Your search for free certifications that pay well ends here! If you have been looking for certifications you can acquire for free to improve your skills and enhance your resume, this blog provides lots of options for you to explore.
Whether you have a college degree or just a high school diploma, you can take a certification course in any field that interests you. For college degree holders it could be to enhance their resume, learn new things to improve their existing skills, or learn something completely different in order to transition to a new career.
If you have just a high school diploma, you can take a certification course to get a well-paying job. Even professionals take certification courses to acquire the latest skills in their field.
Most, if not all, of these certifications are online and a handful of them are offered for free like the free online Microsoft courses with certificates and free online pharmacy courses with certificates that we have previously published. Aside from these fields, certifications cover a wide range of fields like IT, business, and healthcare, and in this list of free certifications that pay well, you will see more of them.
The free certifications that pay well are a variety of in-demand courses in different fields that pay the highest salaries. So, you will see certifications from IBM and Google on the list as well as a host of other certifications that can be acquired for free.
Although the skills you gain from the courses are much more relevant than the certification. Still, the certification can serve as a resume booster, assuring potential clients and employees that you have the necessary skills to take up a role or job they are offering.
There are so many free certifications out there but these curated below are the ones that pay well.
Free Certifications That Pay Well
1. Cybersecurity Certification
Cybersecurity is one of the fastest-growing fields in the tech industry plus there is a high demand for cybersecurity specialists across the world, especially in the US. If you are looking for a certification with a job that pays well, cybersecurity should be at the top of your list.
There are free cybersecurity courses you can get started with before diving into the advanced courses, which are paid. After you complete the courses, then you will take a certification exam to receive your certification as a cybersecurity specialist.
I found some free online cybersecurity courses that offer free certificates, see them below:
- Introduction to Cybersecurity (Cisco Networking Academy) (15 hours)
- Cybersecurity Essentials (Cisco Networking Academy) (30 hours)
The average cybersecurity salary in the US is $60.03 per hour.
2. Business Certification
Are you a business professional? Then you should enhance your business skills and learn new business strategies by enrolling in free business certifications. Those who are just starting out in the business field or looking to transition into a business-related career are not left out either, they can also take business certification courses to gain relevant knowledge to take their business and careers to greater heights.
The fact that business is conducted across all sectors makes a certification in business very relevant and one of the free certifications that pay well.
Here are some business courses that come with free certification:
- Introduction to Business (Saylor Academy) (62 hours)
- Employee Management for Business Managers (Alison) (3 hours)
- CS50’s Computer Science for Business Professionals (Harvard University Online) (6 Weeks)
- Quick Start Entrepreneur (Santa Clara University)
Irrespective of the degree you earned in college or your past work experience, a certification in business will surely boost your resume.
3. MATLAB Certification
Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB) is a programming and numeric computing platform used by millions of engineers and scientists to analyze data, develop algorithms, and create models. If you have an interest in data science or you are a data scientist, you should consider learning MATLAB and adding it to your portfolio.
MATLAB is one of the free certifications that pay well and below are some free certification courses:
- MATLAB Onramp (2 hours)
- Machine Learning Onramp (2 hours)
- Reinforcement Learning Onramp (3 hours)
4. Digital Marketing Certification
This list cannot be complete without digital marketing. It is one of the most popular in-demand fields in the world today according to LinkedIn. As billions of people use the internet, organizations are making use of the internet to promote their businesses online to target their customers. The professionals who do this promotion of businesses on the Internet are known as digital marketers.
Google has a free digital marketing course that anyone can enroll in and earn a digital marketing certificate when they complete all the courses. The course is packed full of practical exercises and real-world examples.
- Fundamentals of Digital Marketing (Google Digital Garage) (40 hours)
- Digital Marketing Course (HubSpot) (6 hours)
- Marketing Management – Analyzing Competitors and Customers (Alison) (3 hours)
- Introduction to Digital Marketing (Great Learning) (2 hours)
- Introduction to Digital Marketing Fundamentals (Simplilearn) (2 hours)
Digital marketers earn an average salary of $77,381 per year. It is one of the free certifications that pay well.
5. Python Certification
Python is one of the most powerful and most popular programming languages. It is applied in mobile and app development, robotics, Machine Learning, and data science. If you want to earn a Python certification, you will have to pick which of the applications you want to focus on.
Python developers are in high demand, it is one of the most in-demand programming languages among employers. If you are looking to learn programming, Python is an excellent language to learn.
Here are free Python certifications:
- Free Online Python Course for Beginners
- CS50’s Introduction to Programming with Python (Harvard University OpenCourseWare)
- Python Fundamentals for Beginners (Great Learning) (4 hours)
- Diploma in Python Programming (Alison) (15 hours)
- Python Course for Beginners With Certification: Mastering the Essentials (Scaler) (10 hours)
- Learn Python 2 (Codeacademy) (17 hours)
Whether you are an experienced programmer or you are just starting out in programming, getting a Python certification will expose you to even bigger opportunities.
6. Project Management Certification
If you have a degree and/or are experienced in business, finance, marketing, HR, or a related field then you should consider a certification in project management. Project managers, irrespective of the industry, are always in demand, and with the aid of this certification, you can transition into the field.
Even professionals can take certifications in project management to learn the latest strategies and techniques that will aid them in handling projects efficiently. Some free certifications in project management are:
- PMP Basics (SkillUp) (9 hours)
- Diploma in Project Management (Alison) (15 hours)
- Project Management (Great Learning) (1.5 hours)
- Diploma in Project Management (Oxford Home Study) (450 hours)
- Fundamentals of Project Management (Philanthropy University)
7. IT Certifications
There are free IT certifications that pay well and irrespective of your age, especially as a young adult, you should consider taking an IT certification so that you do not miss out on the wonderful opportunities in this field. With IT certification, you can work across sectors, as almost every organization now uses a computer and anywhere a computer and internet are used, an IT specialist is needed.
If you are looking for where to get free IT certification you should consider FreeCodeCamp.org, the platform has been offering a variety of free IT certification courses to those who are just starting out in the tech space and professionals looking to further their careers in the tech industry.
8. Google Analytics Certification
Here is another free certification that pays well and, to be frank, this list would be incomplete without it. Google Analytics is a web analytics service that is used by more than 28 million websites. If you are a data analytics professional or looking to enter the field, a certification in Google Analytics will help you stand out from the competition, and there is a high demand for Google Analytics professionals who can use it to collect and analyze data.
The following are free Google Analytics certification courses:
- Discover the Next Generation of Google Analytics (49 minutes)
- Use Google Analytics to Meet Your Business Objectives (1.7 hours)
- Measure Your Marketing with Google Analytics (50 minutes)
- Go Further with Your Google Analytics Data (46 minutes)
- Google Analytics Certification Course
9. Data Analyst Certification
Data analysts are very important and they are in demand across all sectors and industries. Data analysts sieve through millions of information daily, research, and study these data to make better-informed decisions. They make use of various tools and software to research and analyze data as well as how it is done. The data analyst certification will teach you all that when you enroll for the course.
Below are free data analyst certifications:
- Data Science 101 (Cognitive Class) (3 hours)
- Visualizing Big Data with Trelliscope in R (DataCamp) (4 hours)
- Exploratory Data Analysis in R (DataCamp) (4 hours)
As a data analyst, you can work in healthcare, business, education, sales & marketing, and every other field. You can start with any of the free courses above to kick-start a career as a data analyst or expand your skills if you are already a data analyst.
10. Google Ad Certification
This is one of the certifications that pay well and here is what it is all about;
You know how if you search for anything on Google, you would see “sponsored” in the first result. Yes, those are Google ads, they also appear on other Google-affiliated websites.
You can learn how to do this and earn a good income. The free Google ad certifications below can get you started:
- Google Ads Display Certification (2.6 hours)
- Google Ads Search Certification (3.7 hours)
- Google Ads Video Certification (4 hours)
- Google Ads Apps Certification (2.8 hours)
- Shopping Ads Certification (3.1 hours)
These certifications will teach you all you need to know about Google ads and how to operate them as well. The certificate courses are for newbies and professionals.
11. Cloud Computing Certification
Cloud computing is an emerging field in the tech industry but it already has a huge demand and there are scarce cloud computing engineers compared to open roles. You can dive into this in-demand field by taking a free cloud computing certification course.
Below are courses to get started with:
- Cloud Computing Fundamentals
- Infrastructure in Google Cloud
- Networking and Security in Google Cloud
- Data, ML, and AI in Google Cloud
12. Front End Developer Certification
Front-end development is the use of technologies like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other frameworks and libraries like React to build responsive and friendly user websites. If you are interested in becoming a full-stack web developer, you can start with the front-end developer certification courses below:
- Introduction to Front-End Development (SkillUp) (12 hours)
- Front End Development – CSS (Great Learning) (1 hour, 30 minutes)
- Foundations of Front-End Web Development (Udemy) (20 hours)
- Front End Development Libraries (freeCodeCamp)
The average salary of a front-end developer in the US is $110,412 per year.
Conclusion
These are the 12 free certifications that pay well, the jobs from any of these certifications pay well over $60K per year. I have provided further resources where you can go to take the courses and acquire a certificate for free.
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