LinkedIn is a popular social platform for professionals to search for jobs and create a professional brand or network. It also has a learning hub, LinkedIn Learning which features a comprehensive collection of on-demand online courses. It offers a personalized experience designed to help you achieve your goals through online learning. In this article, you will learn what LinkedIn Learning is and if it is worth having.
What is LinkedIn Learning?
LinkedIn Learning, formerly Lynda.com, is an online learning platform with on-demand video courses. The platform offers more than 16,000 courses, of which 9,000 are in English. Each course video is broken down into small, short videos with specific learning goals. These courses are created by the LinkedIn academy or a third party and are led by professionals with extensive experience. LinkedIn Learning has over 27 million users, and 78 fortune 100 companies take advantage of the platform.
Why use LinkedIn Learning?
- Learn at your own pace, where you can watch the course at a time that suits you.
- Learn from industry experts who have real-world experience.
- Personalized learning tailored to you based on your profile.
- Learn anytime from anywhere, as you can download courses on mobile or computer devices to view content offline.
- Learn something new as 50 new courses are added every week.
- Find the right path for you as it offers dozens of Learning Paths or series of courses in which industry experts teach valuable career skills.
- Enhance your LinkedIn profile by connecting it to LinkedIn Learning and display your new skills.
How much does LinkedIn Learning cost?
You can get a monthly subscription to LinkedIn Learning for $29.99, with one month of a free trial or an annual subscription for $19.99 per month with the first month free. Those who are subscribed to LinkedIn premium automatically get access to LinkedIn Learning. If you don’t want to buy a subscription plan, you can opt to take individual courses instead.
Is LinkedIn learning worth it?
LinkedIn Learning might be worth it if you want to build your professional skills. Based on your profile, LinkedIn Learning can assess the skills you have listed or the ones you want to enhance your professional skills. The platform publishes 50 new courses every week and offers free content to help you develop in-demand skills. LinkedIn Learning also identifies trending courses and tries to provide the content you’ve shown interest in.
Content on LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning courses are divided into three categories: Business, creative and technology. Each category consists of subcategories. For instance, the business category has 15 subcategories: online marketing training, professional development, leadership management and training, soft skills, finance, and accounting. Technology courses include information on applications, platforms, and programming languages, to name a few. Creative courses include web design and user experience to name a few.
Other than individual courses, LinkedIn Learning also provides courses to prepare for professional certifications. It has 34 certification courses. You can prepare for the Society of Human Resource Management certified professional or learn the ins and outs of Adobe tools, including Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator. There are 6 continuing education programs, using them, one can be certified for project management, marketing, or programming, for instance.
Popular courses on LinkedIn Learning
- Project Management Professional (PMP) – $44.99
- Communicating with Confidence – $34.99
- Communication Foundations – Free
- Critical Thinking – Free
- Developing your emotional intelligence – Free
- Excel essential training (Office 365) – $39.99
- Excel: Tips and Tricks – Free
- Interpersonal communication – Free
- Learning personal branding – $29.99
- Remote work foundations – Free
LinkedIn Refund Policy
If you have a LinkedIn premium subscription that includes LinkedIn Learning, then it is nonrefundable. If you have purchased an individual course, you can receive a refund within the first 30 days. After that period, courses are nonrefundable. You can cancel your subscription anytime from LinkedIn’s setting page. However, if you change your mind, you can reactivate your subscription, and you might receive the free one-month trial if you haven’t used it in the last 12 months.
Understanding LinkedIn Learning Page on LinkedIn
The home screen shows the course recommendations based on your LinkedIn profile.
You can perform the following tasks:
- Find courses by typing keywords in the search bar
- View courses based on your preferences
Viewing your Learning Journey
On your ‘My Learning’ tab next to the ‘Home’ tab, you will find your learning history, a list of courses you have saved and are in progress. You can choose to save or remove the course by clicking on the three dots next to it.
Searching courses on LinkedIn
Click the ‘Browse’ button on the top left corner with three horizontal lines to view all the courses.
- You can click the topic’s name to view the collection, which displays different learning paths and individual courses.
- You can select relevant filters based on type, duration, and level to narrow the collection.
- If you want to add a few topics to your collection, click on the three dots next to the course and select ‘Add to collection’. Otherwise, you can click the ‘Save’ button.
Who is LinkedIn Learning for?
Anyone keen on learning can use LinkedIn Learning. However, it is most useful for students seeking complementary education and those seeking jobs after graduation. This can be useful for office employees to update themselves on the latest technologies etc. It can also be useful to colleges, universities, and agencies.
Is LinkedIn learning free?
Yes, for the first month, LinkedIn Learning is completely free, and from next month, charges will apply if you wish to continue.
Key Takeaways
LinkedIn Learning is an all-inclusive platform ideal for anyone who enjoys learning and developing new skills regularly. With many online learning platforms to learn from, it’s easy to pick the one that aligns with your needs. Since organizations, recruiters, and employees trust LinkedIn, tying LinkedIn Learning might be a good idea. If you are unsure, you can try it for one month for free and decide later.
