I signed up for Lynda.com. What should I learn?

June 22, 2017 2:01 PM

I want to upgrade my skills so I can make more money. I signed up for Lynda.com, and now I don't really know where to start. What are some in-demand skills I can learn there?

I currently work as a CRM administrator, but I don't love it. I'd like to move into a different position in my company, or possibly a different company. No real idea what I would like to do, but I would like more money to do it.

Pertinent facts:

I currently work in the marketing department. I'm open to staying in marketing (I love my team even though I kind of hate what I currently do) but I'm also open to doing something else.
I have an associate degree in nothing (general studies)
I'm not looking to get into programming or that sort of thing
I have decent basic skills in Word and Excel. I can muddle through Powerpoint and I took an Access class once but don't remember much.

So what skills do you think would get me the most traction as far as moving up the ladder in an office setting? What is hot right now that isn't limited to those with a bachelor degree?

posted by Serene Empress Dork to Work & Money (11 answers total)

There's an outstanding, thorough course (several, actually) on PowerPoint if you want to go from muddling to mastery.

There are quite a few marketing courses. Taking a marketing fundamentals class might open your eyes to a certain element in which you'd like to specialize.

My first piece of advice, though, would be to totally free your mind, look through the vast array of subjects offered and see if anything speaks to you. Dream a little!
posted by DrAstroZoom at 2:05 PM on June 22, 2017 [2 favorites]

I would say boost your design skills. If you're in a Marketing department and can competently retouch a picture in photoshop (not magazine level, I said "competently") or make a quick web banner for an eblast, you become much more valuable. When I worked in a marketing department my InDesign skills came in super super handy, for all sorts of flyers, posters, postcards, brochures, etc. (Granted, they're also the sort of skills you can have and be taken advantage of for, without actually getting more money... YMMV... but they're marketable.)
posted by Zephyrial at 2:34 PM on June 22, 2017 [1 favorite]

Illustrator and Photoshop. Those skills span across industries and will be useful in many of the fringe areas of Marketing.
posted by monologish at 2:46 PM on June 22, 2017 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Oh, and maybe look into UX/UI. It seems that is the "hot" thing right now and you can learn a lot through internet tutorials.
posted by monologish at 2:47 PM on June 22, 2017

Best answer: I'm shopping for CRMs at work right now, and thereby experiencing the Baader-Meinhof effect at the sight of your post. Anyway:

I'd go for SQL Essentials; I too am weak on databases, but everybody uses them, whether they're exposed to the bones of it (reporting and administration) or not, and it's a topic which seems to have a ton of depth, but an initial steep learning curve which, once over, opens a lot of doors.

That can be a gateway to DB admin, which may or may not interest you. A lot of SQL educational stuff out there is for programmers, so you'll have to learn to recognize and avoid that as it won't work in your favor, but a knowledgeable person who can coax data from a SQL database can be the bridge between data and analysis, as well as analysis to productivity.
posted by Sunburnt at 2:49 PM on June 22, 2017 [2 favorites]

Totally Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator (in that order). It's hard to go wrong knowing how to make photos better, create, fliers/brochures/business cards etc.
posted by gregr at 2:58 PM on June 22, 2017 [3 favorites]

Best answer: If you work in marketing, I would suggest maybe working on your social media skills. People for some reason think that social media is something interns do, but it's not. It's becoming an increasingly important form of communications and there are a lot of jobs there if you want to pivot in that direction. These courses should be in the marketing section.

I agree that Photoshop is a good skill to have too.

I think you do need to narrow things down more than "I want more money" though. Maybe looking through what they offer will help you get a sense of what you're good at and what is interesting to you. You should look for skills that take you in the direction that makes sense for you.
posted by AppleTurnover at 3:29 PM on June 22, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The SQL class on Lynda is good, and that would be a natural extension from CRM management.
posted by radioamy at 4:27 PM on June 22, 2017 [3 favorites]

Best answer: A better question to explore might be "How do I find a career I love?"

Looking at Lynda, I see:
Creating a Career Plan whose contents include: finding your monetizable passion.
posted by jander03 at 12:11 PM on June 23, 2017 [3 favorites]

BPMN 2.0 is a handy skill to have, and relatively easy to learn (especially if you are a bit systems-y). The one you want is "Business Analysis Foundations: Business Process Modeling".
posted by turbid dahlia at 6:23 PM on June 25, 2017 [4 favorites]

Just FYI for everyone: if you have a Brooklyn Library card, you have Lynda. https://www.bklynlibrary.org/lynda
posted by apjanke at 11:45 PM on June 26, 2017 [1 favorite]