LinkedIn's Lynda.com creates 'learning paths' for certain careers

The road to becoming a music producer or small business owner through online courses may come with too many choices for some learners even on LinkedIn-owned Lynda.com.

"You can search through the system, but there are a couple of questions. One is how much of this do I need? And the second is what is a good order? Those are pretty daunting questions for folks," said Michael Korcuska, who leads product management for Lynda.com at LinkedIn.

Recently, the online learning company said it created more than 50 step-by-step guides called "learning paths" for various careers from animation to marketing. These roadmaps could make it easier for people to navigate through more than 6,300 courses and 267,000 video tutorials currently available on the site.

Korcuska, who enjoys cooking, compared the new feature to providing learners the recipe or shopping list they need for a certain career.

A "learning path" about becoming a music producer, for example, includes 13 courses totaling 39 hours from music theory to audio recording techniques. After completing these series of courses, users earn a certificate they can add to their LinkedIn profiles.

"Our hope is that they'll have the skills and knowledge to apply for a job and actually get that first interview," said Arthur Nicholls, senior product manager for learning experience at LinkedIn.

The paths, which are included in Lynda.com's subscription fee at no extra cost, were created by experts who looked at the job titles on the business-oriented social media site and the courses currently available on Lynda.com.

LinkedIn has been making some big bets on online learning in the last year. Lynda.com, which the social media company purchased in 2015 for $1.5 billion, is the tech firm's largest acquisition to date.

But while online courses can help people brush up on new skills or learn more about new careers, some companies won't talk to potential hires unless they have a degree from a well known four-year university. Others might be more open to people who complete less traditional forms of schooling.

"I think those standards are shifting pretty rapidly but it really is employer by employer," Korcuska said.

For now, LinkedIn's work with Lynda.com isn't over yet, he said.

"I think it's inevitable that we'll bring a social component to learning as well," he said.

©2016 The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.)
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