
{"id":13354,"date":"2022-05-18T16:52:37","date_gmt":"2022-05-18T14:52:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/?p=13354"},"modified":"2023-05-11T08:22:27","modified_gmt":"2023-05-11T06:22:27","slug":"google-ux-certificate-vs-careerfoundry-ux-design-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/ux-design\/google-ux-certificate-vs-careerfoundry-ux-design-program\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s the Difference Between the Google UX Design Certificate and the CareerFoundry UX Design Program?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So you\u2019re looking at dipping your toe in the world of UX design and taking a course. Nice! Two of the most popular online offerings these days are from Grow with Google (via Coursera) and CareerFoundry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While there are many <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/ux-design\/ux-design-course-online\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">online UX design courses<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> out there, this article will serve as a comparison for those trying to decide between these two in particular.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To take a nuanced look at the Google UX Design Certificate and the <a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/courses\/become-a-ux-designer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CareerFoundry UX Design Program<\/a>, we\u2019re going to begin by exploring each curriculum, style of assessing work, course focus, and price. Lastly, we\u2019ll help you get some perspective when asking yourself which course is better suited to you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By the end, you should have a much better overview of each program, as well as where you can go with them. This should help you choose in which direction your UX journey is headed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019d like to skip ahead, just use the clickable menu:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#curriculum-design\">Curriculum design<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#assessment-peer-reviews-vs-dual-mentorship\">Assessment: Peer reviews vs dual mentorship<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#course-focus\">Course focus<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#learning-schedule\">Learning schedule<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#learning-platform\">Learning platform<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#job-assistance\">Job assistance<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#price\">Price<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#which-one-is-best-for-me\">Which one is best for me?<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#final-thoughts\">Final thoughts<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>We recommend you consider all of the factors carefully, but for those in a hurry, we&#8217;ve listed an overview of the differences between the two programs:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-18678 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Table_Google-vs-CF_UX.png\" alt=\"A chart comparing the Google UX Design Certificate with the CareerFoundry UX Design Program.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1710\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Table_Google-vs-CF_UX.png 1200w, https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Table_Google-vs-CF_UX-211x300.png 211w, https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Table_Google-vs-CF_UX-719x1024.png 719w, https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Table_Google-vs-CF_UX-768x1094.png 768w, https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Table_Google-vs-CF_UX-1078x1536.png 1078w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And watch this video review from UX designer Aliena Cai to find out about her favorite:<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-container\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vW2t3JVVViQ\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>Now, let&#8217;s explore the different program criteria in detail, starting with what you&#8217;ll be taught.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"curriculum-design\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Curriculum design<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google UX Design Certificate curriculum<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Essentially, the curriculum of the Google UX Certificate is broken down into seven parts:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Foundations of UX Design<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start the UX Design Process: Empathize, Define, and Ideate<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Build Wireframes and Low-Fidelity Prototypes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conduct UX Research and Test Early Concepts<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create High-Fidelity Designs and Prototypes in Figma<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Responsive Web Design in Adobe XD<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Design a User Experience for Social Good and Prepare for Jobs<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can access all course content freely as a viewer, but will need to take the paid course on Coursera in order to participate in assessment, review, and receive your certification.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These courses are designed to give beginners a gentle introduction to the field of UX design, starting with general concepts, clearly stated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This turns out to be a blessing and a curse: at times, the Google Certificate appears to sacrifice interest for clarity. Students may get turned off and become disengaged by the use of generalizations and broadness. Without specific industry-based examples, this can also make it harder for students to remember the information.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One can see here a more general issue with the course, which could be called the \u201cGoogleification\u201d of UX design.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While it mightn\u2019t come as a surprise, this curriculum is designed to teach you to become a Google UX designer, not a UX designer in\u2026well\u2026the rest of the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The danger with this is that students are graduating with an inaccurate picture of the UX world at large, what is required for certain UX positions, and so on.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;d like to know more you can read <a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/ux-design\/ux-designer-job-descriptions-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">our guide to different UX job descriptions.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CareerFoundry UX Design Program curriculum<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At CareerFoundry, the curriculum is created in-house by subject-matter experts. These experts are UX design professionals in different industries, based around the world. They work with instructional designers and editors to create learning materials and project briefs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The goal of this is to equip UX design students with the relevant industry knowledge and skills to get them hired. Because UX is a constantly-evolving field, these experts work at regularly updating the curriculum\u2014something not in evidence in the Google Certificate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The curriculum is divided into three stages: Intro to UX Design, UX Design Immersion, and a specialization of your choice. Let\u2019s take a brief look at each of them.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Intro to UX Design<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Intro to UX Design section takes you through the basic building blocks of user experience design, from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/ux-design\/what-is-design-thinking-everything-you-need-to-know-to-get-started\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">design thinking<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/ux-design\/a-beginners-guide-to-information-architecture\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">information architecture<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, to wireframing and prototyping.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX Immersion<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the main UX Immersion section, your progress is broken into six parts, called Achievements:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Achievement 1: Thinking like a UXer<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Achievement 2: Understanding the User<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Achievement 3: Foundational Design<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Achievement 4: Usability Testing<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Achievement 5: Refining the Design<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Achievement 6: End-to-End Design<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can see a detailed breakdown of what each of these Achievements are made up of in the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/courses\/become-a-ux-designer\/course-details\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Course Details<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> page.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX Specialization<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After that, students can choose a UX specialization course to really dive deep into an aspect of the field that interests them. There are currently three to choose from:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Voice User Interface Design (VUI)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UI for UX Designers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Frontend Development for Designers<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To see how students themselves find it, check out this video review by one of our graduates, Cyn Val:<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<style>.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }<\/style>\n<div class=\"embed-container\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/L2XEF-aA6Lw\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 20px; width: 100%;\"><\/div>\n<h2 id=\"assessment-peer-reviews-vs-dual-mentorship\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Assessment styles: Peer reviews vs dual mentorship\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google UX Design Certificate assessment style<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Google UX course is made up of videos, mini quizzes, reading material, writing assignments, and a final quiz.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using a peer-graded assessment system, students are encouraged to take part in forums. Unfortunately, peer-graded systems can result in superficial level feedback that can feel forced at times.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While cost-effective for Google (and, in turn, the Coursera students), peer-graded assessment can be problematic in a number of ways. If your fellow students are reviewing your work (and you theirs), this can lead to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Incorrectly low grades<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: this can happen when the student reviewer lacks the competence to fully understand the task<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Falsely high grades:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> when the student reviewer fears getting a low grade from their fellow students for <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">their<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> work, so gives overly generous grades to others<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This can be solved by employing seasoned UX design professionals to grade assessments, who can not only apply their experience and expertise to understanding the task given, but also know what\u2019s expected of UX designers in the field.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CareerFoundry UX Design Program assessment style<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conversely, CareerFoundry\u2019s assessment style is based around what we call the Dual Mentorship model.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This model pairs students with not one, but two UX design experts:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Your mentor:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a seasoned and influential professional, hand-picked to provide industry insights, review your portfolio projects, and offer guidance on how to succeed in UX.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Your tutor:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a course expert who actively works in the field of UX and provides individual feedback on your course assignments within 24 hours.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019d like to learn more why this mentorship is vital to a successful design career, we have a full guide about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/ux-design\/ux-design-mentor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the importance of having a UX design mentor<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"course-focus\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Course focus<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/ux-design\/best-ux-design-schools\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">considering a UX design school<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it\u2019s important to think about how much the course focus can affect the type of designer you will become.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google UX Certificate course focus<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unsurprisingly, the course is very Google-focused.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What this means is that the course is designed in a certain way for Google, and not necessarily how a UX designer would work\u2014either in a different startup or in other industries.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This can lead to complications, such as with naming conventions. Often, Google\u2019s names for design terms are quite different to the common <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/ux-design\/ux-design-glossary\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX design glossary<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> used by the rest of the industry. An example of this could be referring to UI kits (part of your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/ux-design\/ux-resources-for-beginners\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX design survival toolkit<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) as \u201csticker sheets\u201d without mentioning the common term.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It makes sense that Google is trying to teach you UX design in their own way, but it also helps to be aware of how it differs from the field at large.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CareerFoundry UX Design Program course focus<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we touched on earlier, the CareerFoundry curriculum is industry-focused. This means that this starts with our team researching UX designer job ads from across the world, identifying the skills desired by companies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This method ensures that the skills you will be learning as part of the UX design program are up-to-date and valued by the industry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By working with dedicated subject-matter experts to flesh out and build the program, as well as to regularly audit the programs, this ensures that the courses are filled with real-world expertise.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"learning-schedule\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Learning schedule<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both CareerFoundry and Google\u2019s UX offerings are <\/span><b>asynchronous <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><b>self-paced<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This means that you can take the assignments and watch the instructor videos in your own time, at your own pace.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In terms of broader timings, the Google Certificate takes roughly six months to complete at 10 hours per week, but it is possible to get it completed in much less time, depending on your study schedule.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CareerFoundry UX Design Program can be taken full-time to complete in 5.5 months (studying 30-40 hours per week), or part-time to complete in 11 months (studying 15-20 hours per week).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-13355 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ux_program_dashboard.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of the inside of the CareerFoundry student platform, showing a sample UX Design student.\" width=\"1162\" height=\"666\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ux_program_dashboard.png 1162w, https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ux_program_dashboard-300x172.png 300w, https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ux_program_dashboard-1024x587.png 1024w, https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ux_program_dashboard-768x440.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1162px) 100vw, 1162px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As you can see in this image, the course progress bar is just one way to ensure you remain on track in the flexibly-paced CareerFoundry UX Design Program.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"learning-platform\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5. Learning platform<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google UX Design Certificate<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For their UX Certificate, Google uses the Coursera platform. Coursera offers a massive range of other courses and certificates, currently standing at over 5,000 offerings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the Google Certificate, this wide range can be a drawback. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/uxdesign.cc\/is-the-google-ux-course-any-good-f736a54c3f70\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Several reviews<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www-creativejuiz-fr.translate.goog\/blog\/ux-experience-utilisateur\/certification-google-ux-design-vaut-elle-le-coup?_x_tr_sl=fr&amp;_x_tr_tl=en&amp;_x_tr_hl=en&amp;_x_tr_pto=sc#issues-coursera\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">different people<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> found bad UX throughout the platform.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While it might not rank in any <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/ux-design\/10-classic-ux-design-fails\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">top list of UX design fails<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it can seriously irk students, and the fact that this is a UX design course being taught, and one with the vast resources of Google behind it makes it far from ideal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are learning UX design from scratch, the impression that this creates of what UX design itself can be<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> potentially off-putting and can have a negative impact further down the line<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. You might start thinking, \u201cOh, this is fine, Google endorses it\u201d and adapt your own best practices accordingly.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CareerFoundry UX Design Program<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In contrast, the CareerFoundry learning platform is custom-built: designed in-house, and based on research as well as feedback from real students. Custom features emphasized are user-friendliness and an intuitive learning experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13379\" src=\"http:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/CF_Intro_to_UX_design_platform.png\" alt=\"A screenshot of inside the CareerFoundry Intro to UX Design course, looking at the student portal&#039;s first exercise overview.\" width=\"2880\" height=\"1528\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/CF_Intro_to_UX_design_platform.png 2880w, https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/CF_Intro_to_UX_design_platform-300x159.png 300w, https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/CF_Intro_to_UX_design_platform-1024x543.png 1024w, https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/CF_Intro_to_UX_design_platform-768x407.png 768w, https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/CF_Intro_to_UX_design_platform-1536x815.png 1536w, https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/CF_Intro_to_UX_design_platform-2048x1087.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2880px) 100vw, 2880px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"job-assistance\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6. Job assistance<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some may be just interested in taking a UX design course out of curiosity for the discipline.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Given the high demand for UX designers in the past few years however, even more are looking to take a course in order to change careers to a UX design role. For these, whether a course offers job assistance and what level it offers are major factors when deciding.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google UX Certificate<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The final section of the Google Certificate course promises to prepare you for the job market through giving you an insight into interview techniques (with Googlers sharing their interview experiences presumably with, well, Google) and a mock-interview resource.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CareerFoundry UX Design Program<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Towards the end of the CareerFoundry UX Program, three important things take place:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Students gain access to the<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Job Preparation Course, which helps students develop the necessary skills and resources to conduct an effective job search.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They gain access to the Career Support Center, a hub of the CareerFoundry platform where students and graduates can get an overview of their job applications, and access useful resources, Slack groups, and job boards.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most importantly, students get to meet their dedicated career specialist. These work with students on everything: from job search strategies, to interview prep, to advice on the current UX job market.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having the support of an experienced UX professional with you every step of the way can also help open some doors, as well as giving you the confidence to push open those doors yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"price\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">7. Price<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google UX Certificate<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To take this course, you simply need to sign up and pay Coursera\u2019s regular monthly fee of $39 per month. Given the course typically takes at least six months to complete, that adds up to <\/span><b>$234<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CareerFoundry UX Design Program<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A different beast, the complete CareerFoundry UX Design Program starts from $7,900, but the cost of the tuition is dependent on your location and is competitively priced. A range of flexible payment options include paying upfront, or getting a small course discount. <a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/connect\/ux-design-contact-advisor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Contact CareerFoundry<\/a> <\/span>\u00a0to find out your local pricing and if there are any partial scholarships available.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This program also comes with a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/job-guarantee\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Job Guarantee<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, setting it apart from many of its competitors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How does the Job Guarantee work? Well, if students follow job search advice and meet certain requirements, CareerFoundry promises that they\u2019ll get a tech job within 180 days of graduation\u2014or their money back.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another study option is their 1-month <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/courses\/ux-fundamentals\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Intro to UX Design course<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which you can take as a standalone, costing $690. If they like, students can then move from there into the rest of the full program. Because they\u2019ve already worked through the introduction, they\u2019ll receive a tuition credit for the rest of the full course.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"which-one-is-best-for-me\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">8. Which one is best for me?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026unfortunately, life doesn\u2019t really work that way. As we\u2019ve discussed before when <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/ux-design\/best-ux-design-certification-programs\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">comparing UX design certification programs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the amount of choice in the market today means so much depends on your own personal needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead, it might be useful to ask yourself the following questions:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Where do you want to take yourself in the world of UX design, or: How deep do you want to dive?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re looking more to explore UX as a small side project with less investment, then the Google UX Design Certificate could be more useful for you. If you\u2019re a largely self-taught UXer who is looking to cover any potential knowledge gaps, it serves as a decent refresher of the basics.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, if you\u2019ve dabbled in UX, realized it\u2019s for you and want to take that training further, then the CareerFoundry UX Design Program is better suited. Its built-in network of dedicated mentors, tutors, and career specialists provides the support and accountability necessary for you to get your first job in UX design, and the ones after that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What type and quality of instruction do you prefer? How do you prefer to learn?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you like learning to your own schedule, at your own pace, then both of these courses are suited to you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you prefer a more collaborative learning environment, both offer this\u2014but to vastly differing degrees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some Google Certificate students have found the course lacking in human interaction, apart from occasionally being encouraged to post thoughts in a student forum.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is comparatively much more community support in the CareerFoundry program, as it\u2019s one of the institution\u2019s core values. CareerFoundry students are not on their own once they\u2019re enrolled. As well as regular communication with their mentor and tutor, students have access to a large and active community of fellow learners, resources, and events.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>How much mentorship and guidance would you like?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re just wanting to casually learn about the field of UX design for your own enjoyment, then this shouldn\u2019t really be a factor for you. For the rest, this is one aspect of your professional development that you won\u2019t want to overlook.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you just want another person to let you know that you are vaguely on the right track with your coursework, then the peer assessment offered by the Google UX Certificate might be enough.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to work as a professional UX designer one day and want to know if what you\u2019re doing is up to that standard, then the professional feedback offered by your mentor and tutor is what you need.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"final-thoughts\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">9. Final thoughts<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, which should you opt for? This, of course, depends on your own needs, learning style, resources, and where you are on your UX journey.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead of \u201cGoogle UX Certificate or CareerFoundry UX Design Program\u2014which one is the best?\u201d the big question you should actually ask is \u201c<\/span><b>Which UX design course is right for me?<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re starting out as a complete novice and just want to check out what UX design is without investing more than a few hundred dollars, then the Google Certificate could be up your street.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, it\u2019s useful to go into it with your eyes open, looking out for where the course skews towards Google design instead of UX design, among other things.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, if you\u2019re asking: \u201cIs the Google Certificate itself enough to allow me to bag a UX designer job upon completion?\u201d the answer is probably not. The certificate should give you the confidence and foundational skills to continue learning and building your UX projects, but it will not necessarily enable you to walk into a UX designer job.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sure, both will have covered the basics of UX, but one will have allowed you to specialize, having a sure footing in the field, reinforced by the support of the Dual Mentorship model.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One will have sent you out looking to get into the field of UX design with a certificate, the beginnings of a portfolio and some interview tips.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The other will have you graduating with a polished portfolio already reviewed by your career specialist, with the support of the CareerFoundry alumni community\u2014not to mention the security of a Job Guarantee backing you up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get a free taste<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our last piece of advice is that you can get a taster of both of these courses for free.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can get seven days of the Google Certificate for free with the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coursera.support\/s\/article\/115001278026-Free-trials-for-subscriptions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coursera trial<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (payment details required), and CareerFoundry offers a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/short-courses\/become-a-ux-designer\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">free, no-strings seven-day UX Design Short Course<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to introduce you to the field, as well as what to expect in the full program.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So why not try before you buy? If you\u2019re still not sure after that, then you can <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/connect\/ux-design-program\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">chat to one of our career advisors<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to see whether the CareerFoundry UX Design Program is for you. The call is just a consultation, and there\u2019s no pressure to commit.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>So you\u2019re looking at dipping your toe in the world of UX design and taking a course. Nice! Two of the most popular online offerings these days are from Grow with Google (via Coursera) and CareerFoundry. While there are many online UX design courses out there, this article will serve as a comparison for those [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":108,"featured_media":13376,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ux-design"],"acf":{"homepage_category_featured":false},"modified_by":"Matthew Deery","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13354"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30059,"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13354\/revisions\/30059"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}