In today’s competitive job market, professionals are looking for ways to make their resumes stand out. One way to do this is by earning certifications in your field. LinkedIn Learning offers a wide variety of certifications in areas like project management, data science, and more. But are these certifications really worth the time and money required to earn them? Here’s an in-depth look at the pros and cons.
The Pros of Earning LinkedIn Certifications
There are several potential benefits to earning certifications through LinkedIn Learning:
- They demonstrate your commitment to continuous learning and professional development. Pursuing certifications shows employers that you are dedicated to honing your skills.
- They help you build and demonstrate in-demand job skills. LinkedIn Learning offers certifications in high-growth fields like programming, data analysis, and digital marketing. Earning certs in these areas can make your skills more relevant to employers.
- They boost your credibility and resume. Certifications look impressive on a resume and LinkedIn profile. They provide third-party validation of your abilities.
- They expand your professional network. Some LinkedIn Learning certifications include access to private groups where you can network and share ideas with other certified professionals.
- They increase your earning potential. One study found that employees with certifications earn 15-20% more than those without. Certifications can boost your salary negotiating power.
In short, earning certifications can make you more marketable, helping you land jobs, earn promotions, and increase your salary over the course of your career.
The Cons of Earning LinkedIn Certifications
However, there are also some potential downsides to earning LinkedIn Learning certifications:
- They require an investment of time and money. Earning certifications takes time away from work and other responsibilities. LinkedIn Learning charges a monthly fee to access courses and exams.
- They may not be valued by all employers. Some hiring managers don’t put much weight on online certifications, preferring candidates with hands-on work experience.
- Material may become outdated over time as technology changes. You may need to recertify to stay current on the latest tools and methodologies.
- Some are more respected than others. Certain certs like PMP have more prestige than niche LinkedIn Learning credentials.
- You may fail to retain the knowledge. If you cram for the exam without retaining what you learned long-term, the value is diminished.
So while certifications look good on paper, they don’t guarantee job offers or salary increases on their own. The knowledge and skills you gain are what really matter most to employers.
Factors to Consider Before Pursuing a Certification
Here are some key things to think about before embarking on a LinkedIn Learning certification:
- Relevance – Pick a certification directly related to your current job role and future career goals.
- Employer Requirements – Find out if certs are valued at your company or required for advancement.
- Cost – Calculate the fees for access, course materials, and exams.
- Time Commitment – Gauge the number of study hours required for each cert.
- Reputation – Opt for certs that are well-recognized in your industry.
- Skill Level – Make sure your experience level matches the cert to get the most value.
- Expiration – Note if and when you’ll need to renew the certification.
Evaluating these factors will help you determine if a certification is worthwhile for your career goals and current professional needs.
Top 10 Most Valuable LinkedIn Certifications
While LinkedIn Learning offers over 15,000 courses, some certifications tend to provide more career value than others. Here are 10 of the most valuable LinkedIn certifications for professionals:
Certification | Description |
---|---|
Project Management | Covers project methodologies, budgeting, scheduling, team leadership, and tools like Microsoft Project. |
Six Sigma | Teaches process improvement principles to boost quality and efficiency. |
Human Resources | Provides key HR skills in areas like recruitment, compensation, training, and labor relations. |
Digital Marketing | Covers search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) ads, email marketing, and leveraging social media. |
Web Design | Teaches HTML, CSS, JavaScript, responsive design, and tools like WordPress for building websites. |
Data Science | Focuses on data mining, modeling, visualization, and tools like Python and R programming. |
Cybersecurity | Covers ethical hacking, network security, risk management, cryptography, and malware analysis. |
Business Analysis | Explores requirements gathering, solution design, testing, process modeling, and data analysis skills. |
Leadership | Develops people management, coaching, conflict resolution, and communication abilities. |
Finance | Builds financial modeling, analysis, budgeting, and accounting skills relevant to the workplace. |
These in-demand certifications align with many of the hottest job roles like project manager, HR specialist, data analyst, and more. Earning one can help you land a job or promotion in these fields.
Most Affordable LinkedIn Certifications
While some LinkedIn Learning certifications can be pricey, others are relatively affordable. Here are 5 of the most budget-friendly options:
Certification | Average Cost |
---|---|
Excel Essentials | $19 per month LinkedIn Learning subscription |
Time Management Fundamentals | $19 per month LinkedIn Learning subscription |
CSS Essential Training | $19 per month LinkedIn Learning subscription |
Speed Reading | $19 per month LinkedIn Learning subscription |
Presentation Skills | $19 per month LinkedIn Learning subscription |
The core skills taught in these certifications only require a standard LinkedIn Learning monthly subscription. This makes them very affordable professional development options for budget-conscious learners.
Highest Paying Jobs Requiring LinkedIn Certifications
While earning certifications can boost salary potential across many roles, some of the highest paying jobs actually require applicants to hold certain LinkedIn credentials. Here are 5 lucrative roles that call for LinkedIn Learning certifications and their average salaries:
Job Title | Required Certification(s) | Average Salary |
---|---|---|
Scrum Master | Certified ScrumMaster | $100,000 |
Product Owner | Certified Scrum Product Owner | $107,000 |
Cloud Architect | AWS Certified Solutions Architect | $130,000 |
Data Scientist | TensorFlow Developer Certificate | $120,000 |
Digital Marketing Manager | Google Ads Search Certification | $65,000 |
Certifications directly related to high-demand skills in agile development, cloud computing, data science, and digital marketing can unlock six-figure earning potential.
How Long Does It Take to Earn a LinkedIn Certification?
The time required to earn a certification depends on several factors:
- Number of courses – Some certs may only involve 1-2 courses while others have 5+ courses.
- Length of video content – Spans from just 3-5 hours of video for basic certs to over 25+ hours for advanced.
- Supplemental reading – Estimated at 1-2 hours per course.
- Hands-on exercises – Adds 2-4 additional hours per course.
- Study time – Ranges from 5-25+ hours depending on the exam difficulty.
Based on these factors, it typically takes between 10-40 hours per certification. Simple, introductory certifications may only require 10 hours while advanced, comprehensive ones could take up to 40+ hours accounting for hands-on practice and thorough exam preparation.
It depends on the number of courses in the certification, length of content, and your pace of learning. You can optimize your study time by staying focused, taking great notes, practicing skills, and studying in short, frequent sessions.
Typical time investments
- Basic: 10-15 hours
- Intermediate: 20-30 hours
- Advanced: 30-40+ hours
Are LinkedIn Certifications Worth the Cost?
LinkedIn Learning certifications fall into three typical pricing tiers:
Certification Type | Average Cost |
---|---|
Foundational | $19-29 per month subscription (access to all courses) |
Role-based | $79-99 one-time fee per certification exam |
Skill-based | $99-195 one-time fee per certification exam |
Monthly subscriptions give you access to all video courses, practice tests, and study guides. Exam fees are paid on top to get certified.
Whether the cost is worth it depends on your career stage:
- Students – Good value to build skills and add certs to your resume.
- Career switchers – Worth spending more for certs in your new field.
- Job seekers – Differentiate yourself in the hiring process.
- Promotion seekers – Justify a raise/promotion by validating your expertise.
- Industry veterans – Most value in deepening existing major skillsets.
For those new to the workforce or changing careers, LinkedIn Learning certifications can be extremely valuable despite the moderate costs. The investment pays dividends in terms of job prospects and salary growth over time.
Should You List LinkedIn Certifications on Your Resume?
Yes, you should absolutely list any LinkedIn certifications on your resume. Here are some best practices:
- Create a “Certifications” section near the top under your summary.
- List certification name, issuing organization, and year completed.
- Order with the most relevant or prestigious certs first.
- Exclude any expired certifications.
- Link the certification name to verification page on LinkedIn.
- Mention knowledge/skills gained from key certs in your summary.
Properly formatting and highlighting your certifications makes their value readily apparent to resume reviewers. Just be ready to summarize the key learning outcomes when asked about your credentials in interviews.
How to Get the Most from Your LinkedIn Certifications
Follow these tips to maximize the career benefits of your LinkedIn Learning certifications:
- Apply your new skills at work – This will reinforce them.
- Share your accomplishment on LinkedIn – Improves visibility.
- Add certs to your LinkedIn profile – Displays them prominently.
- Mention certs when job hunting – Highlight the skills gained.
- Keep taking new courses – Show dedication to continuous learning.
- Review materials periodically – Prevent skill fade.
- Get certified in emerging, in-demand areas – Maximizes relevance.
- Complete advanced certifications – Demonstrates deeper expertise.
The more effectively you put your certified skills into practice and promote your credentials, the more career dividends you’ll see.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn Learning certifications can provide considerable career value in terms of skills development, resume enhancement, salary growth, and job prospects – if chosen carefully. The ideal certifications closely align with your professional goals and field of work. Some research and self-assessment is required to determine which certs are most relevant and impactful for you.
While certification exams take dedicated time and money to complete, they are quite affordable compared to college degrees and many real-world training programs. For professionals early in their careers or looking to pivot, LinkedIn Learning credentials are an accessible path to building key skills and increasing employability and earnings.
With thousands of courses and certifications available, LinkedIn Learning provides opportunities for professionals at every stage to add credentials and acquire new capabilities. For many, investing in these certifications can pay dividends throughout their careers.