Jan. 28, 2019
For work or for play, LinkedIn Learning helps you develop skills inside and outside the office
Like about 2,000 other U荔枝视频 faculty and staff who use LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com), Andree-Anne Parent uses her free account to develop herself professionally with courses like and .
But Dr. Parent, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the Cumming School of Medicine, says much of the value she gets from LinkedIn Learning comes from feeding what gives her joy outside of work.
Blending work and fun
鈥淚 took an because, as a hobby, I like everything about diving and fish,鈥 says Parent, adding that hobbies and extracurricular learning are an important part of boosting curiosity and creativity.
鈥淗obbies can give you unique perspectives,鈥 she says. 鈥淓ven if some people don鈥檛 see them as important for work, curiosity can give you more ideas in work and in life.鈥
Some courses Parent says she initially took for fun, like , have become noticeably useful in her day-to-day work. 鈥淚 read a lot recreationally, and this course helped me fit in more reading at work, too.鈥
More than just a workplace tool
Jaqueline Vera, a civil engineering instructor at the Schulich School of Engineering, uses LinkedIn Learning to teach others 鈥 including her family.
鈥淎s much as I try to tell my kid what to do, the best way he can learn is LinkedIn Learning,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 showed my kid how to use it, and now it鈥檚 a tool for him and for me.鈥
Vera says video courses are a great way to teach and learn, but it can be difficult to find reputable information online. 鈥淲hen I was looking for sources of information I didn鈥檛 want to use YouTube,鈥 she says. 鈥淟inkedIn Learning is a treasure chest of information.鈥
LinkedIn Learning is mobile-enabled and comes with its own app for both Apple and Android.
Finding the time
It can be hard to balance learning with working, but Vera makes time in her demanding schedule. 鈥淚鈥檓 a busy person,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 have two kids and I鈥檓 an instructor, but I still find time use it regularly 鈥 I have since I started at the university three years ago.鈥
Parent mirrors Vera鈥檚 sentiment, adding because of the flexible course structure and the many video tutorials available, she can fit a LinkedIn Learning course into her schedule without too much difficulty.
鈥淭ry to fit in a course when you have downtime,鈥 Parent suggests. 鈥淎 tutorial doesn鈥檛 take much of my brainpower 鈥 sometimes I can put a tutorial on in the background and work at the same.鈥
Access your free account in seconds
As a 荔枝视频 faculty or staff member, you get free access to LinkedIn Learning 鈥 a combination of dynamic, online instructional content, videos and tutorials on the latest technology, software, business skills, creative talents and personal hobbies.
For new users:
- Activate: Head to LinkedIn Learning and .
- Connect: Join your LinkedIn Learning account your pre-existing LinkedIn account to get customized learning based on your skills, employment history, connections and networks. Users can easily continue their activation without connecting a LinkedIn account.
- Share: Showcase your new skills, learnings and successes with your personal networks through your connected LinkedIn profile.
For Lynda.com users:
- Activate: There are two different entry paths to activate your LinkedIn Learning account. Either click the activation link in the Learner Activation email you received from LinkedIn Learning, or go to and click the activation link where you usually sign in.
- Set up: Connect your pre-existing LinkedIn account to get customized learning based on your skills, employment history, connections and networks. Users can easily continue their activation without connecting a LinkedIn account.
- Connect: Share your successes through your connected LinkedIn profile to showcase new skills and learnings.
Learn more at ucalgary.ca/linkedin-learning.