How to Get Free Access to Lynda.com and LinkedIn Learning
If you are an avid online learning geek, I’m sure you know about Lynda.com. It is one of the leading online learning platforms that hosts tons of training resources from varied domains.
A couple of years ago, I think it is 2015, Microsoft acquired Lynda.com and rebranded it as LinkedIn Learning. However, Lynda.com continues to operate just like before for those organizations it provided free access. Now, all new subscriptions will need a LinkedIn account and premium membership. There is not much difference in content between LinkedIn Learning and Lynda.com except the technology is used for delivering the content. Both platforms offer course completion certifications at the end.
Why Lynda.com?
It’s a treasure of knowledge. The website has accumulated content since 1995 and constantly evolving. You can learn almost anything and everything. Compared to learning on YouTube, Lynda.com has structured courses and learning paths taught by excellent certified tutors. You get a nice certificate as well after completing the course.
Based on what I see from Lynda.com’s catalog, there are over 3400 videos just under the category of Business itself. Similarly, there over 1000 videos under coding, IT, marketing, and web development. That sounds wow! Right? So, let me show how you can access all this content without a paid subscription.
Hold on! Before proceeding further, let me be clear to you. This is not a hack or an illegal way of accessing the material. However, this might not work for everyone. If you are living in North America, there is a higher chance that it would work. The American Library Association and Canadian Federation of Library Associations have special permission to offer free access to Lynda.com to their members. I live in Vancouver, BC, and almost all the public libraries here provide free access to Lynda.com. So, how do you check if your local library provides free access? See the instructions below.
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Google it
Visiting Lynda.com, you will not be able to find any information on whether or not your local public library provides free access. The first thing you can do is google it and see if your local public library has any special program to provide access to Lynda.com for its members. Make sure you search in the following manner for better results.
<Your Location> + Lynda.com
If your local library provides access to Lynda.com, Google will surely index one of the top results. Just like in my case in the image below.
If you do not see any relevant information in the Google results, I recommend you simply call them or email them. If there is a special program for the members to access Lynda.com, they will surely provide more details on accessing it. Follow their guidelines.
Authenticate
Once you find the appropriate link in the google results, browse to the page and follow the guidelines provided by the library. Normally, you will have to authenticate using your library card number and PIN to gain access. In my case, I had to click on the “Access Now” button to authenticate using my library card number and PIN, as shown in the image below.
Bookmark and Happy Learning!
That’s it! If you have gained access, that should be free. Say thanks to your local library for bringing this wealth of information to you just in few clicks. I usually bookmark the login page and save the credentials in the browser to revisit without much effort later. As I mentioned in the beginning, Lynda.com has lots of cool stuff for you to learn. Click on the “Library” link beside the logo to browse your topic of interest and keep learning.
How do I access LinkedIn Learning for free?
Well, after Microsoft acquired Lynda.com, LinkedIn Learning is nothing but Lynda.com. However, Microsoft did change the technology to stream the videos in a better way. I have taken courses both in LinkedIn Learning and Lynda.com. I found the quality of streaming was better in LinkedIn Learning. But, there was no difference in the content. So, how do you access LinkedIn Learning without a subscription?
Unfortunately, there is no way you can access LinkedIn Learning without becoming a LinkedIn premium member that costs you somewhere around $35 per month. One way to access LinkedIn Learning is through a professional development program if your company sponsors LinkedIn premium membership for its employees. Discuss with your manager and find out if the company has any program or if they can sponsor your learning. Most companies support the initiative. Check that out!
If the above options do not work for you and you are still looking for free access to LinkedIn Learning, the only method is trying out a one-month free premium membership trial. If you have already tried, one old trick that still works is retrying the premium with a new LinkedIn account. However, I wouldn’t recommend it if you have access to Lynda.com through your local public library. Content-wise, Lynda.com is nothing but LinkedIn Learning.
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Thanks For Reading!
The above article presents my own views and experience and work of others with appropriate credentials wherever required. For any reason, the article is inappropriate, contains a disputable matter, or missing any credentials, please feel free to reach out to me to discuss the matter. I am happy to connect with you. Here is how you can reach me out. Visit www.arjunken.com or send me a tweet or connect with me on LinkedIn here.
