LinkedIn Learning is a platform that allows you to pick up new skills and change your career. It has over 17,000 courses on various topics related to business, technology, and creative pursuits. The platform is quite affordable, making it a great choice for budget education. It even allows you to prepare for certifications or maintain existing ones.
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5/5 |
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4/5 |
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4.5/5 |
At-a-glance:
- Subscribing to LinkedIn Learning gives you a LinkedIn Premium subscription and vice versa.
- Courses are generally good in quality but may seem “overproduced;” some content needs updating.
- Instructors are respected experts in their fields.
- You can purchase courses individually.
- The platform is affordable.
- Many courses can prep you for certification assessments or CEUs for certification maintenance.
So, is LinkedIn Learning worth it? Is LinkedIn Learning good for career advancement?
In this LinkedIn Learning review, we cover everything there is to know about the platform, including its history, legitimacy, pricing, course library, and more. Read on to find out if LinkedIn Learning is right for you!
What is LinkedIn Learning?
LinkedIn Learning is an online learning platform with over 17,000 courses to help individuals and businesses level up topical skills and knowledge.
LinkedIn acquired the platform in 2015 — before that, It used to be Lynda.com, one of the first online learning platforms since 1995. Over its lifetime, Lynda.com offered courses on business, creative skills, and software.
Is LinkedIn Learning Legit?
Yes, LinkedIn Learning is legit — it’s legal, verifiable, and used worldwide.
Headquartered in California, LinkedIn has over 830 million users worldwide. This number is ever-growing, so it’s not unlikely it’ll creep to over 1 billion users in the coming years. You’ll notice the company’s learning platform is widely used and recognized by many professionals, employers, and companies.
Is LinkedIn Learning Accredited?
Unfortunately, no. LinkedIn Learning does provide certificates of completion once you’ve watched every video associated with a course, but you cannot use these certificates as transferable credits in colleges or universities.
However, that doesn’t mean there is no LinkedIn Learning certificate value, however. You can still add certificates to your resume or CV. Sometimes, you can even use certificates as CEUs (continuing education units) to help you maintain your professional certifications.
You can also use LinkedIn Learning courses as certification preparation, as the platform is associated with 36 accrediting organizations, including the PMI, HRCI, CompTIA, AWS, Google, Adobe, Cisco, and more.
Are LinkedIn certifications worth it? Absolutely — especially since most employers recognize the platform’s high learning quality.
Who Should Use LinkedIn Learning?
LinkedIn Learning is for anyone who wants to learn new skills in business, technology, and creative subjects. It is an excellent platform for casual learning and career advancement pursuits.
This platform is also great for preparing for professional certification assessments and maintaining existing certifications.
How Does LinkedIn Learning Work?
LinkedIn Learning offers its courses in video format, and you can narrow down your ideal courses in a few different ways. For example, you can choose to learn by subject, software, or pursue a Learning Path.
Learning Paths are sets of courses around a certain topic that can take you from zero knowledge to an expert upon completion. You can find paths on subjects like how to become a software developer and more.
How to Open a LinkedIn Learning Account
Getting started on LinkedIn Learning is simple and easy. If you already have a LinkedIn account, you can simply sign in. Otherwise, you can create an account following the process below.
1. On the LinkedIn Learning homepage, click on Sign in. The button is on the upper right-hand side of the page.
2. On the next page, either sign in to your account or click on Join now to create a new account.
3. You can create an account using your email or phone number. Fill in the form and click agree and join when you finish creating your brand new account. Alternatively, you can create an account through your Google account.
And that’s it! You’ve got a brand new account to try LinkedIn learning for 30 days.
The Pros and Cons of LinkedIn Learning
Still not sure if LinkedIn Learning is for you? We’ve scoured endless LinkedIn Learning reviews to see what users had to say about the platform. Here’s a quick list of pros and cons for you to consider:
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How Much Are LinkedIn Learning Courses?
LinkedIn Learning offers highly recognized courses, but are they expensive? Are LinkedIn Learning courses worth it for the price you pay?
Our take? Yes — LinkedIn Learning’s price range is more affordable than other MOOC providers and includes a one-month free trial.
The free trial gives you access to:
- The full 17,000+ course library and all associated learning plus certificates of completion
- Course recommendations (personalized suggestions)
- Full LinkedIn Premium access
To access the free trial, you must add a credit or debit card number. Make sure you cancel or change your subscription before your trial ends to avoid unwanted charges. Subscription purchases are non-refundable unless you meet certain conditions.
In the past, LinkedIn Learning’s courses were only available through monthly subscriptions. However, LinkedIn made it possible to purchase individual courses on the platform in May 2019. You get permanent, unlimited access to courses that you have purchased in this way. Just look for the button that says “Buy This Course,” which should also list the price in parentheses. Individual courses typically hover in the $20 - $40 price range.
Individually purchased courses offer two benefits: permanent access (as long as you keep your LinkedIn account) and a 30-day guarantee window where you can obtain a full refund.
If you’d rather have the LinkedIn Learning subscription to access all courses on the platform, you have two options: pay monthly or annually. An annual subscription will save you over 30%.
The monthly subscription rate is $39.99, which works out to about $480 each year. The annual subscription costs $323.88, which works out to about $26.99 each month.
Note that a LinkedIn Learning subscription automatically gives you access to LinkedIn Premium — an excellent benefit.
LinkedIn Learning Refund Policy
Here’s what you need to know about LinkedIn Learning’s refund policy:
- When you purchase an individual course, you can get a refund with the 30-day money-back guarantee.
- All subscription purchases on LinkedIn, regardless of the type of subscription, are non-refundable. You can cancel anytime, but you will not get a refund for your subscription fee. Upon canceling your subscription, your platform access will continue until your last subscription cycle ends.
Certain situations may qualify you for a refund on your subscription payments, such as European Union, Dutch, or Danish residency.
Does LinkedIn Learning Offer Free Courses?
Unfortunately, no. LinkedIn Learning doesn’t offer any free courses. The only way to access courses for free is through the 30-day trial.
If you do not want to pay for a subscription or if you want to choose your subscription terms, make sure you cancel or change your subscription before your trial ends!
What Kinds of Courses are Available on LinkedIn Learning?
Are LinkedIn courses worth it? Depends on what you’re looking for.
On this platform, you can find courses to help you develop hard and soft skills for professional growth. You can even learn how to use certain software and programming languages, like Python or Object-Oriented Programming.
The homepage features three main course categories: Business, Technology, and Creative.
Under each main category are subcategories. You can typically find them on the right-hand side of your screen, under “Explore _____ Topics.” For example, clicking on Business will bring you to the page below:
You can use LinkedIn Learning’s filters to sort your results based on level, type of content (video, course, or learning path), time to complete, and software used. You can also filter your results to certain topics by clicking the options on the right.
The same process applies to technology and creative categories.
How to Find the Best Courses on LinkedIn Learning
The best way to maximize your LinkedIn Learning subscription is to find the platform’s best courses. Step one? Use the free trial.
Next step is to watch course preview videos, read the course description, and check online reviews. Other ways to find the most suitable courses include:
Using LinkedIn Learning’s Course Recommendations
If you’ve already created a LinkedIn account and filled in your profile, LinkedIn Learning will recommend courses based on your profile’s details. The homepage features recommended categories such as top picks, most liked, learn within thirty minutes, new course releases, and more.
Because this feature uses the skills you are interested in to compile recommendations, you can keep adding to your interest list for more targeted suggestions. You might just find a gem or two this way!
Find Out Who the Instructor Is
Always look at the course instructor. You can find a short author biography on the course’s description page. The bio also displays a link to the instructor’s LinkedIn profile and other courses they teach.
As you continue your LinkedIn Learning journey, pay attention to the instructors you enjoy and the ones you don’t.
Check the Course Q & A Section
If you have any doubts or questions about a course, head to the question and answer section. You’ll find answers provided by other learners as well as instructors.
Bonus: Consider Learning Paths
As discussed earlier, Learning Paths are a collection of courses around a specific topic. If you have an idea of what you want to do but don’t want to bother picking individual courses, a learning path may be the way to go.
Best LinkedIn Learning Courses in 2024
Let’s touch upon some of LinkedIn Learning’s best courses in our mini LinkedIn courses review:
- Excel Essential Training covers how to analyze and manage data on the Microsoft 365/Office 365 version of the app.
- Communicating with Confidence helps you develop the skills to communicate effectively.
- Time Management Fundamentals is a short course that can help you reclaim some of your time.
- Learning Personal Branding teaches you to market yourself in any industry.
- Python Essential Training covers the basics of the language and sets you up for more advanced topics.
- Digital Marketing Foundations teaches you what you need to get started with marketing in the online space.
If you’d like to know more about the best (or most popular) courses on this platform, you can check LinkedIn’s post here.
Our LinkedIn Learning Review: In Summary
- User-friendliness: 4.25/5 - Getting started on this platform is extremely easy, especially if you already have a LinkedIn account. However, you might get lost trying to find specific courses.
- Convenience: 5/5 - LinkedIn Learning is available on browser, iOS, and Android.
- Accessibility: 5/5 - You can access LinkedIn in a few languages — a plus considering many platforms only offer content in English.
- Affordability: 5/5 - Courses range between $20-40 if purchased individually. Monthly subscriptions cost $39.99/month at most.
- Certification: 5/5 - Most employers recognize LinkedIn Learning certificates. The platform has 36 affiliated accrediting organizations, and you can find prep courses or earn continuing education units.
- Catalog: 4/5 - Some complain about the platform’s outdated courses. Additionally, the catalog organization is sometimes confusing.
- Course quality: 4.5/5 - Respected experts teach the platform’s courses; however, some complaints that the videos look “overproduced” and “overly corporate.”
- User support: 5/5 - The platform offers a healthy Help Center with plenty of answers to the most common questions. You can also ask your question in their support chat.
- Payment methods: 4.75/5 - LinkedIn Learning’s payment methods include credit, debit cards, and PayPal.
- Refund policy: 5/5 - Although you cannot get subscription refunds for subscriptions, individual course purchases have a 30-day guarantee for refunds.
Conclusion: Final Verdict and Rating
LinkedIn Learning provides thousands of online courses in skills that can help you advance or change careers. You can learn at your own pace and even download courses to view offline. Many courses are available in different languages for improved accessibility.
Although the platform can improve its user interface and overly corporate feel, course quality is high with certified experts in each course field. The platform is quite affordable, too.
We give LinkedIn Learning a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars!
Interested in checking out other learning platforms?
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is LinkedIn Learning Any Good?
If you’re looking to improve your skills, boost your career, or change fields altogether, LinkedIn Learning can be a great tool. The high course quality and expert instructors make it a worthy learning investment.
2. Are LinkedIn Learning Certificates Worth It?
Yes. LinkedIn Learning certificates are a fantastic resume booster. You can even use them as CEUs (continuing education units) to maintain your official certification in certain fields, such as project management.
3. Should I Put LinkedIn Learning on my Resume?
Yes, you should add LinkedIn Learning courses and certificates on your resume to showcase new skills. A nice perk? LinkedIn immediately includes your certificates of completion on your LinkedIn profile, on full display d for potential contacts and employers.
4. Can I Use a LinkedIn Certificate in my Resume?
Absolutely! You can certainly include a LinkedIn certificate on your resume to demonstrate your skills and expertise.
5. Is There a LinkedIn Learning App?
Yes. You can download the LinkedIn Learning app on iOS or Android. Both are highly rated and offer all the same core functions as the browser version. One key benefit to using the apps is the ability to download videos to view offline.
