Is LinkedIn Learning Worth It?
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In a world in which getting a job is highly competitive, it’s super important to acquire as many skills as possible and to enhance those that you already have.
There are many online platforms that offer courses to do this, and one of the most popular is LinkedIn Learning. But is LinkedIn Learning really worth it?
Long story short, yes. LinkedIn Learning is worth it. Especially for those that are able to take a few hours each week to make use of the platform.
For $29.99 a month, you get the LinkedIn Premium Plan, which includes more than 16000 courses on more than 170 topics, for acquiring and enhancing skills of all sorts.
With LinkedIn Learning, you can choose whichever courses interest you the most, and do them in your own time, and at your own pace.
They also come from expert instructors that have experience in the industry itself, so you know that you’re learning the real deal. But let’s look into the entire platform more in detail, to prove that it really is worth it.
Is LinkedIn Learning worth the cost?
Okay, so one of the first things that you’re going to look at when considering a learning platform, is the price that it has. Makes sense, as it can be a make or break factor to many people!
LinkedIn Learning offers a one-month trial for free so that you can test out the platform and be sure you like it before you start paying. And this is amazing, as it lets you take it for a test run before you commit.
However, some people have complained about the fact that you have to register your credit card in order to get the free trial, which is annoying, and a lot of people are reluctant to do so.
However, despite it being annoying, it’s completely safe. If you’re not satisfied with your trial month, you can simply cancel your subscription before that first month is over, and you won’t be charged.
If you decide to continue your LinkedIn Learning subscription, the price is $29.99 per month.
This is a lot or very little, depending on the person and the economic circumstances they personally have. But considering the vast amount of courses that you gain access to, we’d say it’s a pretty good price.
You’re getting a lot of knowledge and a lot of different topics, which would individually add up to a lot more money. So the subscription is a very good investment, as long as you actually make use of the courses.
So what’s the bad side? It can’t be that good, right? Well, the downside is that the courses don’t provide you with any accredited certification, which is usually the reason for which you would pay for a course.
However, getting an accredited certification isn’t everybody’s goal. The main reason for doing a course should be to acquire the skills and the knowledge so that you might apply it in your professional life and career.
Proving that you have those skills or that you’ve spent time taking courses, might be enough for many job opportunities, as it’s not always about having the fancy stamped paper.
Besides, if you complete a LinkedIn Learning course, you are given the option to display a sort of ‘certificate for it on your LinkedIn profile, which is a platform used by many companies to search and hire possible candidates!
Meaning you still have a way of proving that you’ve completed the said course and therefore have acquired the skills and knowledge.
So to sum this question up, we think LinkedIn Learning is most definitely worth the price it costs, and that’s always a good factor to take into consideration.
What do you get with LinkedIn Learning?
With LinkedIn Learning, you get access to over 16000 courses, led by experts in the industry. As well as getting a ‘certificate’ to display on your LinkedIn profile, and having access to different quizzes that put your knowledge and acquired skills to the test.
What other features does LinkedIn Leaning offer, that other platforms and services might not? Well, here are some of the main features you get with the subscription, that not all other platforms offer:
- Set weekly goals to keep yourself on track
You can set your weekly goals by setting the amount of time that you want to spend on the courses each week. This can really help those that struggle with being consistent, and it gives you something to aim for.
It’s also a great way of making sure that you stay focused and that you really do take that amount of time each week to take the courses.
- See your progress and continue where you left off
You can keep track of the progress of each course that you take, and you can see the progress of multiple different courses at the same time.
It will show you have far in the course you are, and it allows you to simply continue where you left off so that you can take your time and complete the courses at your own pace and on your own terms.
- Every video within the course comes with a full transcript
Videos can be a great medium for learning a course, but that’s not the case for everyone. Some prefer to have it in writing, even if it’s for extra support.
Especially for those that are taking the course in a non-native language. Seeing it written down can really help to understand it fully. And either way, it’s great that LinkedIn Learning offers the possibility!
- A questions and answers section, to interact with others and share in the learning process
This is a great feature that helps make the courses slightly more interactive. Having the questions and answers section allows you to post questions, and to answer those of others so that different users are helping each other out through the learning process.
It’s also a great way of presenting new ideas or starting up discussions.
- You can take notes while watching the videos
We know that you can take notes while watching the videos no matter what platform, as you can have your own medium to take notes, or you can pause to do so.
But having a specific section to take notes while you watch the video is super helpful, and it helps keep the entire learning process in one place.
- The LinkedIn exclusive certification
One of the main issues that LinkedIn Learning presents is that the courses don’t award you with an accredited certificate to use outside of the platform.
However, you’re still awarded a certificate that can be used within the LinkedIn platform. And considering that it’s a platform majorly used by hiring companies and job opportunities, it’s often enough proof of you having the skills needed.
There are also other features that aren’t as unique to LinkedIn Learning, but that are useful and worth mentioning nevertheless:
- Offline course viewing
This is a great way to keep making progress on your course, whether you have online access or not in that instance. Great for using it while you travel!
- Course recommendations based on your profile and previous courses
The course recommendations that you get will be based on your profile, and on what other courses you’ve been looking at.
It’s aimed at growing your skills around the ones that you already have, so that you have a better-rounded knowledge and understanding of the same topic or similar topics, slowly expanding your repertoire.
- Quizzes to test your skills and knowledge
It’s until you put your skills and knowledge to the test, that you can be sure you’ve acquired them. That is why the LinkedIn Learning quizzes are a great bonus, even if they aren’t a feature unique to this platform.
How does LinkedIn Learning work?
LinkedIn Learning offers a huge amount of courses, and quite a good number of different features, but how exactly does it work? Or rather, more importantly, is it easy to use?
After all, a learning platform isn’t worth it if you spend more time trying to figure it out instead of actually being able to use it.
- Layout and presentation:
The layout of the LinkedIn Learning page is very straightforward, and very easy to navigate. It’s well-organized and it looks highly professional, making it simple to use. It’s also pretty intuitive, which is always proof of a good design.
- Using the courses:
The courses are very easy to navigate, and there’s clear instructions and guidelines to help you along the way. You can watch them in full screen, and you have access to a transcript of all the videos.
You can also choose the quality of the video, as well as the speed, plus you can choose whether closed captions are displayed or not.
The courses are most often structured into chapters, so you can advance through them in a clear and organized way, plus you can save your progress to go back to where you left off.
You can also go through the courses while switching from one device to another, as the progress will be saved on the page itself, and not on the device you’re using.
- Using the quizzes:
You will usually have the option to take a quiz after every single chapter of the course, to test the knowledge you’ve gained.
There will also be a bigger quiz at the end of the entire course, although it can vary from course to course. You can take these quizzes as many times as you’d like, as they’re essentially there to provide you with a way to monitor your own learning progress.
- Completing a course:
Once you’ve finished a course, you will get the option to display a certificate of it in your LinkedIn profile, as proof that you’ve acquired the knowledge. You can also go back to the courses you’ve taken, as they’ll be saved in your learning history.
All in all, LinkedIn Learning is pretty easy to use, with clear and organized guidelines to help you along the way. But let’s look, more specifically, at the way in which you can select the courses, as that is the most important thing to know about when using the platform.
Selecting the Course
Selecting a course is very easy, as the different topics available are well structured in order to make the search faster and simpler.
All the courses are divided into three main categories, although you can also search for them by using the sub-categories option, which organizes them in a different manner.
Let’s look at both:
Main Categories:
- Business:
This category includes courses of many different types, including courses such as: marketing, leadership, strategy and software, management, professional development, and many more. Basically, anything that can apply to business!
- Creative:
The creative category, as the name suggests, includes all of the courses that help develop the use of creative tools. Courses such as: animation, graphic design, photography, music, and many more.
- Technology:
The technology category is to help you figure out all of the newest technologies, as you will likely need to be able to use them for certain jobs. Courses such as: cloud computing, data science, database management, and many more.
Sub-categories:
- Subjects:
This sub-category will group the different categories according to a certain topic of your choosing, and will then show you the “subjects” that pertain to said topic, or that are related. It can help get a more accurate search result.
- Software:
This subcategory lets you search for courses according to their software and tools, which can be very useful.
- Learning Path:
A learning path will group together multiple different courses that can be learned as a whole, for a more complete formation on a certain topic.
Basically, you search up a topic, and you can then choose its learning path, which will provide you with all the more relevant courses to be completed as a package of knowledge.
This is perhaps one of the most interesting ways of searching for courses on LinkedIn Learning, and one of the most useful!
Benefits of Using LinkedIn Learning
Now we know about the worth of LinkedIn Learning, as well as the features that you get with it, and the way it works. But what are the actual benefits that you get from using this specific platform? What are its highlights?
Well, let’s take a look at:
- You get access to a huge amount of courses, from a varied amount of topics
- The courses all include high-quality content, and are led by experts in the industry. You know you’re getting good and valuable information, with usable skills.
- The approach to this learning method is interactive, as you can talk to other users that are taking the same course as you, asking and answering questions.
- It’s very easy to use. This platform is intuitive, simple, and highly convenient. You can keep track of your courses, and take them at your own pace, online or offline.
- You get a LinkedIn exclusive certification for each course that you complete. And although you can’t use these certificates outside of LinkedIn, they are visible to companies and people that might be interested in hiring you!
- It’s a great price! If you weigh all of the things you get, against the monthly price of $29.99, the LinkedIn Learning Platform is a really good deal, and definitely worth the investment.
LinkedIn Learning can provide you with relevant courses that will teach you usable skills, with knowledge that is directly transferable to your professional career.
The platform also serves as a social network for career and business professionals. In it, those hiring for potential jobs can see your profile, and view your qualifications and skill, along with the rest of information you provide.
So although you don’t get an accredited certificate from each course, those on LinkedIn will be able to see that you’ve finished the course successfully, and that you therefore have the skills and knowledge.
Who is LinkedIn Learning suitable for?
LinkedIn Learning is designed to develop skills that are transferable to professional careers, with the courses imparting relevant knowledge to help you improve your chances at getting hired for certain jobs.
So with that in mind, it’s pretty safe to say that LinkedIn learning is suitable for those that are in the midst of developing their professional career, or for those wanting to improve their chances of getting hired for a specific role or job.
However, when it comes to learning, there are no limits on who is and who isn’t suitable. It’s marketed towards developing your professional skills, but it’s open to anyone who would like to take courses on different topics to expand their skills and knowledge.
In fact, you’re encouraged to take as many courses as you want, regardless of them being relevant or not to your specific area or expertise.
Of course, it is less suitable for children, as they will likely not have the necessary base to understand the courses as of yet. But older students, and university level students, are ideal for the courses. As are professionals that already have a job.
Basically, LinkedIn Learning is suitable for all those that want to use it to develop their professional life.
Alternatives to LinkedIn Learning
If LinkedIn Learning doesn’t quite convince you, and it’s just not the learning platform for you, there are plenty of other options. In fact, there are many competitor platforms and sights that will offer similar services in different ways.
Here are a few of the main alternatives to LinkedIn Learning:
This is a great online training platform, and it offers various courses for developers and IT professionals, as it focuses on technical skills. It is also a monthly subscription.
This is another highly popular online platform, with a monthly subscription for access to its many courses. It is known for being very engaging, and for providing you with knowledge that is highly meaningful for real-world application.
This is a very big educational organization, that offers a vast amount of online training courses of many types. It’s partnered with Google and is known for being very high-quality, but it is also on the more expensive side.
This online learning platform is ideal for taking all of the courses relevant to Cloud skills and knowledge, and is one of the more highly acclaimed in that area of training.
This is another highly popular platform that offers learning management system software and content. It’s one of the leaders in innovation when it comes to eLearning, and it has an incredible amount of courses on all topics imaginable.
This online marketplace of training courses is aimed at students and professionals, and it features both free and paid courses, on many different types of topics. It is also one of the more popular alternatives.
This is an online open course provider, that is partnered with top universities and organizations around the world to offer a big number of courses, for free. However, to obtain the premium features or to gain the certification for the course, you have to pay.
Conclusion
We’ve covered quite a lot of information in this article, so let’s sum up the basics. Is LinkedIn Learning worth it?
For $29.99 a month, with a one month free trial, it offers over 16000 courses of various topics and subjects, led by experts in the industry, and providing you with a certificate that can be used exclusively in your LinkedIn profile. Price-wise, it is definitely worth it.
The way in which it works is simple and intuitive, with courses that are easy to follow and convenient, as they adapt to your preferences in the way that they are presented, and in the time you have to complete them (which is unlimited, you take them completely at your own pace).
Selecting the course is equally easy, and you can also choose a learning path that will give you a comprehensive amount of interlinked courses to make you an expert on a certain topic.
There are plenty of alternative platforms that you can use instead of LinkedIn Learning, but overall, we have found that LinkedIn Learning offers many benefits, and is one of the most popular platforms for good reason.
About the Author Jacob M.
Jacob has a background in finance and engineering. Outside of his day job, he is a lifelong learner, who enjoys reading, taking online courses, and writing about what he's learned.
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