LinkedIn Learning Reviews: Is It the Right Platform for You?

LinkedIn Learning has become synonymous with career development, offering a vast library of courses aimed at helping professionals enhance their skills and advance their careers. But with so many online learning platforms available, it's crucial to determine if LinkedIn Learning is the right fit for your individual needs and goals. This article provides a comprehensive review of LinkedIn Learning, drawing on user experiences and platform features to help you make an informed decision.

An Overview of LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning is a powerful e-learning platform that offers users a variety of videos, courses, and learning paths in business, technology, and creative fields. The platform comprises more than 16,000 courses, segmented into short videos with specific learning outcomes. It was founded 20 years ago as Lynda.com and wasn't given much attention in the first few years of its development. The company is owned by Microsoft.

Key Features and Benefits

LinkedIn Learning boasts many features designed to enhance the learning experience:

Unlimited Library Access: There is no restriction on the number of courses you can take.
Diverse Course Content: With one click, you will find many courses falling under a wide range of categories.
Learning Paths: A really innovative and valuable feature of this platform is the Learning path.
Offline Viewing: It is possible to watch your course content offline by downloading videos to your mobile device.
Certificates of Completion: Most courses and learning paths come with a Certificate of Completion.
Q&A Section: Every course contains a Q&A section. If you’re unsure whether the course is the right fit, consider visiting this tab. Chances are you’d find similar questions already asked and answered.
Transcript: Each video lecture contains a script that links to the timestamps within the video.
Course Description: Each course contains a description that highlights its contents, learning objectives, and how it will help your career.
Personalized Recommendations: The recommendations are provided based on your skills, profile activity, or subjects you’re interested in.
Frequent Updates: The platform releases 50 new courses weekly and ensures they’re relevant, in-demand, and engaging.
Mobile Support:
Multiple Language Options:
Tags: Tags such as Trending now, Learn within 30 minutes, New releases help you choose the right course.

User Experience and Interface

The LinkedIn Learning platform generally follows a standard layout, with learning options at the top, featured and recommended courses in the middle, and self-promotional content at the bottom. The account creation process is quick, though completing your profile with information about your education, workplace, and interests can take more time.

While the design may not be the most exciting, the platform is easy to use. The Course Content flyout offers a convenient way to check your progress and to navigate between the course elements. There’s even a neat “bookmark” feature that lets you flag a particularly helpful video. Below the video player, there’s a bunch of features that make the learning process easier and more immersive. The highlight here was the Notes section. This meant that I didn’t have to write complex, extensive pieces of text logging the things I wanted to remember. The notes themselves serve as bookmarks for vital info that I could refer back to any time, rather than the information itself.

However, some users have noted that videos instantly start playing as soon as you click on the link, which can be an annoyance. Additionally, the course UI’s default display doesn’t show a list of all the videos that it consists of. It was only when I hovered my mouse pointer over the video itself that I saw a link labeled “Contents.” Clicking it launched a sidebar displaying the course’s content videos. This needs to be displayed by default. To the platform’s credit, though, it does log your viewing preferences.

Course Content and Quality

LinkedIn Learning offers a vast library of courses covering a wide range of topics. The course contents are broken down into bite-sized videos that you could easily accommodate with your regular work schedule. The platform provides in-depth understanding of the latest version of Python to help you master scripting. There are many jobs that you can get based on the strength of a portfolio. My favorite example of this use-case is an entire learning path dedicated to preparing for the AWS Certified Developer Associate Exam.

Many users have found the courses to be of decent quality, with instructors who are knowledgeable and experienced in their fields. Get to know your instructors before you start a course. No posers on this platform, guaranteed. Having said that, I found it super reassuring to validate their credentials. In one user's experience, the presentation style of the instructor was incredibly accessible, making a lengthy course enjoyable and easy to follow. There wasn’t one point during this lengthy course that I felt out of my depth. Every bit of information was given to me when I needed it. What I did have to do (quite frequently, in fact) was refer back to earlier videos when I forgot something that had already been covered.

However, some users have found that shorter courses may not provide significant value and may even consist of common sense presented in video form. Additionally, the quizzes are also for the most part quite easy.

Pricing and Subscription Options

The current subscription cost is $29.99 per month if you pay monthly and $239.88 annually. The only difference between the two options is that you’d be saving 50% with an annual subscription. Plus, there are no hidden costs.

Read also: Comprehensive SQL Tutorial

LinkedIn Learning offers a free one-month trial, giving you unlimited access to its library of courses. The amount of quality videos, courses, and learning paths alone make the monthly payment of $29.00 a worthwhile investment.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths:

Extensive Course Library: LinkedIn Learning offers a vast library of courses covering a wide range of topics.
Convenient Learning Format: The courses are broken down into bite-sized videos that can be easily accommodated into a busy schedule.
Expert Instructors: Many courses are taught by experienced professionals who are knowledgeable in their fields.
Offline Viewing: The ability to download videos for offline viewing is a valuable feature for learners on the go.
Certificate of Completion: Most courses offer a certificate of completion, which can be shared on your LinkedIn profile and resume.
User-Friendly Interface: The platform is generally easy to navigate and use.

Weaknesses:

Course Quality Variance: The quality of courses can vary, with some shorter courses providing limited value.
Lack of Interactivity: There’sVery little interaction, with other people online. Learning is already pretty impersonal. So it’s quite easy to lose focus and motivation. When you’re studying by yourself.
American-Centric Content: Learning is primarily an American platform. So it’s Expected that most of the content is going to be you as specific.
Automatic Video Playback: The automatic video playback feature can be an annoyance for some users.
Hidden Course Content List: The course content list is not displayed by default, requiring users to hover over the video to access it.

Alternatives to LinkedIn Learning

Several other online learning platforms offer similar services to LinkedIn Learning, including:

Udemy
Coursera
edX
Skillshare
Pluralsight
Lynda

Each of these platforms has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it's important to compare them carefully to determine which one best meets your needs.

Read also: LinkedIn Learning Plans

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