Job-ready skills, at no cost.
Twenty-eight professional certificates and labs from Google and AWS, sponsored by the Tech Incubator at Queens College. No degree required. No tuition. Start this week.
Google AI Professional Certificate
Go from zero experience to AI-fluent at work. Built for people who use AI, not people who build it.
Eleven paths into a new career
Flexible online programs on Coursera, designed to make you job-ready in months, not years. Self-paced and peer-supported, with a Slack group for questions. TIQC covers the cost.
What you'll learn
- Understand what generative AI is and how it works
- Use AI tools to speed up everyday tasks at work
- Spot AI's limits and the risks worth watching for
- Build responsible habits for using AI on the job
What you'll learn
- Write clear prompts that get useful answers the first time
- Refine and iterate when the first response misses
- Use AI as a thought partner, not just an answer machine
- Apply prompting to writing, analysis, and planning tasks
What you'll learn
- Do the day-to-day work of a junior data analyst
- Clean, organize, and analyze data with spreadsheets, SQL, and R
- Build dashboards and visualizations people can act on
- Present findings clearly to people who aren't analysts
What you'll learn
- Run statistical analysis and build regression models
- Use Python for data work beyond spreadsheets
- Apply machine learning to prediction problems
- Communicate technical results to business stakeholders
What you'll learn
- Design and build data pipelines that stay reliable
- Model data so it answers real business questions
- Build dashboards that update themselves
- Work with stakeholders to define what to measure
What you'll learn
- Recognize common risks, threats, and vulnerabilities
- Use security tools like SIEM, IDS, and Linux
- Respond to and document security incidents
- Write Python to automate security tasks
What you'll learn
- Troubleshoot hardware, software, and network problems
- Set up and manage computer systems and user accounts
- Apply basic security practices in a support role
- Handle support requests the way employers expect
What you'll learn
- Write Python scripts that automate routine tasks
- Use Git and GitHub to manage and share code
- Manage IT resources at scale with configuration tools
- Debug and fix problems in code you didn't write
What you'll learn
- Run user research and turn findings into design decisions
- Build wireframes and prototypes in Figma and Adobe XD
- Test designs with real users and act on what you learn
- Finish three portfolio projects employers can review
What you'll learn
- Build email marketing campaigns that get opened
- Attract and engage customers through social media and search
- Measure performance with analytics and adjust
- Set up and manage an e-commerce store
What you'll learn
- Plan, run, and close projects start to finish
- Manage budgets, risks, and stakeholder expectations
- Use Agile and Scrum on real project scenarios
- Document and communicate progress so nothing gets lost
Sixteen ways to build on the cloud
Queens College is an AWS Academy member institution, so these run as instructor-supported courses with real AWS lab environments. Most map to an industry certification exam.
Cloud foundations and architecture
Start with Cloud Foundations. Everything else in this track builds on it.
What you'll learn
- Explain what cloud computing is and why companies use it
- Identify core AWS services for storage, computing, and databases
- Understand AWS pricing, billing, and shared security responsibility
What you'll learn
- Build IT infrastructure on AWS from the ground up
- Design systems that stay online and handle traffic spikes
- Apply AWS best practices for cost and security
What you'll learn
- Troubleshoot real failure scenarios through case studies
- Automate deployments of networks and systems on AWS
- Prepare for entry-level DevOps, support, and operations roles
What you'll learn
- Develop applications using the AWS SDK, a code toolkit
- Apply best practices for building and deploying cloud apps
- Get hands-on practice through labs, not just lectures
What you'll learn
- Control who can access what using AWS identity tools
- Secure network access and encrypt data at rest and in transit
- Choose AWS services for monitoring and incident response
AI and machine learning
Practical AI skills on AWS infrastructure. Start with Generative AI Foundations if you're new.
What you'll learn
- Explain how generative AI differs from other AI and machine learning
- Identify practical use cases for generative AI at work
- Use AWS generative AI services and tools hands-on
What you'll learn
- Explain core AI and machine learning terms in plain language
- Pick the right AWS machine learning service for a business problem
- Label, build, train, and deploy a custom model
What you'll learn
- Pull text from webpages and prepare it for analysis
- Build a sentiment analysis solution for a business problem
- Transcribe and translate speech using AWS services
Data
For people who want to work with data at scale.
What you'll learn
- Collect, store, and prepare data for analysis
- Build a data pipeline using real-world use cases
- Analyze and visualize data to support business decisions
Technician tracks
Job-role training for the physical side of cloud. These are hands-on trades, not desk jobs.
What you'll learn
- Describe how a data center is built and organized
- Understand electrical fundamentals used in data center work
- Work with data center batteries and backup generators
What you'll learn
- Develop technical expertise in day-to-day data center operations
- Apply mechanical and electrical fundamentals in a data center setting
- Prepare for entry-level data center technician roles
Hands-on lab projects
No step-by-step instructions. You get a goal and real AWS resources, and you figure out the rest. Take these after coursework.
What you'll learn
- Get hands-on access to more than 100 AWS services
- Work on assignments your instructor designs
- Track your time and spending inside your own workspace
What you'll learn
- Build a pipeline that ingests and transforms website visitor data
- Analyze and visualize data to produce business insights
- Apply the AWS Well-Architected Framework, AWS's design best practices
What you'll learn
- Design and deploy a database-backed web application on AWS
- Make the app stay online, scale, and perform well
- Apply AWS Well-Architected Framework design principles
What you'll learn
- Split one large application into separate microservices
- Move the application to a container-based setup that scales
- Build a CI/CD pipeline that automates testing and release
What you'll learn
- Secure AWS resources across four independent lab phases
- Apply least privilege, giving each user only the access they need
- Apply AWS Well-Architected Framework security principles
How enrollment works
One form, one list, three steps. You don't need to be a Queens College student.
Pick your course
Open any card above to see what you'll learn and how long it takes. Not sure where to start? Cloud Foundations and AI Essentials both assume zero background.
Fill out one form
Same form for every course on this page. Takes about two minutes. You'll get a confirmation email right away telling you exactly what happens next.
Get your invite
We enroll new learners in weekly batches. You'll get a course invite by email, plus the link to the TIQC learner Slack group.
A certificate is only half of it
Self-paced learning is where most people quit. The courses on this page teach you the skill. TIQC programs get you using it, with other people in the room.
Learn & Build With AI
Hands-on sessions that turn what you studied into something you've actually made. No computer science background needed. Natural next step after AI Essentials or Prompting Essentials.
See the programCo-Create With AI Lab
Bring the course you're stuck on and work through it beside founders, students, and mentors. Showing up on a set day is what keeps a self-paced course from stalling. In person at TIQC, for premium members.
Find a sessionStart before you feel ready.
Every course on this page is free because someone decided your background shouldn't decide your future. Pick one and begin.