One of the most powerful tools for career development is LinkedIn Learning.

When I first started on social media around 2006-2007, my main goal was to share multimedia with friends and family. As different websites have come into mainstream use, I have continued to evolve along with these sites.

In 2020 I have found out that not only how important LinkedIn is to career and personal development, but also the tools that are available with a LinkedIn Premium account. The premium account does have a monthly fee, but depending on how you utilize it, the return on investment can vary between individuals.

For the first two years of having a LinkedIn Premium account, I would network with successful men and women to acquire what items of knowledge they would share on the platform. I would also use the LinkedIn ProFinder option to submit Web development requests to potential clients.

As an independent company that develops websites for outside organizations, we often look for engaging methods to connect with clients. I use other methods as well, but have utilized ProFinder to obtain quality leads on potential customers.

In the middle of 2019 I started to take LinkedIn Learning more seriously. After taking a Udemy course, I wanted to start completing LinkedIn courses to obtain more in-depth knowledge on specific topics.

My first course that I completed on LinkedIn Learning was Adaptive Project Leadership by Kelley O’Connell. The instruction was so well done, I requested to have her be apart of my network. We have discussed online course development topics, and connecting with her after taking her course has been extremely helpful.

After working on individual courses and acquiring certifications to add to my profile, I have expanded to taking courses on learning paths. Each certification has a level of value it can add to an individual. I find that learning path certification provides more in-depth learning, as well as more weight to the person acquiring the knowledge.

When taking my first learning path with Advance Your Skills in UX Design, I gravitated to subject matter that was familiar to me. I’ve continued to take additional paths, and have moved on to more complex avenues of eLearning.

I’ve just completed a course titled Brad Feld on Raising Capital. The course was exactly the kind of advice, wisdom and information I have been looking for within books on venture funding.

LinkedIn Learning has a wide variety of topics to review to see if they are a good fit for your career or personal development.

For those with a LinkedIn Premium account there are thousands of videos that are available online. The following video provides some of the hottest topics on LinkedIn Learning.

Watch a LinkedIn Speaker Series video featuring Charles Schwab on YouTube.