Wednesday, May 04, 2016

Use Lynda.com to sharpen your skills

Lynda.com is the best on-line resource for video-based training. The breadth and depth of the Lynda.com library in the “Design” category is particularly strong. Now, I’m probably biased as I’m a Lynda.com author, but they really do have great courses from some of the best authors in the business.

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I watch Lynda.com courses to learn new skills that are outside my core area of expertise. But it’s a constant challenge to find the time. But now there are more options for accessing Lynda.com courses than ever before.

Can I watch courses on my iPad? My TV?

There are Lynda.com mobile apps for iPad and iPhone as well as Android and Windows 8+. There are also desktop apps for Mac OS X and Windows 7+. These apps allow you to download entire courses so that they can be watched offline on your phone, tablet, or laptop. Suddenly, long flights become a great place to learn new things!

And speaking of flights, if you are fortunate enough to be flying on Virgin Atlantic, you can access Lynda.com courses free on many Virgin Atlantic flights. 

If you have an AppleTV or Roku device, you can access Lynda.com courses and watch them on your large TV in the comfort of your living room.

What does it cost?

Lynda.com training is extremely low-cost. $24.99 gets you a month of unlimited training. You can save money by purchasing a year-long subscription, or just pay for individual months as you need the service.

Some library systems provide free access to Lynda.com. For example, here in St. Paul, MN, the Ramsey County Libraries provide free access.

Some corporations provide access to Lynda.com company wide, as do some educational institutions. 

Here’s a link for a 10-day free trial of Lynda.com so you can try it out!

2 comments:

Inkling said...

I'm a fan of Lynda, although I don't have the time (or energy) to make a membership worthwhile. For someone wanted to learn various skills, it's far cheaper than art or business school and even a community college.

When I did belong, however, I found the wealth of material confusing. Lots of courses, but no way to tell in which order they should be taken. And while I'd be focusing on InDesign, someone who wanted to get into a field like video and audio, where multiple Adobe apps are used, is likely to be confused about which to study first or in what order.

What I suggesting, if it doesn't already exist in some corner I've not seen, is a more directed approach to using Lynda. Someone could give it their goals, and it would set up a series of courses. That'd also help students stay disciplined and on-track.

Keith Gilbert said...

@Inkling: Lynda.com recently added a feature called "Learning Paths" which is I think exactly what you were looking for. See https://www.lynda.com/learning-paths/