Is LinkedIn Learning Worth It? LinkedIn Learning Review, Costs, and More

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You’ve come to the right place if you’re looking for a LinkedIn Learning review.

You should always be looking to learn new skills as a professional. After all, the more you know, the better you’ll stand out in a job search, when competing for a promotion or raise, and so on.

Until recently, however, learning new skills was difficult.

You had two choices: go to university, which can be very expensive and time-consuming, or read books, which are not always practical.

Fortunately, now that online courses are common, it’s much easier to learn the necessary skills.

One of the best places for this is LinkedIn Learning, a new initiative started by LinkedIn, in partnership with the e-learning platform Lynda.

We wrote this in-depth LinkedIn Learning review to help you understand how you can use it to improve your job search and career.

So, What is LinkedIn Learning?

You’ve most likely heard of LinkedIn. You’ve most likely already created a profile.

LinkedIn recently decided to focus more on education. They bought the online education platform Lynda and launched LinkedIn Learning, which offers professional courses.

Whatever your profession, there’s a good chance you could benefit from LinkedIn Learning.

Starting With LinkedIn Learning

After registering on the platform, you begin by selecting general skills that interest you.

The platform will then recommend specific courses based on your interests.

There are several other ways to find courses…

• By Your Field. This is divided into three categories: business, creative, and technology. Customer service, accounting, and other aspects of business are examples.
• Trending
• Most Popular

If you already know what you want to learn, there’s an option for that as well. For example, you could select Excel and receive hundreds of different courses on the subject.

Three Learning Directions

What distinguishes LinkedIn Learning from other online education websites is its focus.

Coursera, for example, is more concerned with general education. LI Learning is primarily concerned with professional development.

As a result, they provide three different learning options…

Subject – This is the best way to gain experience with a specific skill. You can choose a topic (for example, HR, finance, etc.) and then select courses based on that.

Software – Nowadays, no matter what your job is, you’ll almost certainly need to be familiar with various types of software.

Learning Paths – This is where LI Learning really shines. There are Learning Paths available to assist you in transitioning into a new field. Instead of searching for random courses in a specific field, you can simply choose your path and get a structured learning experience. For example, if you want to learn Digital Marketing, the Learning Path has courses in…

• Online Marketing Foundations
• SEO Foundations
• Google Analytics
• Content Marketing Foundations
• Lead Generation Foundations
• Growth Hacking
• Creating an Integrated Strategy

While completing the learning path will not instantly make you an expert, it will provide you with the necessary knowledge to begin your career path.

What’s the Price/Cost of LinkedIn Learning?

“How much does LinkedIn Learning cost?” you may be wondering.

The good news is that, unlike universities, you won’t have to spend a fortune to learn a thing or two.

LinkedIn Learning is only $29.99 per month, which is a small investment in comparison to the job it will help you land. (In a moment, I’ll show you how this is useful for job seekers or anyone looking to improve their resume.)

You can also cancel during the first month without paying anything.

You don’t have to make a commitment in the first month because LinkedIn Learning is free to try. You can start a free trial to see if the platform is right for you.

If you want to stay on board and continue taking more LinkedIn Learning courses after the free month, you can begin paying.

By going HERE, you can get a full month.

Linkedin Learning Review for Job Seekers

As I previously stated, this is especially useful for job seekers or those seeking a promotion/raise.

Anyone who needs to improve their resume and catch the attention of a hiring manager.

This is why: Employers want to hire (and promote) people who are proactive in their efforts to improve/learn. People who are driven and determined to succeed.

What is it about this that they find so appealing? Because you cannot teach this! People either “get it” or don’t. So demonstrating this trait to employers will immediately set you apart from the majority of other job seekers.

Examples of How LinkedIn Learning Can Boost Your Job Search

If you want to move into a different field, you must first learn the fundamentals. You can’t really go to a marketing job interview and not understand how Facebook Ads work, can you?

So enrolling in an online LinkedIn Learning course on this subject is a great place to start!

Even if you’re not looking for a new job, there’s a lot you can learn from LinkedIn Learning courses.

Employers and HR departments appreciate proactive employees.

Assume you’re a hiring manager weighing two candidates: one with less experience but who spends half of their free time improving themselves. The other has more experience in the field, but they spend the majority of their free time binge-watching Netflix.

Which one would you choose if you were looking for a long-term employee?

Probably the person who is focused on growing/improving, because they will benefit your company more and more over time.

Show Off Your New Skills on Your Resume

Of course, completing all of the coursework is beneficial, but you must also find a way to inform employers about it.

One of the simplest ways to accomplish this is to include it in your resume.

You can include specific courses for a particular subject or software in your “Skills” section.

Example:

Basics of Java Programming – LinkedIn Learning Course; Completed April 2019

If, on the other hand, you’ve finished an entire learning path, you can even move it to the “Education” section. And, yes, it counts as actual education.

Talk About the Courses You Completed in Your Interviews

Aside from that, you can mention your experience with self-education during the interview.

“What have you been doing recently to keep your skills up to date?” is one of the most common questions you’ll be asked.

As you might expect, “nothing” isn’t the best answer here.

However, make sure to provide more information on this.

Don’t simply state that you’ve completed “some online course.” Get specific – what was the course? What did you take away from it? And how will this enable you to assist the employer even more in THEIR job?

LinkedIn Learning is Powerful Even if You’re NOT Job Searching

Imagine walking into your next performance review and surprising your manager by discussing the online course you completed and how it will help you perform better on the job.

Consider applying for a promotion or raise and immediately standing out because you were the only candidate who took the initiative to complete a relevant LI Learning course.

LinkedIn Learning is a career booster for any professional who wants to stand out and advance their career more quickly.

Drawbacks of LinkedIn Learning

As with any other software, LinkedIn Learning isn’t perfect.

While the platform itself works flawlessly, you will need to put in some effort to research the quality of the courses you are taking.

Because there are hundreds of lectures available, you must do some research to determine which one is the best.

Another issue is that you have no way of knowing how recent a course is.

This is acceptable in some fields because the “how-to” of writing hasn’t changed much over the years.

This could be a problem with anything to do with technology. You must ensure that the course you are taking is current; otherwise, you may waste hours learning outdated techniques or skills.

Good Alternatives to LinkedIn Learning

Skillshare and Udemy are the best LinkedIn Learning alternatives. Skillshare has a similar subscription model in which you pay a monthly fee to access all of the platform’s courses. Furthermore, Udemy allows you to purchase access to individual courses, often at a steep discount and for less than $20. All you have to do is wait for them to run one of their extremely common sales/promotions.

I still believe LinkedIn Learning is worthwhile, but these are excellent alternatives to consider, as well as sites that may be superior in certain circumstances.

I’ll explain further below…

LinkedIn Learning vs. Skillshare

Skillshare is similar to LinkedIn Learning in that it provides high-quality courses for a monthly fee.

Skillshare, in my opinion, provides a broader range of course topics and, at times, does a better job of delivering high-quality content and material. However, this depends on the topic, and LinkedIn Learning is unquestionably superior for some professional topics such as networking, etc.

So your choice will be determined by the topic you wish to learn, but I recommend checking out Skillshare first, especially since they offer a free trial.

LinkedIn Learning vs Udemy

If you only want to pay for one or two courses, Udemy is a great alternative to LinkedIn learning. Purchasing a course on Udemy grants you lifetime access, eliminating the need to pay a monthly subscription.

This pricing structure distinguishes Udemy from Skillshare/LinkedIn Learning, and it is one I prefer because most people join these platforms to learn a specific skill rather than to take hundreds of different courses.

And, because Udemy has a 30-day refund policy, you can always swap out courses on a specific topic if you don’t like one.

So, if you want to learn a specific topic and don’t think you’ll need to take 5, 10, or more courses (which, in my opinion, most people don’t), I highly recommend checking out Udemy.

Conclusion – Are LinkedIn Learning Courses Worth It?

Yes, in my opinion, it is well worth it.

There are no major drawbacks to the platform as long as you conduct minor research on your instructors and courses.

You can also get started with a free month by clicking here.

Whether it’s a single skill or a completely new area of knowledge, the skills you’ll end up gaining can be invaluable for your personal development.

And, if you play your cards right, what you learn from LinkedIn Learning could even help you land your next job!

What to Do Next:

• Sign up for LinkedIn Learning for a free trial month.
• Completing at least one relevant course in your field is required.
• Put it on your resume under “Education” or “Skills” to help you stand out in your next job search, promotion, or performance review.