LinkedIn Learning: Is It Worth It? - In-Depth Review
In 2017, LinkedIn acquired Lynda.com, one of the oldest online learning platforms (they have been around for 20 years), and LinkedIn Learning was born.
Today, they have 700+ million users worldwide and offer more than 16 000 courses specializing in Business, Creative, and Technology.
But does it worth paying $30 a month?
We’ve tried it out, and here is our honest opinion.
Disclaimer: the post contains affiliate links. Each time you make a purchase through our link, we’ll receive a small percentage at no extra cost to you.
Overall Rating
Upsides
- Leading platform
- Beginner-friendly
- Massive course selection
- Offers audio courses
- One-month free trial
- Certificates
- Q & A section
- Technical topics, great for professionals who want to advance their career
- Courses are available in multiple languages
- Dedicated mobile app
Drawbacks
- Certificates are not accredited by any University or Partner
- Doesn’t offer free courses
Free Trial & Pricing
LinkedIn offers a one-month free trial that gives you the ability to test out the platform and see if this is the right place for you.
After that, you’ll have two options to choose from: you can either purchase the courses individually or get a subscription.
The subscription costs $29.99/ month or $299.99/ year – both of them get you access to 16 000+ courses and LinkedIn Premium, which provides salary insights, job suggestions, and InMail credits.
If that doesn’t suit you, you can buy the courses individually. They cost typically $20 to $45, and after you made a purchase, you can retake it, go through the material again, as many times you want.
Once the course is completed, you’ll get a certificate. If you have any complaints, LinkedIn has a 30-day refund policy for individual courses.
Click the button below to save 35% on your plan.
LinkedIn Learning for Teams
Aside from individual learning, LinkedIn offers personalized training tailored to your company’s needs.
Here, you can find out more.
Features
Video Courses
Most of LinkedIn Learning’s courses are video-based, where the instructor is presenting the topic along with presentation slideshows.
The courses are self-paced, and they can be downloaded (if you use the mobile app) and watched offline.
For learners who prefer to read, each course has a transcript available.
Audio Courses
LinkedIn offers some audio courses on its platforms – all you have to do is listen and learn.
These courses are great alternatives for those who aren’t visual learners.
Learning Paths
Learning Paths are sets of connected courses that give you in-depth information about a certain field or industry. These Learning Paths are designed to provide you with extensive training, so you can further improve your existing skills and acquire new ones.
LinkedIn offers more than 70 of them and in general, they are 5-30 hours long. When you’ve completed a Learning Path, you’ll be awarded a certificate that up can attach to your LinkedIn profile.
These certificates are helpful for those who want to demonstrate their commitment to learning and self-development.
Topics
When you first log in and click on the menu, you’ll be able to choose from the three main categories (Creative, Business, Technology), and subcategories or you can see what’s trending and take those courses.
Additionally, LinkedIn will ask you which skills are you interested in and which ones would you like to develop.
After that, the platform will give you custom recommendations and suggestions about which course fits your needs the best.
Q&A Section
There is a Q&A section available where learners can ask questions about the content and the topic that’s being presented.
People who have experience in that field or industry, will respond and provide useful tips.
Multi-Language Features
There is a language selector for the entire site and here’s what you can choose from (aside from English): French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese.
Although you might face some limitations, most of the features are available in those languages, and multi-language learning isn’t something all platforms offer.
Certificates
After you’ve gone through all of the sections within a course, you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion and you can obtain Continuing Education Units or CEUs through LinkedIn Learning.
However, none of these are accredited by any university or partner institution. If accreditation is important to you, Coursera or edX can be a viable alternative.
Mobile App
LinkedIn Learning has a dedicated app that available both for iOS and Android, which has an intuitive, beginner-friendly interface, and it allows you to control everything from there.
And, if you want to learn while traveling or commuting to work, you can continue where you left off or download the courses and watch them on the go.
Possible Alternatives
Skillshare
Skillshare offers free classes and a premium plan that costs either $19 a month or $99 a year.
It’s best suited for creatives and people who want to learn graphic design-related skills.
Masterclass
MasterClass is a platform that’s known for having celebrities as instructors.
MasterClass has both individual courses and subscriptions.
It’s best for those who want specialized, in-depth training that will take months to complete and aren’t afraid to pay a bit premium.
Coursera
Coursera is a popular MOOC (massive open online course) site, where you can take courses and learning programs from well-known universities.
It relies on a monthly subscription and its biggest advantage to LinkedIn Learning is accredited certificates. You’ll have to through a quick test, pay the fees ($35-$200) and you’re good to go.
If accreditation matters to you, this is a platform that is definitely worth checking out.
edX
edX is a non-profit organization that offers 2000+ free courses from 140 leading institutions including Harvard University and MIT.
Just like with Coursera, after you’ve completed a course, there is an option to complete a quick test and buy a university-backed certificate.
Affiliate Program
If you’ve done with learning and think LinkedIn Learning is worthy to promote, you can do that with the affiliate program!
For each subscription you sell, LinkedIn will give you a $40 commission and 35% for each individual course purchase.
You’ll also get free advertising banners, text links, and branding materials to make conversions easier.
Affiliates will receive priority support through LinkedIn’s dedicated Affiliate Partner Team, so if you have any issues or questions to ask, they will be happy to help.
Conclusion
The minimalistic interface, the tone of courses, and the overall look of the platform makes it obvious that LinkedIn Learning was built for corporate professionals and job seekers, who want to showcase their talent and progress.
It offers thousands of self-paced, well-made courses that are updated on regular basis. It gives personalized recommendations, suggestions and you can set weekly learning goals.
The app is smooth and fast, overall, it provides an extraordinary user experience.
Even though they are not accredited, you’ll still get a certificate for each course completed, and with that, getting a promotion at your job will be piece of cake.
The multi-language features and the audio courses are nice to see, that’s not something every competitor offers.
With the 1-month trial, you have access to the entire site and you can experiment with it – entirely free.
Overall, LinkedIn Learning is an outstanding platform with lots of value in it and if you’d like to further your carrier, it will be a great choice.
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