Google created an exam to get officially certified for Google Analytics 4. Although that’s good news, it also raises the question about the value of the certificate. Especially since organizations had to learn the hard way that not all UA certified “experts” are equally competent…
Is the GA4 certificate worth anything? (video)
Jeff Sauer has been a Google Analytics instructor since 2010. Driven by curiosity, he took the GA4 exam. And then he created a video to share his honest opinion about it. (You can read the summary below the video).
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Why do data-heavy software platforms offer certifications, anyway?
Data-heavy platforms, such as Google, Microsoft and Salesforce, offer certifications to show employers and customers that the certified person has obtained the technical skills to work with the software.
That’s a good thing because data and analytics platforms have a steep learning curve.
Anybody in the wild can claim to be able to collect and interpret data. But not everybody does it in the right way.
For companies relying on data to make business decisions, the stakes are high.
A certificate can make doubts melt like snow in the sun.
It doesn’t come as a surprise that premium salaries, attractive bonuses and working conditions are lurking around the corner for people who can prove that they have expert analytics skill sets.
The high demand in the job market justifies the effort to study a platform for weeks, or even months. Users can become experts by taking an exam.
And if all goes well, earn a badge of honor and trust: an official certificate…
Is the Google Analytics certification trustworthy?
On August 16, 2022 Google launched its Google Analytics 4 certification program.
The Universal Analytics version was a joke and Jeff had secretly hoped that this time it would be different.
Since the first announcement of Google Analytics 4, he has been studying, using and sharing his experience with the new Google Analytics version with our Data Driven Insiders.
And then, he took the official exam…
You have 75 minutes to finish the exam that consists of multiple-choice questions.
He did it in 15 minutes and this is his score:
GA has evolved. But the new certification exam has not.
It still suffers from the same problems:
- It’s easy to pass the exam. Even if you don’t have genuine experience with GA4, you can succeed in answering the generic questions.
- It’s easy to cheat and share your answers with, for instance, colleagues who will then all be GA certified. This is an inherent problem of online certifications.
- There is no way to check if the name displayed on the certificate is actually the person who took the exam.
Gaming the GA certification system is easy and absolutely unethical.
But that is exactly what happened with UA. Cheaters and amateurs undermined the value of the certificate.
Besides, there is also something ironic in the examination process itself.
- Take the exam.
- Pass the test
- Get your certificate to show to the world.
- Then start learning the basics of GA4.
Does that make sense to you?
As a business owner, would you hire people who have nothing else to show but a GA4 certificate?
Would you give them a key to your data and hence, the future of your business?
Luckily, you have other options…
Trustworthy Google Analytics 4 certification alternative
Jeff and the Data Driven U team have developed a more reliable GA4 certification than the official one.
It is tailored to the needs of both parties: GA4 power users and organizations.
Experts want to prove that they are capable of supporting their organization or customers in a sustainable way. That goes far beyond knowing that GA4 is an event-driven model.
Theoretical insights are necessary, but knowing that a plane has wings doesn’t turn you into a pilot.
Businesses and organizations on the other hand are waking up from a data hibernation. At least 100 million users will have to take the leap to GA4, or lose their data.
100.000.000 users are now relying on a Google Analytics version that will stop working
So how does our certificate help experts and the marketplace? How is it different from the official GA exam and certificate?
What is the GA4 CYA Blueprint certificate?
To obtain the GA4 Cover your Assets Blueprint certificate, our students need to:
- Attend all our live sessions. They can ask questions that will better prepare them for their job as a GA4 expert.
- Turn their webcam on during all the sessions. This guarantees that they are present and fully focused on learning the ins and outs of GA4.
- Pass the quizzes for all the lessons. This isn’t a cakewalk. The questions are specific and related to what we learned during the session.
We have also built in quality control measures, but these are part of our secret sauce. Revealing them could make it become as reliable as the GA4 certification program.
We don’t want that. Students don’t want that. And business owners don’t want that.
Our GA4 Cover Your Assets Blueprint is the most meaningful GA4 certification in the world.
If you think this is a joke, try to pass the GA4 exam and then make it work for your business or your clients.
Conclusion
GA4 is becoming an urgent necessity, instead of an early adopter option as it has been until now. The demand for GA4 experts is rising every day we get closer to the sunset of Universal Analytics.
Unfortunately, everybody can take the Google GA4 exam. You don’t need any experience to pass the test.
Google missed the opportunity to make the Google Analytics 4 certificate valuable and trustworthy.
That’s why Jeff and his team created our own GA4 alternative certification program.
Certified students can showcase their GA4 expertise to the marketplace and stand out from the crowd.
As a business or organization looking for certified Google Analytics experts, you can rest assured of the quality, skills and knowledge of our graduated experts.