To fill the gaps in his IT knowledge, Ousman Jaguraga turned to Google Career Certificates

To fill the gaps in his IT knowledge, Ousman Jaguraga turned to Google Career Certificates — and landed a job just weeks later

When he first moved to the U.K. in late 2020, Ousman Jaguraga struggled to find work as a software engineer — even though he’d already been using his programming skills on freelance work and personal projects for some time. “I could already code in Python and JavaScript, but I was self-taught,” explains Ousman, “so recruiters were keen to see more formal examples of IT experience.”

Advised to get a certification by his local job centre, Ousman began looking at the options available. “I saw a job being advertised that I was interested in, and after researching it I realised it involved elements of hardware and customer service,” he says. “I knew that Google offered a certificate that would be a good match for the role, and that would also let me better understand how companies use the skills I already had. So I signed up.”

Starting out on an IT Support Course with Google Career Certificates, Ousman quickly realised he had a lot to learn — but was immediately hooked by the course material. “The content was fantastic,” he says. “To me, it felt like a mini degree — it gave me the introduction to every area that I needed for a role that turned out to be a perfect fit for me. And now, having worked in a job that uses it for some time, I can see how relevant it was, because it’s what I do every day. The courses don’t just cover technical issues, they also include sections on social skills — how to get along with your colleagues, and how best to deal with it when problems arise.”

Ousman found the course material so engaging that he finished the course in under three months, well under the six that applicants are advised to plan for. “I found that when I sat down with the coursework, I could just do it for seven or eight hours straight,” he says. “It really was that interesting. After the course a position came up that I applied for. Many of the interview questions were networking-related, and I wouldn’t have had a clue how to answer them if I hadn’t taken the Google Career Certificates Course. As it was, I was hired as an equipment coordinator, then within two months I received an offer of a permanent IT support role at a major tech company.”