12 Best Coursera Professional Certificates for IT Professionals in 2024 [UPDATED]

Hello guys, If you are thinking of a career in Information Technology and Software Development in 2024 but lack a Computer Science degree or a Professional degree then you don't need to disappoint. Coursera's professional certificates can give you all the knowledge and credential to start a career in Information Technology. If you don't know, Coursera launched Professional Certificates recently which can help you get job-ready for an in-demand career field in less than a year. You can earn a career credential, apply your knowledge to hands-on projects that showcase your skills for employers and get access to career support resources.

Many of Coursera's professional certificates also provide a pathway to industry-recognized certification. Since this is a very new concept, I thought to blog about it and share whatever I know. It's very similar to Coursera Specialization, which also bundles relevant courses to teach you a skill and awards a certificate once you completed all the assignments and project work.

In fact, they have taken the Specialization to the next level by introducing Professional certificates. With these certificates, Coursera intends to bring affordable, career-aligned training programs taught by expert instructors from top companies and universities to the general public.

It's also very affordable as you can start pursuing your career dreams today with programs starting at $39 USD per month and a 7-day free trial. If you just want to learn then there are many courses where you can even join for free.

Alternatively, you can also opt for Coursera Plus, a subscription plan from Coursera which gives you unlimited access to 7000+ Coursera courses, projects, Specialization, and Professional certifications for $59 per month or $399 per annum. If you are taking more than one course or certification in Coursera, then I highly recommend you to join Coursera Plus. 

Update: At the moment, they are also offering Coursera Plus for just $199 per year but only this special link, if you want to join Coursera, this is probably the best time. Here is the link to get your discount, but this offer is only for limited time and may expire soon. 

Top 12 Coursera Professional Certificates to Advance your Career in 2024

Anyway, here are some of the most popular professional certificates from Coursera to give your career a boost or kick-start your career to a completely different path.

1. Google IT Automation with Python by Google

This is one of the most in-demand professional certifications in Coursera and why not? It will teach you Python, one of the top programming languages of the world which can be used for automation, data science, scripting, web development, desktop development, and whatnot. 

This is a great certification for beginners who wants to start their career in IT because it's designed and provided by Google and it will teach you key tech skills like Python, Git, and Automation to advance your career. 

The best thing about this course is that you will learn how to write code to solve real-world problems which is a crucial skill and open the door of opportunity for you. The certification is made of 6 courses and once you complete all of them, including assignment and assessment you will be rewarded a Certificate from Google and Coursera. 

If you are new to the IT world, I highly recommend this professional certification from Coursera. 

2. Google IT Support Professional Certificate

If you want to make a career in IT, then this is one of the best professional certificates you can get. It's offered by none other than Google, one of the most known IT companies in the world.

This program is designed to take beginner learners to job readiness in under six months and more than 90,492 have already enrolled! on this program.

Coursera also offers financial aid for this program. This five-course certificate has an innovative curriculum designed by Google to prepare you for an entry-level role in IT support.

A job in IT can mean in-person or remote help desk work in a small business or at a global company like Google. This is also Coursera and Google's best and most popular Professional certificate and is trusted by thousands of people who joined this professional certificate and started their career in IT Support. 

3. IBM Data Science Professional Certificate

If you want to start your Career in Data Science & ML, then this is an excellent professional certificate for you. Data Science has been ranked as one of the hottest professions and the demand for data scientists is booming.

This Professional Certificate from IBM is intended for anyone interested in developing skills and experience to pursue a career in Data Science or Machine Learning. It will teach you all the necessary technology a Data Science professional needs like Python and SQL, analyze and visualize data, build machine learning models.

More than 76,173 students have already enrolled in this program, and just in case if you need it, financial aid is also available.

4. Google Cloud Architecture with GCP Professional Certificate

If you want to advance your career in cloud architecture, then this is the best professional certificate for you. It's offered by none other than Google Cloud, which means you will be learning from the source.

If you don't know the Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect certification was ranked one of the top-paying IT certifications of 2019 by Global Knowledge, and there is a huge demand for Google Certified professionals as more and more companies are moving towards Cloud

This is also a very hands-on program as you'll learn how to deploy solution elements, including infrastructure components such as networks, systems, and applications services, and you'll gain real-world experience through a number of hands-on Qwiklabs projects that you can share with potential employers.

5. SAS Programmer Professional Certificate

If you want to launch your career with a SAS® Credential then you have come to the right place. This professional certificate offered by none other than SAS and Coursera will not only help you to master the skills required for the SAS® Base Programmer certification, but also give you the recognition you need to secure job interviews.

After completing the SAS® Base Programming courses, you will learn skills in manipulating and transforming data, combining SAS data sets, creating essential detail and summary reports using SAS procedures, and identifying and correcting data, syntax, and programming logic errors.

These skills prepare you for the SAS® Base Programmer certification exam.

6. IBM Applied AI Professional Certificate

If you want to kick start your career with Artificial Intelligence then this is an excellent certification, to begin with. If you don't know, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming our world. Whether you’re a student, developer, or technology consultant, understanding AI, and knowing how to create AI-powered applications can give you an edge in your career.

This Professional Certificate, offered by IBM, one of the most reputed global IT companies, is designed to arm you with the skills to work as an AI Application Developer. More than 2,611 students have already enrolled in this program.

New Best Coursera Professional certifications from Google, IBM, and Facebook for 2024

So far, we have covered the most popular professional certifications from Coursera but last year Google, Facebook, IBM, and Salesforce have launched a few more interesting certifications in Data Analytics, Project Management, UI and UX Design, Marketing, Cyber Security, Cloud Computing, and Fullstack development.

Here is a list of the best of them. 

1. Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate [486,000 already enrolled]
2. Google Project Management: Professional Certificate [332K enrolled]
3. Google UX Design Professional Certificate [270K Students]
4. IBM Cybersecurity Analyst Professional Certificate [52K learners]
5. IBM Full Stack Cloud Developer Professional Certificate [17K learners]
6. Facebook Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate [75K learners]

If any of these subjects interest you want to start your career in Cyber Security, UI Design, Project Management, Cloud Computing, and Fullstack development then you can check out those Coursera professional certifications, particularly from Google, IBM, and Facebook. 

That's all about some of the best professional certificates on Coursera for IT Professionals. I have purposefully chosen the most popular ones and also kept the demand in mind. The list includes professional documents on IT support, Data Science, AI, Google Cloud, and SAS, which are in-demand skills.

These professional certificates will not only give you experience and knowledge but also recognition. So, if you want to kickstart your career in IT support, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Google Cloud Platform, or SAS, go for these certificates.

By the way, if you find Coursera specialization and certifications useful then I suggest you join Coursera Plus, a great subscription plan from Coursera which gives you unlimited access to their most popular courses, specialization, professional certificate, and guided projects. It cost around $399/year but it's completely worth your money as you get unlimited certificates.


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Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these best Coursera Professional certificates, then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback, then please drop a note.

P. S. - If you are looking for the best free Coursera courses to learn Python, SQL, Data Science, Cloud Computing, and much more then you can also check out this list of 15 Best Free Coursera courses which includes free courses to learn algorithms, SQL, Cloud Computing and Data Science.