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Quick answer
Yes, for complete beginners who want a first job on a help desk: the Google IT Support Professional Certificate is a clear, finishable route into IT support, and we rate it 3.7 out of 5. Its six courses cover technical support, networking, operating systems, system administration, IT security and a job search with AI, at 122 hours by Coursera's course cards, with no prior experience or coding required. It ends in a Google certificate; CompTIA A+ is a separate set of exams. If you already know the basics, Google's IT Automation with Python certificate is the next step.
- Recommended for
- complete beginners aiming at a help-desk or IT support job
- Credential
- Google Career Certificate via Coursera — CompTIA A+ is a separate pair of CompTIA exams
- Skip it if
- you already work in IT, or want to write code rather than support systems
- Our assessment
- Strong — the reasoning is under the button below
Check price & enrol on Coursera →
Why we score it 3.7 / 5
Google's six-course programme for beginners, with no prior experience required: technical support fundamentals, computer networking, operating systems, system administration, IT security and a job-search course using AI, at 122 hours by Coursera's course cards. We value a clear, finishable route into help-desk work and a Google certificate the page pairs with CompTIA A+ for a dual credential. What holds the score down is cost and currency: the page states no price of its own and no update date, and the A+ exams are booked and paid for separately.
3.9 / 5 learning score — our reading of the published curriculum4.0 / 5 credential score — our reading of who issues it
Curriculum currency 3.6 · Completion realism 4.2 · Skill value 3.9 · Employer recognition 4.0 · Cost & value 3.0 — the score is the average of these five, each out of five.
Scored with AI assistance against our published rubric, from what the provider publishes; the editor is responsible for the rubric and for every published score. What our scores can and cannot tell you.
Provider facts for this entry were last checked on 2026-11-04.
This review covers what the Google IT Support Certificate teaches in each of its six courses, what it costs and asks of you, how it compares with the other Google programmes we review, and who should take something else.
What is the Google IT Support Certificate?
It is a Coursera Professional Certificate made by Google, one of the programmes Google sells as its Career Certificates. Coursera's FAQ answers the background question with “None!”, and its instructor is listed as Google Career Certificates. It ends in a shareable certificate from Google.
It teaches the work of an entry-level IT support specialist: how computers, the internet and software work, assembling a computer and installing an operating system, troubleshooting and customer service, networking from TCP/IP to DNS and DHCP, Windows and Linux administration, directory services such as Active Directory, backups and disaster recovery, and IT security. Coursera's FAQ says it aligns with the objectives of CompTIA's A+ certification.
On 4 November 2026 the page showed 2,208,988 learners already enrolled and an average of 4.8 stars from 216,077 reviews, an average across its courses rather than a rating of the certificate as a whole. The page shows no date for its latest update.
What do the six courses cover?
The six courses in the programme, in the order Google and Coursera list them:
- Technical Support Fundamentals
- The Bits and Bytes of Computer Networking
- Operating Systems and You: Becoming a Power User
- System Administration and IT Infrastructure Services
- IT Security: Defense against the digital dark arts
- Accelerate Your Job Search with AI
The page recommends taking the courses in order, because each builds on the last.
- Support fundamentals (course 1). The binary system, computer hardware and assembling a computer, installing an operating system, how the internet and applications work, and the problem-solving and customer-service side of the job.
- Networking (course 2). The five-layer model of a network, the protocols behind TCP/IP, network services such as DNS and DHCP, cloud basics and network troubleshooting.
- Operating systems (course 3). The Windows and Linux file systems through both the graphical interface and the command line, users and permissions, installing software, disk partitions, processes and logs. It has the longest course card in the programme.
- System administration (course 4). Moving from one computer to a fleet: infrastructure services, servers, cloud resources, Active Directory and OpenLDAP, backups and recovering from a disaster.
- IT security and AI (course 5). Encryption, authentication, authorisation and accounting, network security from firewalls to Wi-Fi encryption, and a section Google labels “New AI skills”: using AI for troubleshooting, documentation, routine tasks and spotting security risks.
- The job search (course 6). Accelerate Your Job Search with AI uses Google's Gemini to build a CV and practise interviews; the page says all Google Career Certificates include it as an optional course.
The practice is hands-on, through labs and interactive exercises. No course teaches programming. The page's tool tags list Ruby, Git and Chef, which none of the course descriptions mention; go by the course list, not the tags. Scripting and automation are the subject of Google's separate IT Automation with Python certificate.
How long does it take, and what does it cost?
Time. The Google IT Support Certificate runs to 122 hours by Coursera's course cards, across six courses. Coursera's headline gives a pace instead, three months at 10 hours a week. The operating systems course is where a beginner should expect to slow down.
Cost. The page states no price of its own. Coursera shows the price for your country when you enrol, and the programme is included in Coursera Plus.
If the fee is the barrier. Coursera's financial aid is a discount, not a free pass: you apply course by course from each course's page, Coursera says a decision can take up to 16 days, and starting a free trial cancels a pending application, so choose one route. Our Coursera financial aid guide walks through it.
Credential. What you earn is Google's certificate. The page says that if you complete it and also pass the CompTIA A+ exams, you get a dual CompTIA and Google credential; the A+ exams are booked and paid for separately with CompTIA. The page also mentions an ACE credit recommendation but gives two different figures for it, so we publish neither; ask the college you have in mind what it accepts.
Check the price & enrol on Coursera →Where this price comes from
We list the cost as Coursera Plus subscription (priced per country). Source: Coursera programme page, read 2026-11-04: no price is stated on the page; it reads "Included with Coursera Plus", and the price is set by country at enrolment. Where we give a figure, the source says when we read it on the provider's page. We re-read prices by hand and publish no figure we cannot source — where a provider prices regionally, we say so rather than quote a number that is wrong for most readers.
Pros and cons
✓ What we liked
- Assumes no experience at all, and asks for no coding
- A clear, finishable route through the work of a help desk
- A Google certificate the page pairs with CompTIA A+ for a dual credential
- Included in Coursera Plus, with AI skills for support tasks in course 5
✕ What to keep in mind
- CompTIA A+ is not included: separate exams, booked and paid for on their own
- The page states no price of its own and no update date
- One security course; no scripting or automation
- With 2,208,988 enrolled, the certificate alone will not set you apart
Who should take it, and who should skip it?
Take it if you are starting from nothing and want a first job in IT support or on a help desk; if you want a structured grounding in hardware, networking and operating systems before choosing a specialism; or if you plan to sit CompTIA A+ and want a guided start.
Skip it if you already work in IT, because most of it will be revision. Skip it, too, if you want to write code rather than support systems: Google's IT Automation with Python certificate teaches that instead. And if security is where you want to end up, the Google Cybersecurity Certificate goes there directly.
How it compares with other Google programmes
Google IT Automation with Python. The Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate, which we rate 3.9 out of 5, is the next step rather than an alternative: an Advanced-level programme at 134 hours by Coursera's course cards that teaches Python for automating IT work. The IT Support page itself points to it for learners who want to build on their foundations.
Google Cybersecurity. The Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate, which we rate 4.0 out of 5, runs to 132 hours by Coursera's course cards and aims at security analyst roles, with Linux, SQL, Python and SIEM tools. IT Support is the gentler start and teaches the networking and operating systems a security analyst also needs; choose Cybersecurity if you already know that security is your goal.
Does the certificate get you a job?
On its own, rarely. The certificate carries Google's name, but hiring still turns on what you can show and how you handle a support conversation. Coursera's page says that on completion you can directly apply for jobs with Google and over 150 U.S. employers; that widens where you can apply, and the interview still decides it. If an advert asks for CompTIA A+, this programme aligns with it but does not award it.
Add one project of your own: a home lab with a small network you set up and documented, a computer you rebuilt and the steps you took, or a short troubleshooting guide for a problem you solved for someone. Our guide to AI certifications for IT support covers what to learn next.
Is the Google IT Support Certificate worth it?
For someone who has never worked in IT, it does what it promises. We rate it 3.7 out of 5. Six courses take you from binary and hardware to Active Directory and network security without asking for any coding, and the certificate can be paired with CompTIA A+ for a dual credential. It loses marks because Coursera's page shows no price of its own and no date for its latest update, and because A+ means separate exams, booked and paid for with CompTIA.
If you already know your way round a computer and a network, go straight to Google's IT Automation with Python certificate, or to the Google Cybersecurity Certificate if security is the goal.
Ready to start?
Sold on Coursera at the price for your country, on its own or as part of Coursera Plus, whose pricing page compares the plans.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Google IT Support Certificate worth it?
Yes, if you are starting from zero and want a first job in IT support. We rate it 3.7 out of 5: its six courses take a beginner through support, networking, operating systems, system administration and security with hands-on labs, and it ends in a certificate with Google's name on it.
It is not worth it if you already work in IT, because most of it will be revision, or if you want to write code; Google's IT Automation with Python certificate teaches that.
Whatever you decide, pair the certificate with one project of your own; a documented home lab does more for an application than a second certificate.
How long does the Google IT Support Certificate take?
It runs to 122 hours by Coursera's course cards, across six courses. Coursera's headline gives a pace rather than a length, three months at 10 hours a week.
Your own time depends on where you start. Someone who already builds computers will move through the first course quickly; the operating systems course, the longest, is where most beginners slow down.
How much does the Google IT Support Certificate cost?
The page states no price of its own. Coursera shows the price for your country when you enrol, and the programme is included in Coursera Plus. If enrolment opens with a free trial, the certificate still comes with a paid subscription, not with the trial.
If the fee is the barrier, Coursera's financial aid is a discount you apply for one course at a time from each course's page. Coursera says a decision can take up to 16 days, and starting a free trial cancels a pending application, so pick one route.
Our Coursera financial aid guide sets out the steps, and our guide to Coursera's free trial and preview explains what each option opens.
Does the Google IT Support Certificate prepare you for CompTIA A+?
Coursera's FAQ says the programme aligns with the objectives of CompTIA's A+ certification, and that if you complete the certificate and pass the A+ exams you get a dual credential from CompTIA and Google.
The A+ exams are separate: you book and pay for them with CompTIA. The FAQ suggests downloading CompTIA's exam objectives when you finish, to check that you have studied everything before you sit them.
Do you need experience or coding for the Google IT Support Certificate?
No. Asked what background knowledge is necessary, Coursera's FAQ answers “None!”, and adds that the programme suits people completely new to the field as well as those who have had some exposure to IT.
None of the six courses teaches programming; the operating systems course uses the Windows and Linux command line, which is as close as it comes. Scripting is the subject of Google's separate IT Automation with Python certificate, which the IT Support page points to for learners who want to build on their foundations.
Is the Google IT Support Certificate enough to get a job?
Rarely on its own. Coursera's FAQ says that on completion you will have the option to share your information with top employers hiring entry-level IT professionals, and the page says you can “directly apply for jobs with Google and over 150 U.S. employers”. That gives you places to apply; the interview still turns on how you troubleshoot and how you talk to a user with a problem.
Bring something to show: a home network you set up and documented, a computer you rebuilt, or a troubleshooting guide for a problem you solved for someone. If an advert asks for CompTIA A+, the certificate aligns with it but does not award it.