beginner in SQL, then definitely you will learn a lot from this course. The whole course is a well-structured and perfect balance between theoretical and practical knowledge.
Course 6- Data Analysis with Python
In this course, you will learn a wide range of data analysis techniques, starting from importing and wrangling data to statistical analysis and modeling. The best part about this course is that explains useful libraries( Pandas, Numpy, Scipy, and scikit-learn) and methods. But the lab assignments of this course are not well structured and need improvement.
Course 7- Data Visualization with Python
This course covers data visualization techniques like line graphs, pie charts, bar charts, and specialized visualizations like Waffle and Folium. But the final assignment of the course is tough to complete because the instructor didn’t explain too much about the assignment concepts in the course.
Course 8- IBM Data Analyst Capstone Project
This is the last course of this certification program where you have to apply various data analytics skills and techniques that you have learned throughout this program.
In this final Capstone Project, you have to collect data by scraping the internet and using web APIs, then you have to clean your dataset with various techniques, and after cleaning the data, you have to analyze the dataset to find the distribution of data, presence of outliers and the correlation between different columns.
And then you have to create visualizations using the developer survey data and create a dashboard using IBM Cognos Analytics.
And after completing these steps, you have to finally create a compelling story that helps to clarify your analysis in an easy-to-understand presentation. In short, this last capstone project is a good opportunity to practice almost all the concepts studied in this whole program.
You know what topics are covered in both certification programs.
Now it’s time to know which one is better for you.
My Recommendation: Google Data Analytics Certification vs IBM Data Analyst– Which One is Better?
I recommend Google Data Analytics Certification.
Why?
Because it has a network established of employers that are already going to accept this certificate in place of a degree equivalent. Another reason is that you will learn from data analysts and see what problems they are facing as data analysts daily and get to know about their experiences while learning.
A capstone project is the next reason. Because in Google Data Analytics Certification, you can choose your own dataset to build the capstone project. Along with that, you will also get interview tips and guidance, which is not provided by IBM Data Analyst Certification.
But, it doesn’t mean that IBM data analyst is not good. Especially if you are looking for a course in your native language or you want to learn Data Analytics using Python. But if we compare it with Google Data Analytics Certification, then Google Data Analytics Certification is much better than IBM Data Analyst.
Start Learning with Google Data Analytics Certification
Now you got your answer.
Conclusion
I hope this Google Data Analytics Certification vs IBM Data Analyst comparison has cleared your doubts and you can easily choose the one which suits you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me in the comment section. I am here to help you. And If you found this article helpful, share it with others to help them too.
All the Best!
Happy Learning!
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