Online video training tutorials, when you need them, at a great price!
Today I’m writing about one of my favorite sites; http://Lynda.com the online library of tutorials for many of the big names in software. If you’ve ever taken a software training class or wanted to take a class to learn more about a software program read on!
Lynda.com offers an extensive library of pre-recorded training classes, broken into sections and chapters so you can watch segments as you have time. Gone are the days you have to sign up for an instructor led class, get the schedule, drive to the classroom and finally get to your training. With Lynda.com you can take as many classes at a time, take them at your pace and take them on your schedule! Plus at the starting rate of $25 a month it’s a lot cheaper than any class you will take in person!
Benefits of lynda.com
- Stay current
- Keep your skills sharp
- Develop new software skills
- Learn from respected authors
- Choose from over 647 courses
- Learn with video-based training
- Online convenience; stop, rewind, replay
I first learned about and used Lynda.com many years ago. I remember taking a Microsoft Office class and the class itself, instructor and content was great but even five years ago video on the Internet was not that good. Also the tutorial library was smaller and more limited.
Fast forward to today and video quality and compression has improved, Internet speeds have improved and the Lynda.com tutorial library has continued to grow and add many more titles! I was amazed last year when I re-joined Lynda.com and found you can learn about Photoshop, Lightroom, Dreamweaver, Microsoft Office and many more online! There’s even courses on Google Apps, Garage Band, DVD creation and design!
You can view online tutorials by company (vendor), software title, subject, author or just browse all the courses! If you prefer to learn by subject you can choose Web design or development, office applications, photography, podcasting, programming and many more that I cannot name the all here!
Last year I upgraded to Lightroom and leading a busy life I didn’t have time to “figure it out” as I went along. So I looked to invest in training and found Lynda.com. Scott Orweg teaches the Lightroom tutorial and I completed my training in my spare time over a couple weeks. I was amazed how proficient I was with Lightroom and I’ve never looked back!
Since then I’ve been taking a number of Photoshop CS4 classes and there are hours upon hours of training and I continue to learn so much!
There are a number of options for purchasing training at Lynda.com but ALL of them give you access to ALL of the courses in the library. You can start by paying $25 monthly or if you prefer just pay $250 for the annual membership. Again you get access to the entire training library! You choose the courses when you want to!
The Premium users pay $37.50 a month or $375 annually to access the entire library but as a Premium member you get to download the instructor files to follow along with the class. So not only to you watch the training but you get to use the classroom files and examples!
There is also a multi-user option for groups/companies and you can get all the details by clicking here: http://www.lynda.com/home/otl.aspx
The Internet and computers continue to change our lives for the better but you do have to balance the change in your mind. Instead of thinking of a training class as in-person at a location, for a period of a few days or weeks, I now put training into my schedule EVERY day and take a little at a time. At first it was a change but now I wouldn’t go back to the old ways! 
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