As online education becomes ever more appealing, those courses seem to be popping up left, right, and center.
Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish which courses are actually benefiting from the ones that are really just businesses jumping on the trend.
For some jobs, roles certifications are actually necessary whereas for others they may just make you a more appealing candidate.
LinkedIn certifications if nothing else are a great way to boost your resume, so they are never a waste of time.
But are LinkedIn certifications worth it?
Throughout this article, we’ll take a deeper look at what Linkedin certifications are, how much they cost, and whether they will be beneficial to your career.
What Are LinkedIn Certifications?
LinkedIn website offers over 16,000 different online courses that are taught by professionals within the industry.
Whether you’re looking for something business or tech-related, or something more creative, you’re likely to find a course you’re looking for on the social media platform.
These courses usually only take a couple of hours to complete and are usually set up with videos and quizzes at the end.
Once you complete the course, you’ll get your LinkedIn Certification which you can then add to your profile and resume.
How Much Do LinkedIn Courses Cost?
To access LinkedIn learning, and be able to sign up for a course, you’ll need to pay either a monthly or annual subscription (see also How Much Is LinkedIn Learning).
A monthly subscription will typically cost around $29.99 per month. If you opt for the annual subscription, you’ll be looking at around $239.88 for the year which works out slightly cheaper ($19.99) per month.
If you’d like to try LinkedIn Learning before signing up for a subscription, you can take advantage of the one-month free trial.
You’ll need to remember to cancel the subscription before the end of the month if you don’t wish to be charged for the following month.
How Can You Add Certifications To Your LinkedIn Profile
Once you finish your course, LinkedIn should offer you the chance to add your certificate to your profile. There are a few ways to do this:
Add To LinkedIn Profile
One of the easiest options is to click the button that will appear once you’ve completed the course and it’ll do all the work for you.
Main LinkedIn Learning Page
If you didn’t see this button don’t worry you can still add the certificate. Just go to the ‘My Learning’ section on the LinkedIn Learning page.
From there you can click ‘Learning History’ where you can find your course. Then click the three dots next to the share button you can click ‘Add To Profile.’
Once you do this you will be able to find your certification in the ‘Licenses & Certifications’ section. Note: Find out how to add a Udemy certificate to LinkedIn, is it possible?
How Beneficial Are The Certifications?
Can LinkedIn Certifications Help With Employment Gaps?
Yes! If you’re on the job hunt and it’s not exactly being very fruitful, showing employers that you are still pushing to develop and grow your skills in that quiet time is extremely important.
It shows that you are hard-working and disciplined and that you do want to be in a job. It shows that in a difficult situation, you are still pushing to set yourself apart from other candidates.
You’re also developing your skill set by learning new things, and that’s going to bulk up your resume and make you more appealing to employers and more competitive with other candidates.
Learning particularly difficult skills will also set you apart from others and will really draw in the attention of potential recruiters or employers.
Can LinkedIn Certifications Aid In Your Career Change?
Sometimes I think we get stuck in the misconception that once you pick a career, that’s it you are stuck for life.
But that really isn’t the case. You can swap career paths whenever you want to. Believe it or not, we really aren’t bound to the decisions we make as adolescents.
And actually, according to Apollo Technical, at least 32% of individuals aged between 25-44 have considered changing their careers within the last year.
The employment agency also states that close to 30% of graduates have changed their career paths.
As humans, we grow and evolve all the time, and what worked for you in your 20s may lose its magic in your 30s or 40s. And that’s okay.
There are so many wonderful opportunities in the world, and why shouldn’t you go out there and take them? Regardless of your profession or your age.
LinkedIn Certifications can be really helpful to gain sets of skills for new career paths that sound interesting and intriguing.
Since there are so many different courses, you’ll be able to find several that relate to whatever field you want to move into.
Having this certification on your resume shows that you’ll have the knowledge needed for the career change and also shows your passion to pursue this career path you’ve chosen.
And what’s great is that these certifications are a pretty quick and inexpensive way of developing a whole new skill set that will push you in the right direction to where you want to go.
Final Thoughts
In my opinion, education is never, ever a waste of time. It is always worth learning something new, keeping your brain active, and expanding your skill set.
But I would also say that LinkedIn Certifications are definitely worth doing.
They don’t cost anywhere near as much as most online courses or on-campus courses. They are fairly quick to do, and they can really make a difference on your resume.
That certification could be the deciding factor between an employer choosing to hire you over another candidate.
There are plenty of courses to choose from, and they are run by industry experts that know their stuff. I can’t really see any cons in taking the courses.
So get enrolled, and keep learning!
