Is Pluralsight Worth It?
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Pluralsight is an online technology company that runs courses that focus on IT and software development. Other courses include business development and creative courses such as graphic design.
Elearning opportunities have become wildly popular due to the convenience of working from home. Courses can be highly credible for jobs and for improving a resume. Each elearning company offers a range of subscription fees for courses.
Where better to learn about technology than an online course taught by industry professionals?
Pluralsight Overview
Pluralsight primarily offers technology courses that range from software development, cyber security, and IT certifications. This company also offers creative courses including cinematography, drawing fundamentals, and even environment modelling for architecture.
If you’re looking for an elearning opportunity in anything relating to technology, chances are Pluralsight will offer a course for you.
People can have access to these courses via a paid subscription service, monthly or annual. This subscription service is split into two options: regular or premium. As expected, the premium subscription costs more but offers more courses and extras.
The subscription service works like any streaming service, as you pay a monthly or annual fee to do however many courses you like.
Users can pay for one month to complete one course of their liking, or they could pay more multiple months to complete multiple courses.
These courses are taught by industry professionals and are run in beginner, intermediate, and advanced categories to suit a range of skill levels.
How Much Does Pluralsight Cost?
There are different plans depending on the individual’s skill level and intentions. As with most elearning services, Pluralsight offers a free trial that lasts 10 days for both regular and premium potential subscribers.
The regular free trial allows 200 minutes of access to watch all skills levels videos, certificates of completion (if done with the trial period), skill IQ assessments, and more.
The premium free trial offers the same as the regular free trial, but also interactive projects and courses and other benefits.
As with any free trial, users must be aware that they will have to pay after the trial period has finished if they don’t cancel it in time.
For paid subscriptions, users can choose whether to pay for an individual subscription or a team subscription. Regular monthly subscriptions cost $29 monthly and $299 a year.
Considering the amount of courses and goodies on offer, this is incredibly good value – especially the annual subscription as it saves $49.
Premium subscriptions only offer a yearly fee, which costs $449.
Team subscriptions come in either a professional or enterprise category, costing $579 and $779 per year respectively.
A14 day team trial or pilot is also offered, which is a good opportunity for a team in a workplace or learning environment to see whether they like what Pluralsight can offer.
The subscription services offer everything the free trial does, but with unlimited time and resources depending on whether you pay monthly or annually.
The best way to sum Pluralsight’s offers is that it works similarly to Netflix: you pay a monthly or yearly fee and you have free reign during this time. The only difference is that premium subscription users get more because they pay more!
In our opinion, the cost of Pluralsight is definitely worth it. There are over 7000 courses available within a range of subjects, which is certainly a more cost-effective way of learning than going to college.
What Do You Get From Pluralsight?
There are over 7000 courses available on Pluralsight, all ranging from basic guides to niche classes. Here are just a handful of them in their respective categories:
Software Development:
- JavaScript
- Web Development
- Python
- Programming
Information & Cyber Security:
- Malware Analysis
- Security Management
- Digital Forensics
- Security for Hackers and Developers
Manufacturing & Design:
- SOLIDWORKS
- 3D Printing
- Biomedical Design
Business Professional:
- Business Analysis
- Managing OneDrive or Outlook
- Project Management
As well as courses, Pluralsight offers a range of resources including a blog, guides, webinars, events, podcasts, and more. This versatility is what makes Pluralsight so authentic and worth the subscription fee, because there is so much to offer.
Pluralsight’s aim is to help and encourage people to build and improve their skills and knowledge in technology. These skills are intended to help people find a job, pass a college exam, or to change careers.
Course Quality
So, the subscription fees are decent for the amount of courses and resources on offer. But how good are the courses?
As we’ve said before, Pluralsight’s courses are split into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. If a potential student was to look on the website and type in the type of subject they would like to study, several courses would appear with different teachers.
These courses are taught by industry professionals and those who have experience teaching their chosen subject. The quality of the courses, according to students past and present, is of a high standard.
Certification
Individuals can strive to get certifications to prove they have completed a course. Likewise, companies like to encourage their employees to finish a course with a certification to prove they have completed it.
Some users may utilize their subscription to sharpen their skills in a certain topic – for example, some may want to enhance their Excel skills. Others may want proof of completion after a course, which Pluralsight offers.
Students who are subscribed to Pluralsight will be prepared to take the certification exams because of practice tests that are designed to improve their chances of passing.
It’s not about quantity over quality, as this elearning company is designed to improve skills and knowledge with the added benefit of a certification.
Here’s the thing about Pluralsight: Unlike schools and colleges that just want to churn out grades, Pluralsight wants their students to succeed.
If you are looking to enhance your resume with the aim of looking for a new job, Pluralsight certifications are a great way to look attractive to an employer.
Certifications prove that you are a driven and motivated individual who can take their own initiative. It’s proof that you are willing to learn and improve outside of your job, and for technology jobs this is a must.
There is never a limit to the expert level in subjects like these, after all.
Are Certificates Worth Anything?
Whilst certification to prove completion of a course does look good on a resume as it is proof of skill-building, Pluralsight is not an official certification center.
The certification you get from Pluralsight won’t be the same as an official certificate from Microsoft, for example.
So, technically, they’re not worth anything. Not on a universal scale, at least. A user couldn’t rely purely on a Pluralsight certification to get their dream job.
Despite this, they are still a sign of a self-driven individual who uses their own initiative to expand their knowledge and skills.
Is Pluralsight User-Friendly?
You only need to look at Pluralsight’s website to know that they are a skilled technology company. It is really straightforward to navigate around and looks incredibly professional – a hopeful indicator of how professional your own work will become.
Sometimes, elearning sites can be confusing to navigate around with multiple links and buttons and too many colors to focus. Pluralsight clearly recognizes this, as their attractive website is tidy and very user-friendly.
It’s easy to browse, sign in, find a course, and the home page allows users to keep on top of their progress. You can even get in contact with other customers/students and even the authors of the courses.
This is a personal experience that cares for each student and allows them the opportunity to talk to the teachers directly.
Whilst most people are more likely to use Pluralsight on their laptop or desktop, it is also user-friendly on a mobile or tablet device.
Can Anyone Become a Pluralsight Author?
Yes! It’s probably easier than getting a job as a lecturer at a college, but it’s certainly not a breeze.
Becoming an author on Pluralsight is like applying for a job – they only want industry experts who can impart their knowledge from their own experiences to train newbies.
Pluralsight prides itself on providing the top course quality from the top authors, so they’re not likely to allow anyone to become an author.
There are a series of requirements that a potential author must partake in to be approved by Pluralsight, and it is rather strict.
Becoming a Pluralsight author is a good way to teach literally anyone about their findings. It’s a credible job that is often overlooked by employers and other industry professionals.
Authors work together to improve their courses, rather than to compete against each other. It’s an achievement to become a Pluralsight author.
It’s not easy to explain a technological concept to people around the world who have different understandings of the concept, but when it’s done properly, it’s incredibly rewarding.
To apply to become an author, candidates need to fill out a form to describe the type of course they are wanting to create. As there are so many courses available, it’s important to be an expert in a niche field to improve your chances of being recognized.
If anyone from the team is interested, they will get in touch to organize an audition. This will essentially be a trial of the course, wherein the candidate completes a mock video to see if they are appropriate for the role.
Who Should and Shouldn’t Use Pluralsight?
Absolutely anyone can use Pluralsight. Whether you are a beginner who is interested in looking into JavaScript or someone who just wants to brush up on some skills, there’s an abundance of courses or resources available.
The best people to use Pluralsight are those who are interested in changing career directions, those who want to be promoted in their job, or those who want to make their job application look more appealing.
You may even be a budding student hoping to make your college admissions essay look better than other candidates’.
As we said before, a Pluralsight certification won’t technically mean anything. It’s not like having a degree or a diploma of any sort due to the length of the courses.
However, it’s not all about providing certification of multiple courses to prove you have done your work.
Pluralsight prides itself in its high quality teaching and learning styles. It’s a personalized system that works to enhance skills and knowledge through communication between industry experts and the students.
They want their students to succeed, so they deliberately create multiple tests and exams to assure that they do pass the course with a certificate.
Pluralsight is one of those elearning sites that is all about the journey and not the destination. An employer is more likely to be impressed by the skills a candidate has learnt from a Pluralsight course than the certification itself.
What are Pluralsight’s Disadvantages?
Unfortunately, Pluralsight isn’t perfect. No elearning company can be when there are so many on the market.
The main issue students past and present have noticed is that some of the courses aren’t up-to-date. There are some courses that haven’t been changed in several years, which usually wouldn’t be an issue, but this isn’t a good thing for technology.
Technology is an ever-expanding void of abundance. There is no time-limit for technology to stop advancing, because it will continue to grow and expand. Therefore, it’s not great to see that some courses are fairly outdated.
If you’re looking to brush up on some skills to get the basics from a course, this shouldn’t be an issue. If you’re wanting to delve deeper, this needs to be considered.
Something that could be considered a disadvantage is that Pluralsight does not offer refunds. However, this is the nature of subscription services. If you plan on paying a subscription for one month, you won’t be able to get this money back if you don’t enjoy the course.
Alternatives
If you’re not totally convinced, there are multiple alternatives to Pluralsight. These include:
Whilst Pluralsight offers an array of courses, it won’t offer every niche to suit every need. Fortunately, there are lots of elearning alternatives.
Conclusion
To answer the question “Is Pluralsight Worth It?” simply: yes, Pluralsight is worth it.
The subscription service is a very decent and appropriate price to pay in return for the resources and courses available. It’s certainly a cheaper option than going to a proper certification center to do multiple courses at a time.
Whilst the certification isn’t technically worth anything, it’s still a good personal achievement to have proof of course completion.
It also looks good on a resume or job application, as it shows that the individual is driven and motivated to use their initiative to expand their skills and knowledge.
From customer reviews and present students, the response has been great. The teaching from authors is of a high quality, driven by passion and experience.
However, it’s important to note that some courses are fairly outdated which won’t always be the most useful.
If you’re almost convinced by Pluralsight, whether on a professional or personal basis, it is worth trying their free trial to get to grips with the services they offer.
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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