LinkedIn Learning offers suite of online courses featuring high-quality content while combining LinkedIn’s network. Here’s everything you need know.
There has been an upward trend in people working from home or studying remotely. This has resulted in a significant growth in online learning platforms and the courses they offer.
Some enjoy brushing up their skills, while others prefer learning new technology. Online learning platforms cater to individuals from different professional backgrounds and interests.
Coursera, Udemy, Khan Academy are well-known for offering diverse courses. For those who are still exploring their interests, YouTube has a lot of free content. But if you don't mind investing in an online portal, LinkedIn Learning is a great tool.
LinkedIn is a popular platform professionals use for job search, creating a professional brand, or networking. It also has a learning hub, LinkedIn Learning, which features a comprehensive collection of online courses.
These are created by the LinkedIn academy or a third party and are led by professionals with extensive experience. Like traditional education, you get access to exercise files, notes, and on passing the course, a certificate of completion.
If you are on a paid plan of LinkedIn Premium, you can access LinkedIn Learning for free. But don't worry if you aren't. You can start a one-month trial of LinkedIn Learning and upgrade it to the paid version.
Let's understand the features and benefits for paying members of this portal.
The home screen shows your goals and shows courses' progress, trending courses, and course recommendations. The header of the home screen shows popular and recently added courses.
On the Home screen, you can perform the following tasks:
On the My Learning page, you will find your learning history, a list of courses you have saved or are currently pursuing, as well as a skill list.
If your company sponsors your LinkedIn Learning account, the courses recommended by the company are shown in the From your organization section.
You can get notified about updates to your courses, learn about trending courses, or receive course suggestions by clicking the bell icon.
By tapping the profile icon, you can access the help center, view your learning history, set up your account, and make other changes.
The Settings option enables you to configure the notifications on LinkedIn Learning, modify your email subscriptions and change the language preference.
When you click Browse, categories of courses are displayed in the left panel, and their related topics are shown on the main screen.
There are two ways to begin your learning journey. You can either take up a learning path, a collection of courses organized logically, or complete a single course. To complete the path, you must finish all the courses and pass the final exam.
Some courses require candidates to pass an exam, while others require you to finish the course to receive the certificate of completion. But don't worry, after every chapter, there is an optional quiz that helps you prepare for the exam. These courses are self-paced, and you can re-watch the video any number of times before taking the exam.
LinkedIn Learning is offered at 19.99 USD/month with an annual subscription. Alternatively, you can pay 29.99 USD per month and cancel at any time. The former plan is cheaper, with 33% savings on the total cost.
You can access customized courses, exercise files, certificates and enjoy other benefits. When you pay for LinkedIn Learning, you can also access all the benefits of LinkedIn Premium and vice-versa.
Online portals like Coursera, Udacity, Skillshare provide discounts on courses and memberships regularly. In comparison, such offers are a rarity on LinkedIn Learning.
Unless your employer offers free access to the portal, you will have to pay the full membership cost. The collection of courses is similar across all the learning platforms. So, signing up for LinkedIn Learning comes down to your preference of LinkedIn brand.
LinkedIn Learning is an all-inclusive platform ideal for anyone who enjoys developing new skills regularly. If you rather learn a skill once in a while and want to pay only for a specific course, it is better to explore alternatives.
With many online learning platforms to learn from, it's easy to pick one that aligns with your needs. Considering that organizations, recruiters, employees trust LinkedIn, trying LinkedIn Learning might be a good idea.
Online learning platforms have surged in popularity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s how you can take advantage of them.
Nikita is a writer with experience in IT, Business Intelligence, and E-commerce domains. When she is not writing about technology, she creates artwork and spins non-fiction articles.
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