LinkedIn Learning (Lynda.com)

I've learned hundreds of software applications over the last several decades, and trained teams in offices and one-on-one. At one point, books and trade magazines were a great way to get up to speed with an application, but they've become less and less effective for getting started. Video lessons have some strengths; you can get a rapid overview of a program's capabilities and watch an experienced user using its tools efficiently. On rare occasions they'll even point out bugs that could trip you up, but I wish instructors shared more of those issues.

However, it takes a very self-motivated learner to sit through training sessions. Most people don't fit that category, and a subscription may end up gathering dust like a pandemic gym membership. My account is sometimes dormant for months, but then I'll be watching lessons continually the following month. I've often wondered if it was worth it for that reason. I have some friends that voraciously devoured class after Lynda.com class, and built successful careers on that training. But many others never use their account. It's helpful to consider whether you're a self-motivated learner. If not, it may not be the best format for you.

More complicated software often can't be adequately introduced in a several-hour-long series of videos. I found Final Cut Pro (7) hard to learn online, also Logic Pro. Other somewhat complicated programs like DVD Pro were a snap to learn, and I learned a lot about PHP and Actionscript programming from Lynda.com. Some web and graphics software is exceptionally explained by real experts, such as Lynda's Photoshop classes, which are the best I've seen on that subject. Many of her web production courses will take you every step along the way to creating your own website, even if you haven't coded before. Adobe and Apple have both published similar project-based tutorial classes in book form, and I think they're a bit more polished, but the video instructor can help move you along through all the content more easily. Learning software seems to work better from an online video than a book these days; it's helpful to already be sitting at the computer where you're able to try everything out as it's explained. Most people don't seem to retain software principles unless they're trying them while learning.

A bad instructor can make it difficult to sit through a video class. Lynda.com and others generally have a large variety of content creators, so you're not as limited with instructors as you might be at a University, where the same instructor may teach several related applications. Departmental faculty may have much more targeted and creative applications for your software though, while paid corporate software training can be mind-numbingly bad. Continuing ed classes that I've taken usually seemed to just focus on learning the tools in a software product. They often don't or even can't show you how to apply the software for your purposes as full time faculty at a University might. Some Lynda.com instructors weren't great, but most seemed a cut above the continuing ed and corporate software trainers I've learned from or contracted. The majority of the classes seemed to apply the software for an impressive final project.

Redundancy is a real drawback among the online lessons. Often the advanced classes repeat many of the concepts from the introductory "Essentials" courses. If you know an earlier version of an application and just want to learn new features, a book may be a faster route to your goal. I originally suggested the "New Features" lessons that Lynda began to offer for updated releases, and I think they're especially helpful. It's much harder to skim through a video than a page of text, so I'd anticipate having to complement your Lynda.com lessons with other instructional materials.

Lynda.com didn't have as many of the "fluff" courses that LinkedIn is now offering. These titles read like articles from Cosmo. They might be better served to offer "How to respond to a connection request from a recruiter who works in a field completely unrelated to you."

LinkedIn Learning is best for those that are in a particular field, but lack either the current skills or new skills to impress their future client/customer/employer. I have often recommended to people in career transition or business to utilize LIL in improving their marketability along with their monetary bottom line. It is also good in mastering skill sets where an instructor can not be there or the expense is out of an individuals price range. Where LinkedIn Learning is less appropriate would be as a sales tool. Not that it can not have some skill obtained there, but it would not be beneficial in that aspect.

LinkedIn Learning (or Lynda.com) is appropriate for groups that need nothing beyond entry-level training in their field. If you are looking to make yourself or your team into experts, then you are in the wrong place. I would absolutely recommend this to a group that needed to put minor training into the hands of many employees at once.

LinkedIn Learning (Lynda.com) is great if you want to broaden your knowledge in your area of education and experience. It is also awesome if you want to learn about new trends. I find it less appropriate if you want to get certified and put the courses on your résumé. It is great only for micro-credentialing.

Lynda.com is absolutely great to jump-start learning something new or brush-up your skills. Also classes are very practical so there is always chance that you can use what your learned right away or that you can find an answer to some work questions here. It would probably be not a place to get some academic knowledge or to get to the very specific areas of advanced programming.

A great scenario where LinkedIn Learning is fantastic is when working on a project where we miss specific skill sets. My coworker was skilled in Microsoft Power BI, while I was not. So I spent 3 hours going through a few LinkedIn Learning Power BI trainings to get up to speed. Another coworker was not experienced in Google Analytics, and again, LinkedIn Learning filled in the blanks.

A scenario where it's less appropriate is finding specific needs for your use case. While LinkedIn Learning is great for learning how something works and exploring test projects - don't expect it to hold your hand to do something very specific. For example - if you need to deploy a app using YOUR SPECIFIC WORKFLOW, you're not going to find a point-by-point tutorial. You'll find courses on how to deploy it in different ways, but not exactly the way you need it.

LinkedIn Learning is well suited for organizations and groups who are trying to "level up" their employee's skills. It's also a great resource for students looking for quality and engaging learning content. It would be less appropriate for part-time employees unless they were using it outside of their work hours. Otherwise, it can be very time-consuming.

I would highly recommend Lynda.com to colleagues and I think it's best suited for increasing knowledge on topics that you may not be familiar with. For example, if you're working on a project that requires in-depth knowledge of Excel spreadsheets, Lynda.com would be great to provide that insight needed to complete the task. Lynda.com may not necessarily be great for topics that may need hands-on practical exercises.

In my opinion, it is one of the best instructional education websites. If a user enrolls in a course, he/she can complete it at his own pace, while bookmarking important content as well. Overall it's been a good purchase for us.

Lynda is one of the best resources a university or corporation can use. Many large cities in the US even have a relationship with Lynda, so if you have a library card you can get access to their library.

lynda.com is well-suited for an individual OR an enterprise. You can take learning on-the-go via mobile phone or tablet. Instructors are well-known industry experts. There is a tremendous amount of courses. Ideal self-directed learning library to supplement anyone's ILT-heavy learning strategy.

Lynda.com is an easy way to get online tutorials about a spectrum of different topics. If you want flexibility in your learning, Lynda.com might perfect for you, because you can take it on the go and use it anywhere with internet access. That said, you need to have the self-discipline to sit down and do the courses. If you are not a good audio learner and require more hands-on learning, then Lynda might not be the software for you.

Very well suited for training in a variety of software used in different areas of industries. Helps people develop and build technical skills. Learners can learn at their own pace. There's also training in business principles and money-management advice.

Not sure if its useful as a tool to teach skills that requires face-to-face contact, for example in sales.

Lynda.com is a great tool for personal use, or for usage in an organization. Considering the vast amount of content, ranging from personal to corporate usage, users can vary their experience based on the scenario. Since the courses range in difficulty and familiarity, it's easy to attract individuals to new solutions, tools, use-cases, etc. All in all - a great tool that can be leveraged for a number of different needs.