Introduction
If you are a true Nigerian, by now, you should know that your degree is not enough. What you learnt in school is not good enough to get you that job, especially in Nigeria. You need more.
You must have heard the popular anthem of employers and recruiters, ?Nigerian graduates are unemployable.? And there are a thousand and one reasons you are considered unemployable, and this post solves one of them.
Please read it to the end.
(Unsplash) Why Are Nigerian Graduates Unemployable?
Why Are Nigerian Graduates Unemployable?
One of the reasons employers and recruiters say Nigerian graduates are not employable is because they do not have the requisite skills and certifications.
And you may want to argue that certificate is nothing, it is what you can do that matters. True. But, know that when you submit your cover letter and resume, you will be invited for an interview based on what is on your CV ? your skills and certifications.
So, my friend, you need to get these certifications. Get as many as you can in your chosen career and upgrade your CV. Get any of these 15 easy certifications and supercharge your career.
In no particular order, here are 15 easy certifications you can get absolutely for free. And they are not free and easy because they are wishy-washy certifications or certifications by mushroom institutions.
They are free because, these organisations/institutions have seen your troubles and they want you to get certified/acquire the skills than can get you your dream job.
And they are easy certifications because you can learn at your pace in the comfort of your sofa. You can get certified while on your bed.
PLEASE NOTE:
You will get the best out of these certifications if you have a LinkedIn account. But unfortunately if you don?t, create an account today.
Upon completion of these certifications, you can download the certificate and update your LinkedIn profile for potential employers to find you. Also, know that you can?t have the hard copy of any of these 15 easy certifications, except of course you print them out.
Ask yourself, what have I achieved with these hard copy certificates that is difficult for employers to verify? Zilch! Nothing!
The advantages these 15 easy certifications have over your neighborhood hard copy certificates:
- They are easy to verify
- The issuing institutions are reputable
- Authentic and recognized worldwide
- You get hands-on-experience ? the courses are practical
- Rodents and roaches cannot destroy your certificates
So, choose ye this day the certifications you want on your curriculum vitae, these 15 easy certifications or your neighborhood certifications?
15 easy certifications you can get absolutely for free
- PROGRAMMING/WEB DEVELOPMENT
a. W3Schools
I presume the ?W3? in the name stands for World Wide Web (I may be wrong). If you want to know how to create your own www.whaterver.anything, you should go to this school.
b. CodeAcademy
In this 21st century, programming is the new literacy. Even if you are not going to do this to get a job. Do it to be a literate ? someone that can speak and understand the new language ? programming.
CodeAcademy is a great resource for both beginners and professionals. You will learn programming from the basics ? I mean ABCs. And if you are a professional, you can learn a new programming language absolutely for free.
c. MongoDB
MongoD University is an educational training resource provided by the creators of MongoDB, a database platform commonly used by web developers (think GitHub)
If you are interested in making the next viral mobile app like WhatsApp, then you should take this course.
Sign up for a free web or mobile app development training course and become certified. But you must make the 65% pass mark at the end of the course to get your certificate.
d. WordPress
You don?t know WordPress? Then you are one helluva caveman in the information age!
WordPress is a popular web development platform. Those websites you see with ?.wordpress.com? are websites developed and hosted for free on WordPress.
Many companies (and including the one you?re applying to work with) use WordPress to design their websites. But you won?t know because they are using a custom domain and paid hosting service.
Definitely, getting certified on this platform would be an appealing skill to most (your) employers.
Become an expert in WordPress with a ?Bachelor of WordPress? today
e. Microsoft Virtual Academy
You know Bill Gates is a philanthropist right? So no surprise Microsoft Academy is on the list.
You should go to this virtual academy if you like what Bill Gates has become. From beginner to advanced courses in web development, programming, Artificial Intelligence, and everything Information technology you will learn in this virtual academy.
You also get a chance to know more about Microsoft products and how to make the best use of them. Don?t you want to be a Microsoft Virtual Academy graduate?
2. MARKETING
Marketing over the years has evolved from what it used to be. Internet and new technologies have impacted heavily on marketing just as it has affected our lifestyle.
f. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is the free platform Google provides to website owners to monitor and get up-to-date report on the performance of their website.
You will learn the ins and outs of the Google Analytics platform; learn how to monitor and measure marketing and social media campaigns.
Every company that does marketing would be glad to have you on their team if you get this certificate, what else are you waiting for?
g. Google Digital Garage
Another Google Course? Yea! Google is that benevolent.
Similar to Google analytics, but different in that, it takes you through the whole gamut of digital marketing. It is not centered on measurement, monitoring, and analysis of data like Data Analytics.
This course will teach you everything you need to know to take your business online, building an online presence for your brand (personal or company), and how to do marketing using Google platforms.
Whatever it is you want to do, get a job or be your own boss, you need to know how to take your business online. Everything in this age happens online.
No matter how big your local store or office space is, you are extinct if you are not online.
h. Google Adwords
Another Google certification? Yea! Google is a magnanimous giant.
A quick tip: if you can complete all these Google courses, you would become a professional digital marketer (I bet you).
You know all those Google Ads you see when you search for something on Google? This course will show you how to set up stuffs like that. This certificate will highlight the fact that you are an expert in online advertising using Google platforms.
Upon completing the certification, a Google Partners webpage where potential employers can see your qualifications will be provided for you.
What else does your potential employer wants after a Google endorsement?
i. Hubspot Academy Inbound Certification
Remember the new marketing I mentioned ab intio, it is called inbound marketing (and the old one is outbound marketing).
Therefore, in all thy getting, get certified in Inbound Marketing, absolutely for free, if you want to succeed as a digital marketer.
You will be trained in the all aspects of search engine optimization, blogging, email marketing, content marketing, social media, and much more.
This certification will show your employers that you have the skills to grow their business into a household name.
j. Facebook Blueprint
As the name suggests, you become a certified Facebook user. You will know how to get the most out of Facebook for your business. From creating a business page to managing Facebook Ads, you will learn everything Facebook has to offer. Don?t you want to be certified by Mark Zuckerberg?
3. CREATIVE
k. Color Theory for Artists and Designers
If you are interested in photography, graphic design, or art, this course is an awesome way to show that you are qualified to work with color theory.
This knowledge can be appealing for a multitude of fields, including social media and marketing.
l. Adobe Creative Commons Certification
You know Photoshop right? They are giving out certification for free too.
This free certification course would show employers that you are an expert in the Creative Commons suite.
4. GENERAL
m. FEMA (US)
If you are looking for jobs or internships in social work, environmental protection, medicine, or emergency management, etc. then you should get this certification.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers an assortment of courses to prepare you for any challenge you might face in your line of work.
n. YALI (Young African Leaders Initiative)
There are series of free courses on Leadership, Business & Entrepreneurship, Civic Leadership, Public Management, etc on YALI.
Learn at your pace and earn a personalized certificate recognized worldwide. You must have heard of YALI right? There is a course for everyone on YALI, everyone that is keen on personal growth and development.
o. Degreed
First of all, please bookmark this website.
Remember that unit in your University?s registry called ?Exams and Records?? They keep all of your academic information, from exam scripts to transcript? That is exactly what Degreed does.
It recommends free courses to you from different sources (beyond the ones listed here) based on your interests.
You can monitor your learning progress and have all your certifications in one place for easy reference. And the good part is, you can get certify for anything. And every effort made towards is recorded for you, even it is just an article you read via the platform.
In Conclusion
If you have a few hours to kill in a week, kill it with a certification improving your resume to appeal your potential employers.
And, peradventure you believe you don?t have any time to kill, then reschedule your day. Make sure you get any or all of these 15 easy certifications absolutely for free and supercharge your job search.
Don?t forget to always update your resume with any certifications you might have gained. You don?t know the one that will interest your potential employer.
Are there other certifications that one can get absolutely for free? I would love to hear your response?
Don?t forget to ? and share this post? Thank You.
