Is Google UX Design Certificate Worth It?

[jobseeker_agogo]

I am hoping to move from a mostly backend role into a frontend role that has to interact with design teams. Basically I'm hoping to land a frontend role where the design matters, like a user-facing website. Eventually, I would like to move into something like a UX developer role which actually takes part in the UX design process while still being (at least partially) a programming job.

My background includes 5 years experience with both backend and frontend work, but is heavily skewed towards the backend. I am working on this also by trying to position myself for any frontend work that comes up, but that's a work-in-progress for sure.

Without a lot of frontend work to put on a resume, I'm looking for alternative ways to signal that I am motivated and capable of working in these kinds of roles. I was hoping that going through the UX Design certificate (on Coursera), and implementing the design projects that I would have to create as part of the program, would give me a resume filler and also some interesting projects to add to my portfolio site. My question is, given my background would this be worth my time, or is there a better way to signal that I am a strong candidate for the roles I'm going for?

[matthewwolfe]

My wife went completed the Google UX Cert on a faster schedule (couple months I think) and she really enjoyed it. She did a lot of searching and looked at university/college online programs in UI/UX and even signed up for one, but found the quality horrible and cancelled. The Google program she thought was much higher quality, although ultimately you get out of it what you put in.

[quantified]

When you compare the UX of a Google offering to others offering a similar feature set or business/leisure purpose, do you prefer the Google UX?

[tomcam → quantified]

This has zero to do with OP’s question, which is specifically about its desirability for potential future employers. Whom does it serve for you to ask this question?

[muzani → tomcam]

It sounds like a diplomatic way to say that many people wouldn't view a Google UX certification highly, lol.

[tomcam → muzani]

Then they could just say it and back up their opinion with experience. I could easily see it going either way, and have no idea which it is.

[quantified → tomcam]

I use a few Google products and their UX strikes me as weak. Documentation for developer tools that I need to use is often painful as well. That's not training, but if you're not good at explaining your design and code to another coder it doesn't bode well for explaining higher-level principles. If the hiring decision were up to me, I'd discount it.

[tomcam → quantified]

I agree completely. It has nothing to do with what OP wanted to know.

[dyeje]

I do fullstack, I got the Nielsen Norman Group UX Certification a few years ago and it has been brought up in interviews exactly 0 times, but I don’t go for design-y roles so YMMV. I think having a small portfolio makes a lot of sense.