This semester I started my first on-campus job in the Division of Information Technology. Within the first week of my training, I became aware of dozens of tools and resources I have access to as a student in which I wasn’t previously aware. The neat thing is many of these exist to make our lives easier, and they’re included in tuition. One of my favorite resources I’ve discovered is LinkedIn Learning. I logged in using my Texas State login and have been able to complete a substantial portion of my training for my job through the free courses. Some of my favorite courses have been about three-point lighting, editing videos on Adobe Premiere, and using Photoshop and other Creative Cloud apps.
LinkedIn Learning has over 16,000 courses taught by industry experts. The content is broken into three main tags: business, creative, and technology. The business tag covers an assortment of topics ranging anywhere from business strategy courses to self-development courses like self-care, understanding diversity and inclusion, developing emotional intelligence, and public speaking. The creative tag includes, but is not limited to, assets like animation, music production, photography, and graphic design. Finally, the technology tag includes lessons in and beyond data analysis, software and game development, and network security.
While we near the end of the school year, what is one thing you could learn or improve on that would help you reach your next goal? Maybe you discovered a love of photography and would like to learn more about shooting and processing black and white film. Ever dreamt of setting up a home darkroom? There’s a video for you. Perhaps your life would be easier if you felt you could manage your time and prioritize your tasks perfectly. There are many videos for you in this area.
The videos can get pretty specific too, helping you solve problems you may have never thought deserved so much attention. For example, you can learn how to motivate people with different personalities, learn to demystify company culture, manage a multigenerational workforce, or improve at working with high conflict people as a manager.
One of my personal favorite perks of LinkedIn Learning is that it can help me out in being a more informed employee at work, being a better student in the classroom, and even becoming more knowledgeable in fields I’m interested in for my different creative projects!
Finally, with over 575 million members, LinkedIn Learning can curate and recommend personalized video choices to you based on what your goals are.
We are living in the age of information and whether it’s your last year and you’re about to leave college, or you’re a freshman who’s just getting started, taking advantage of your resources is sure to push you forward on your path.
With the end of the semester approaching, what is something you wish you could get really good at before we wrap up and call it a year? What’s your dream?
Here’s how you can access LinkedIn Learning for yourself:
- Go to LinkedIn Learning.
- Enter your NetID and password, and click Login.
- Follow the prompts to activate your free account.
AnaBelle Elliott is a student worker for IT Marketing and Communications.
