Best Golang Certification Courses

After you learn the Go programming language, the next step is to acquire Golang certification. 

Since 2009, Go has been one of the most popular languages for the rendering of lightweight microservices. If you’re developing controllers, IoT devices, APIs, or other small microservice applications, Go could be the perfect language for you.

Go:

package main

import “fmt”

func main() {

 fmt.Println(“Hello, world!”) 

}

C: 

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {

 printf(“Hello, World!”);

 return 0;

}

Go is based on C, but with many quality of life features and next-generation improvements. Just as C is perfect for lightweight development, Go is also great for lightweight development — with the advantage of being much easier to use.

Let’s take a look at what it takes to get a Golang certification and prove your skills.

Is it Go Language or Golang?

The proper name for the language is “Go.” So, why does everyone call it “Golang?”

The domain name for Go used to be Golang.com, which introduced the phrase “Golang.” Moreover, it’s challenging to search on Google (or any other search engine) for the word “Go.”

Both issues have led to developers using “Go” and “Golang” interchangeably. If you’re not finding the results you need by searching “Go,” you can try “Golang” and vice versa. But both Go and Golang refer to the same language. “Go” is the correct name.

What is Golang Certification?

There’s no official certification path for the Go programming language. Google does provide multiple developer certifications, but they haven’t made one for Go so far. If you want to get certified in the language, you must go through a third-party certification process.

Here are two popular certifications: Programming with Google Go and Go Training.

Programming with Google Go (The University of California Irvine)

Through Coursera, the University of California Irvine offers Programming with Google Go Specialization. This specialization includes three courses:

• Getting Started with G
• Functions, Methods, and Interfaces in Go
• Concurrency in Go

Once you go through the course,  you get a shareable specialization and course certificate. This course is self-paced and includes graded quizzes and graded programming assignments. 

Go Training (MindMajix)

MindMajix provides a comprehensive Go certification process that includes 45 hours of sessions, 45 hours of labs, and a certification-oriented curriculum. Real-time project use cases, one-on-one mentorship, and flexible schedules round out this boot camp. Lessons include:

• Types and Variables
• Packages
• Functions
• Arrays and Slices
• Variadic Functions
• Structures
• Concurrency
• And more…

This course is a boot camp and certification in one, so you’ll end up with a Go certification. You’ll learn everything required for the certificate within the lessons.

Why Should You Get a Golang Certification?

Go is a versatile language with many use cases. For the most part, anywhere C would be functional, Go will be functional, but Go will be easier to use. You can use Go for projects that would be difficult to manage in C, such as web applications.

Use cases for the Go language include:

• Cloud applications.
• Web development.
• Database implementations.
• Distributed networking services.
• Utilities.
• IoT devices.

As a C-based, general-purpose language, Go can be used for virtually any type of development. But it excels when you want a language with reduced overhead. And unlike C, it’s easier to use for web applications.

So, why should you get Go certification? Go certification shows potential employers that you know the intricacies of the language. It also helps you test yourself before you start to move toward a Go programming career.

Why Shouldn’t You Get a Golang Certification?

At the same time, there are some reasons you might not want a Go certification. Because there is no official Go certification program, you need to rely on third-party solutions. These third-party certificates can vary significantly in experience levels and competency.

Not only may a third-party certificate be easy to acquire (and consequently not very worthwhile), but many of them don’t have any real credibility or standing with employers. An employer can see a Cisco Certification and know that Cisco guarantees it. They have no such guarantee for a random, third-party certification. Some are very well-qualified and presented by universities, while others are more remedial. Just be sure to do your research before choosing which Golang course is right for your needs.

All this is to say that while getting a Golang certification can be the right answer for you, potential employers may not always hold it in high regard. It’s essential to make sure that the classes you’re taking are teaching you what you need to know. It’s equally important to ensure that you’re not just relying on certification and that you understand the language. Most jobs are going to require you to take a programming test.

The Career Outlook for Go Programming

According to Zip Recruiter, the average Go Programmer makes around $100,157 a year. The salary for a Go programmer can range significantly depending on location, but it’s an in-demand language with impressive compensation packages. This salary is very similar to the salaries of Java, C, and Python programmers.

Go also isn’t one of the most popular languages (such as Java, C, or Python), which means that there’s also significantly less competition for jobs. While Go is one of the top 10 programming languages for professional developers, its market share is only around 7%.

In terms of popularity, the Go community continues to grow. But Go isn’t generally one of the first languages a programmer will learn. Today, most programmers will start with JavaScript, Python, Java, or PHP; which inflates the numbers of programmers for those languages.

Go continues to grow because it is fast and lightweight. As performance and scalability become more important, Go becomes an excellent choice for programming components such as infrastructure tools and IoT devices. This is especially true when it comes with massive, enterprise-level deployments.

How to Learn Go Language: The Top 6 Resources

So, how do you learn the Go language before going through the certification process? We’ve taken a look at the best Golang course materials and the best Golang tutorial options available online. Here are six options for learning more about Go, a few of which come with shareable certificates at the end.

1. Mastering Go Programming (Udemy)

In Mastering Go Programming, students will learn how to use Go, write unit tests and benchmarks for Go programming, and handle different data formats with code. An incredibly comprehensive course, this test first assumes some level of familiarity with the Go language. From there, students will be able to develop communications layers for microservices, create their own UIs, and interact with databases.

2. Go by Example (Go By Example.com)

Rather than walking students through lessons and lectures, Go by Example is a series of pieces of example code that students can review. Students who are already experienced programmers will learn all they need to know about the Go language and syntax by looking through these examples, which start easy and rapidly become more advanced.

3. Build Web Application with Golang (GitBooks)

An open-source book on GitBooks, Build Web Application with Golang walks students through the basics of working with Go. It’s simple enough for even a non-programmer to understand, beginning with the installation and configuration of the Go environment. Since it’s a book rather than a full course, you’ll have to be a little self-motivated.

4. Master Go (Applied Go)

Applied Go provides two courses: Master Go (Fundamentals) and Concurrency Deep Dive. These courses are for advanced users; you should have a somewhat solid understanding of Go before you take these classes. The courses include 100+ lessons and exercises and a community forum, where you can interact with other Go programmers and get help.

5. Gophercises (Gophercises.com)

Gophercises is a series of free coding exercises, which help you develop a portfolio. Gophercises is perfect for those who understand the basic syntax and theory of Go but who want to start programming in earnest. This will help you really flex your programming muscles, get deeper into Go, and create a portfolio.

6. Web Development w/Google’s Go (Udemy)

Designed for those who specifically want to work with Go for web development, Web Development w/Google’s Go will walk you through the basics of creating a web application with the Go language. Go is great for creating lightweight web applications and mobile applications, and this course in particular is taught by a seasoned computer science professional.

At this point, it’s important to note that because there’s no official certification course, none of these cover “what you need for certification.” Rather, some of these provide a shareable certificate, and others do not. Udemy courses and Coursera courses provide certification, but these certifications are only as worthwhile as the courses are robust.

Taking the Next Steps Toward Golang Certification

Your path toward Go certification begins with attending a Golang course. Golang courses and Golang training sessions will get you ready for the certification process. But because there’s no official Golang certification, you’ll need to decide how you want to show off your skills.

One option is going through one of the third-party certification courses provided by Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, or Udemy. An advantage to these certification courses is that they teach you the skills you need and deliver a certificate once you’ve completed them. You don’t need to take multiple lessons and tutorials and then pass a lengthy test.

Another alternative is to learn Go online and develop a Go programming portfolio from there. It’s possible that having a robust Github account full of Go programming samples will be better for you than a Golang certification. Either way, taking an online Go programming class is a great place to start.