Career Forward

Propel your career forward

Learn job-ready skills and start a new career in under six months with help from Google Career Certificates.

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About Career Forward

Career Forward is a new learner-to-earner program that can help you level up your career for free. Gain industry-recognized skills through a Google Career Certificate in data analytics, IT support, project management, user experience (UX) design, and digital marketing & e-commerce. Then you’ll connect with ready-to-hire employers.

Google Career Certificates offer flexible, online training for in-demand jobs and no prior education or experience is required to enroll. Regardless of where you are in your career journey — or where in the world you’re currently located — Career Forward can work for you.

Grow Your Career
Learn Job-Ready Skills
  • Earn a Google Career Certificate
    As a Career Forward learner, you'll enroll in a Google Career Certificate program of your choice. This flexible, self-paced job training can be completed in three to six months, part-time. Throughout the program, you'll receive individual support from HOH staff and have regular opportunities to engage with fellow learners, program graduates, and professionals in the certificate field.
  • Connect with Ready-to-Hire Employers
    After earning your certificate, you’ll gain access to job search support, like interview prep and career workshops. You’ll also have the opportunity to connect with ready-to-hire employers — including Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte, Freedom Learning Group, Verizon, and of course, Google — through HOH hiring events, Fellows Programs, and Career Connectors.
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Career Forward
Why Earn a Google Career Certificate?
No experience necessary
Learn job-ready skills, even with no relevant experience. There are 1,300,000 in-demand job openings across certificate fields.
Stand out to employers
Make your resume competitive with a credential from Google. 82% of Career Certificate graduates report a positive career impact in six months.
A path to in-demand jobs
Connect with top employers that are currently hiring for these skills. The average salary for entry-level roles across certificate fields $63,600.
Success Stories

“The way the certificate is structured is so accommodating to moms, working parents, or working individuals because you can do it at your own pace.”

Lauren Harms
Administrative Business Partner, Google
Google Project Management Certificate

Success Stories

“When I went on the job hunt, I had no degree and no credentials outside of the IT certificate…I’m thrilled that my employer saw promise in my new skills and experience.”

Taslim Mohammed
IT Resident, Google
Google IT Support Certificate

Success Stories

“I took the Google IT Support Certificate because I wanted a certificate on my resume to show my knowledge of IT. After completing the course, I began my job search. I landed a position as Assistant Director of Information Technology at a Non-Profit Law Firm. My pay almost doubled and the benefits package is incredible. “

Joe Luna
Assistant Director of Information Technology
U.S. Navy veteran

Success Stories

“I was feeling stagnant in my career as a digital marketer and really wanted to enter a new high-demand career path that could lead me to new industries. Completing the course opened my eyes to the Project Management Institute certification, which I am now pursuing. I feel excited for the first time in a long time for what my career possibilities will be.”

Maria Oliviera
Project Manager, Media Nonprofit
Google Project Management Certificate

Explore
Google Career Certificates
Prepare for a new career in a high-growth field in under six months, no experience required. You’ll get professional training designed by Google and will have the opportunity to connect with hundreds of employers.
  • Data Analytics
    Data analysts collect, transform, and organize data to make informed business decisions. Learn more.
  • IT Support
    IT specialists troubleshoot problems so computers and networks run correctly. Learn more.
  • Project Management
    Project managers ensure projects within an organization are managed and completed with maximum value. Learn more.
  • User Experience (UX) Design
    UX designers make digital and physical products easier and more enjoyable to use. Learn more.
  • Digital Marketing & E-Commerce
    Learn about email marketing, marketing analytics & measurement, SEO / SEM, reaching customers & selling online, and building customer loyalty. Learn more.
Amie's Story
Creating her own American dream
Marine Corps veteran Amie Hanbury wasn't fulfilled with her post-military career, so she decided to pursue a new career with the Google IT Support Certificate.
Play Video
Career Forward
Get started today.
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Career Forward
Frequently Asked Questions
This program is available to transitioning service members (within one year of separating from active duty), military spouses,* and veterans.

* HOH recognizes that military spouses’ careers are impacted by their service members’ military service. That’s why every HOH event and program is open to all military, veteran, and Gold Star spouses.
The entire learning program is virtual.
Google Career Certificates provide training for in-demand jobs in the fields of data analytics, IT support, project management, and user (UX) experience design. No experience is required to earn a certificate. To learn more, visit grow.google/certificates.
Please apply the month of or before you would like to start learning. For transitioning service members, please wait to apply if you are further out than your last 12 months of active-duty service.
Military spouses and veterans can be located at overseas military bases as long as they have plans to return stateside within one year. When they return to the United States, these participants will have the opportunity to apply to the fellowship portion of the program. This program is also open to service members who are within their last year of active-duty service.
HOH works with Google and hundreds of other companies, including small, medium, and large businesses. Participating employers and companies vary depending on your location as well as what remote opportunities may be available. Along with access to HOH partners, you will have the opportunity after completing your GCC to enroll in Career Circle. Career Circle is a resource where members of Google’s Employer Consortium, including Google, review available talent to potentially add to their teams.
On average, learners who study for 8 to 10 hours per week can complete the certificate in 3 to 6 months. The Google Career Certificates through Coursera are self-paced and completion time is highly variable, but many learners finish in much less than 6 months.
Once learners enroll in Career Forward and attend an orientation with the HOH program manager, learners gain access to the self-paced Google Career Certificate curriculum. Services include weekly huddles and webinars to help learners stay on track with completing the course, professional development workshops, and other opportunities for engagement and support.
Google Career Certificates are available globally in English on Coursera. The Google IT Support Certificate is also available in Spanish and Portuguese. We are working to make the certificates available in more languages.
Coursera is a global online learning platform that offers access to online courses. Google has worked with Coursera to make Google Career Certificates available on the Coursera platform.
If you are already paying for a Google Career Certificate through Coursera, but haven’t completed it yet, please let an HOH program manager know when completing your application. HOH has the ability to take over your subscription for the next billing cycle, allowing you to complete the remainder of your certificate for free.

Yes, Career Forward can be used for SkillBridge. There are two options for transitioning service members who would like to use SkillBridge for a Career Forward Fellowship:

  1. Internship-based SkillBridge
    This is for transitioning service members who have completed a Google Career Certificate (GCC) through the Career Forward program. This opportunity provides hands-on experience in the civilian workforce and prepares candidates for a smooth transition into meaningful civilian careers. Because transitioning service members need to complete a GCC through Career Forward first, we recommend having 10-12 months of active-duty service left when beginning this option.
  2. Skill-based SkillBridge
    This is referred to as the Career Forward Training Track. Through this option, transitioning service members earn a Google Career Certificate to learn new skills while also participating in professional development to assist with a smooth transition to the civilian sector.

Timeline: Both SkillBridge options are 40 hours per week for 12 weeks and active-duty service members must be within 180 days of transitioning out of the military. Also, we recommend that you apply well in advance. Contact your transition office to begin the SkillBridge process as soon as possible.

In addition, HOH has other fellowship programs that can be used for SkillBridge. Please research which option is best for you. Keep in mind that transitioning service members are eligible for only one SkillBridge internship during their transition period due to guidelines from the Department of Defense.

Learn more about SkillBridge/Career Skills, DOD Instruction 1322.29.

In addition to expert training and hands-on projects designed to prepare you for a job in your field of choice, you'll get access to a resume-building tool, mock interviews and career networking support through Hiring Our Heroes and Big Interview. These resources are designed to help you with your job search.

Career Forward participants will also have the opportunity to apply to the Career Forward Fellowship. In addition, Career Forward graduates can apply for these Hiring Our Heroes’ fellowship opportunities:

These fellowships are a collection of best-in-class workforce development programs that place highly skilled and educated transitioning service members, military spouses, and veterans with employers committed to hiring them.

View the Career Forward overview video.