Humor me while I make a quick analogy between karate and professional certificates. (Disclaimer: I took a few lessons of karate as a child and ended up quitting because the Sensi was looking for a more focused 8-year-old on the mat – which was not me). However, I have always loved the structured process of karate and especially how it must feel to earn those nine colored belts to signify one’s progress in the sport.
Dear reader – I’m sure the question burning in your mind is what does this have to do with professional certificates? On second thought – what are professional certificates anyway? You’re in luck – keep reading and I’ll explain everything.
Professional Certificates
As defined by the online education resource, Edvisors, a professional certificate is earned by an individual. This person has completed the necessary requirements through learning and studying to earn the distinction of acquiring “expertise, knowledge or skill in a profession or field.” Sounds eerily similar to earning a college degree, right? Well…now is where we get back to the karate analogy.
The Karate Belts
A white belt in karate signifies the beginning of learning the art of the sport, while a black belt signifies being proficient in the principles of karate. All the karate belt colors in between represent the various stages and skills of learning one must go through to go from a white belt to a black belt. The same logic applies to someone who wants to go from a novice to an expert in their field of academic study. They must use a variety of tools and experiences to evolve from the amateur stage to the professional stage.
In college, a student’s black belt is bestowed upon them once they earn a bachelor’s degree in their field of study. This happens by starting as a white belt (getting acclimated to university life and studies) and extending into using other academic tools (or belts). This includes learning theories and concepts in the classroom, reading textbooks, gaining an internship position, studying abroad, group work, and more opportunities that lead the student to their ultimate black belt goal of holding a degree.
One such tool (or colored belt) that students can earn along the way from the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business is through Coursera’s Career Academy. Coursera is an online learning platform that offers thousands upon thousands of learning options including projects, courses, professional certifications and more covering a wide variety of disciplines. In the summer of 2024, the PVECOB was accepted into a one-year pilot program hosted by Texas A&M University and Coursera. The pilot program includes five TAMU system colleges of business (WT, TAMU-Commerce, TAMU-Corpus Christi, TAMU-International, TAMU-Texarkana).
Each COB was given 1,000 licenses for students, faculty and staff to use to earn professional certificates for free. Earning these certificates adds value to the education that students are already exposed to within the PVECOB. These certificates give our graduates a leg up amongst a pool of job applicants. Hiring managers view these certifications as credible especially when coupled with a bachelor’s degree. Furthermore, 53% of hiring managers view a professional certificate holder as showing commitment toward career-long professional development.
What certificates can students earn through this pilot program you ask? Well…here is a brief list of the top professional certificates in the business school as outlined by Coursera: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst, Salesforce Sales Development Representative, Google Data Analytics, Meta Social Media Marketing and IBM Project Manager (and many more).
The PVECOB provides its students with numerous opportunities towards gaining their black belt in education with one of these belts to earn coming from a professional certificate through Coursera’s Career Academy.
If you’d like to learn more about this pilot program, please take a listen to The PVECOB podcast, BuffSpeak – Season 3, Episode 1: Staying the Coursera.
