That being said, it could be interesting if Lynda course completions could be linked to a linkedin profile or something similar. Gives some power to self-learners.
I've used lynda.com for a while and about 6 months ago they started asking me to share that I had completed a course in my linkedin profile. There is no exam or anything just something that said I'd "completed" (watched) the course. They call them certificates of completion. I've never shared them because I don't think sitting through 4hrs of video means anything other than I have an interest to learn about that subject. I love Lynda.com and always recommend it to people. I always say their tutorials are really good at getting you to a point where you understand enough to read documentation. Atleast when it comes to programming languages. I too am a little worried by this news.
:) Thats true, however, that can be applied to almost everything. College, other certificates, etc. I'm sure you have run into folks with CS degrees that didn't know how to code and all they did was talk jargon.
I understand that there is an aspect of labeling theory that goes on with this, however, as with all things, it shows that people are willing to pay $$ to learn.
That being said, it could be interesting if Lynda course completions could be linked to a linkedin profile or something similar. Gives some power to self-learners.