Marco Grimaldi

L2 Managed Services Engineer @ NTT DATA · Language Teacher

5 minute read

🗃️ My Journey into Data: Why Taking on a New Challenge

Just a heads-up: This review reflects my personal experience only. It is not sponsored in any way.

ℹ️ Intro

In any profession, you’re expected to solve problems. But what if you could go a step further — anticipate them, prevent them, and even discover opportunities hidden in plain sight? That’s the power of data. Whether you’re managing a classroom, running a business, supporting customers, or working in IT, the ability to understand and act on data is becoming a core skill.

For me, this wasn’t about becoming a full-time Data Analyst. It was about future-proofing my career. In an era shaped by AI, automation, and ever-expanding datasets, data literacy is no longer reserved for technical roles. Teachers, project managers, marketers, healthcare professionals, and countless others can benefit from knowing how to collect, interpret, and visualize data to make better decisions.

I’ve always believed in lifelong learning and in making the most of accessible resources. Thanks to a grant from Experiencia Fundae, I decided to take on a new challenge and enrolled in the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate back in 2021. That choice opened a door to skills and perspectives that I now apply far beyond IT.

📚 The Analyst’s Toolkit: A Look at the Courses

The Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate is a nine-course program that guides you through the entire data analysis process — no prior experience required. The curriculum is designed to give you the skills and tools used by junior data analysts, from basic concepts to a real-world case study. While Google estimates a six-month completion time at a pace of 10 hours per week, I was able to dedicate more time and successfully finish the course in a shorter timeframe, while retaining all the needed content.

Here is a summary of the courses in the program:

  • Course 1: Foundations: Data, Data, Everywhere: This course introduces the foundational concepts of data analytics, the role of a data analyst, and the use of tools like spreadsheets, query languages, and data visualization.

  • Course 2: Ask Questions to Make Data-Driven Decisions: This course focuses on structured thinking and applying a problem-solving roadmap to analysis scenarios. It teaches the use of spreadsheets for basic data entry and organization.

  • Course 3: Prepare Data for Exploration: In this course, you’ll learn about data collection considerations, how to distinguish between biased and unbiased data, and best practices for organizing data and understanding databases.

  • Course 4: Process Data from Dirty to Clean: This course teaches you how to define data integrity, identify risks, and apply basic SQL functions and queries to clean data.

  • Course 5: Analyze Data to Answer Questions: This course focuses on organizing and formatting data using sorts and filters. It also teaches you how to use functions and syntax for SQL queries to combine data and perform calculations in spreadsheets.

  • Course 6: Share Data Through the Art of Visualization: This course covers using data visualizations to present data analysis results, identifying Tableau as a key visualization tool, and creating effective presentations.

  • Course 7: Data Analysis with R Programming: This course provides an introduction to the R programming language, including fundamental concepts, data visualization options, and basic formatting in R Markdown.

  • Course 8: Google Data Analytics Capstone: Complete a Case Study: The capstone course focuses on applying the data analysis process to a case study. It also discusses the use of case studies in communicating with recruiters and employers and offers new AI skills to boost data analytics abilities.

  • Course 9: Accelerate Your Job Search with AI: This optional course is part of all Google Career Certificates and teaches you how to use AI tools like Gemini and NotebookLM to create a job search plan, build a resume, and prepare for interviews.

🛠️ Key Skills and Tools Covered

This certificate is highly practical, focusing on tools and technologies used by data professionals in the real world. You will gain proficiency in:

  • Spreadsheets: Mastering data organization and foundational analysis.

  • SQL (Structured Query Language): Querying and manipulating data in relational databases.

  • R Programming: A powerful language for statistical computing and data visualization.

  • Tableau: A leading data visualization tool used to create interactive dashboards.

The program’s case study provides a perfect opportunity to apply all these skills to a real-world problem, creating a final project that you can also add to your professional portfolio.

📈 My Takeaways

My professional background is diverse, ranging from Audio Engineering and Language Teaching to IT Support. This breadth of experience has shown me that the knowledge I gained from the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate is directly applicable to my current role and my broader professional growth. Concepts like data cleaning, analysis, and visualization have given me a new perspective on problem-solving and efficiency. While you might not use every tool immediately, rest assured that once your perspective has been broadened, new use cases and possibilities will arise.

As I’ve seen with other Google Professional Certificates, this course’s focus on structured learning and hands-on projects made the transition into complex data concepts smooth and engaging. The biggest lesson I learned is that data literacy is a universal skill. It’s no longer just for analysts — it’s for every professional who wants to make smarter decisions. This journey has given me the confidence to not only understand data but to use it as a powerful tool for innovation and continuous improvement in any role I hold. With hindsight, I would say that it may well be of great help in the classroom and in educational settings to better tailor a curriculum to the learner’s or group’s needs, for instance.

In conclusion, the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to upskill in the data space, whether they’re aiming for a career change or, like me, simply want to broaden their knowledge to enhance their proficiency in their current role.

Disclaimer: This article is solely based on my personal account. I have not received any endorsement from Google or any related party. I aim to share insights that may help others assess whether the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate aligns with their own objectives and needs. Whenever possible, I also encourage you to look into available scholarships or community resources that may foster lifelong learning for a more accessible educational experience.

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