Short IT Courses 2026: 5 Programs for Beginners

Short IT Courses 2026: Review of 5 Programs for Junior Start

In 2026, short programs allow you to master basic skills in testing, databases, analytics, and targeting in 1–2 months. We've selected courses focused on practice: real projects, tools from job postings, and portfolio pieces for first interviews. Suitable for beginners with no experience, they combine theory with assignments for junior-level roles.

Testing: Software-testing.ru

The program covers JIRA for bug tracking, TestLink for test cases, Dev Tools for frontend. From equivalence classes to a month of project work: bug reports, checklists for your portfolio. Format — lectures twice a week + independent homework, with mentors providing daily feedback in chat. Assignments are iterative, with up to 9–12 revisions to meet QA standards. Materials accessible for a year, resume review included.

Features:

• Level: beginner (up to 1 year experience);
• Duration: 1 month 3 weeks;
• Format: cohort + self-paced;
• Certificate: yes;
• Installment plan: no.

Pros: real tools (JIRA, Bugzilla, Redmine), ready portfolio, one-year access.

Cons: heavy homework load, sometimes vague feedback.

Graduates emphasize the practical focus but note the intensity — not everyone completes it.

Relational Databases: Merion Academy (SQL Fundamentals)

Three DBMS: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MSSQL. Normalization, transactions (MVCC, ACID), SQL from SELECT to optimization, scaling, cloud. Self-paced: videos, labs, homework. Student chat, mentor; unlimited feedback with a coach. Access for 2 years, bonuses: career guidance, IT English.

Features:

• Level: beginner;
• Duration: 1 month;
• Format: self-paced;
• Certificate: basic/certificate;
• Installment plan: 0% for 12 months from 709 ₽/month.

Pros: DBMS comparison, labs, bonuses.

Cons: typos, minimal introductory theory.

Students praise the structure and practice; additional self-study needed for DB architecture.

Full Stack Databases: Merion Academy (from scratch)

SQL + 7 NoSQL: MongoDB, ElasticSearch, ClickHouse, CouchDB, Redis, Neo4j, BigQuery. CAP theorem, NoSQL types, queries, schemas, performance benchmarks. Sequential homework, achievements. Self-paced, access for 2 years.

Features:

• Level: beginner (developers, analysts);
• Duration: 2 months;
• Format: self-paced;
• Certificate: yes;
• Installment plan: 0% from 807 ₽/month.

Pros: DB selection by use case, motivation through achievements.

Cons: chain of assignments, video format not for everyone.

Suitable for developer/analyst stacks, real cases with progress tracking.

Data Analytics: Eduson Academy

Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP, Power Query), SQL (SELECT, JOIN, GROUP BY, subqueries), visualization, A/B testing. 3–5 cases: sales, behavior, dashboards for portfolio. Intensive + webinars, chat feedback, templates forever.

Features:

• Level: beginner;
• Duration: 1–1.5 months;
• Format: intensive + webinars;
• Certificate: certificate/diploma;
• Installment plan: 0% from 1500 ₽/month.

Pros: no programming required, portfolio in a month.

Cons: basic Python/Power BI, template-like assignments.

Ideal for transitioning into analytics for small/medium businesses.

Targeting: Digital Skills Academy

VK Ads, Instagram/Facebook, Yandex.Direct, Google Analytics, UTM, creatives, automation, reports. Launch real ads from week 2, final project for portfolio. Cohort + live sessions, checklists.

Features:

• Level: beginner;
• Duration: 1 month;
• Format: cohort + live sessions;
• Certificate: yes;
• Installment plan: 0%.

Pros: real ad launches, freelance startup.

Cons: algorithm obsolescence, own budget for tests.

Cases: 30% CPA reduction, CTR tests — for resume and client orders.

Choosing Based on Goal

Define your objective: career change, skill for current role, or testing a direction. These courses provide foundation + projects, but require further development for middle-level roles.

• Testing: if goal is QA, portfolio of bugs.
• SQL/NoSQL: for developers/analysts, DB selection.
• Analytics: no code, dashboards.
• Targeting: quick freelance earnings.

Compare via table (duration, format, focus) and reviews.

Key Points

• Practice with real tools and projects builds a portfolio for junior roles.
• Self-paced + mentor feedback accelerates skills but requires discipline.
• 1–2 year material access + bonuses (career, templates) justify the investment.
• For analytics/targeting — quick entry without deep tech stack, but monitor platform updates.
• Choose by goal: QA/DB for techies, analytics/targeting for humanities backgrounds.

— Editorial Team