The 20 Most Popular LinkedIn Learning Courses of the Year

It’s Taylor Swift’s world and we’re all just living in it.

Case in point: As a part of Spotify’s eagerly awaited and sometimes nitpicked annual review of users’ listening habits known as Spotify Wrapped, the audio streaming company revealed that the chart-breaking pop sensation raked in more than 26.6 billion streams globally of her music in 2024.

That’s the equivalent of asking all 8 billion-plus humans on the planet to stop everything and stream her music — not once, not twice, but three times today. And that would still leave some extra listens on the table for all the rabid Swifties out there.

Although we can’t compete with Taylor — and really, who can? — this got us thinking: What were the most popular LinkedIn Learning courses of 2024?

Below you’ll find our list of our 20 most popular courses over the past year. It’s a revealing group, highlighting among other things that we can’t quit Excel, AI is on everyone’s minds, and maybe we could all use some help with time management. As to whether all that streaming impacts our productivity and time management, well, we’ll leave that to our readers to decide.

The most popular LinkedIn Learning courses of 2024

Here are the most popular courses on LinkedIn Learning this year. Whether you’re simply curious to learn what’s been resonating with our learning community or looking for inspiration to take action on your New Year’s resolutions, we encourage you to dive in and learn something new or sharpen an existing skill.

1. Excel Essential Training (Microsoft 365) with Dennis Taylor

In this course, you can get up to speed on all things Microsoft Excel. Follow along with Dennis Taylor, an Excel expert, as he demonstrates how to efficiently manage and analyze data with this powerful program. Learn how to enter and organize data, perform calculations with simple functions, format the appearance of your spreadsheet, build charts and PivotTables, use new Microsoft Copilot integrations, and more.

2. Project Management Foundations with Bonnie Biafore

If you have an interest in how things work and how to make things work better, this is the course for you. Consultant Bonnie Biafore shares the fundamentals of project management, including establishing project goals and objectives, building a project plan, managing resources, meeting deadlines, and closing the project. She also provides tips to develop those soft skills that help get things done and move a project along, such as communicating effectively, running productive meetings, keeping a project on track, and gaining customer acceptance.

3. What Is Generative AI? with Pinar Seyhan Demirdag

No matter your industry or your role, it’s likely generative AI is changing — or going to change — the way you work. Early adapters of this new tool, says AI expert Pinar Seyhan Demirdag, will reap its benefits sooner. To get started, check out Pinar’s course which covers the basics of GAI, including what it is, how it works, how it can help you create content, and what ethical implications you should consider as you experiment with it.

4. Power BI Essential Training with Gini von Courter

If you’re looking to take the next step in creating top-notch data visualizations but are unsure of where to start, this course can help. Gini von Courter, an expert Microsoft Suite trainer, shares how to get started with Microsoft Power BI’s set of business analytics tools. Step by step, you’ll learn how to effectively create, arrange, and share impactful visualizations with your peers and others in your organization.

5. Introduction to Prompt Engineering for Generative AI with Ronnie Sheer

If you are a beginner looking to learn more about Natural Language Processing (NLP) capabilities or a developer wanting to get started with modern NLP APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), this course offers a great introduction. Software developer Ronnie Sheer guides you through what large language models are and what problems they may be able to solve. Ronnie dives into everything from text generation and AI-generated imagery to more advanced concepts like how to fine tune your prompts and interact with language models using an API.

6. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Doug Rose

This course is designed for project managers, product managers, directors, executives, and students starting a career in AI. Not only will you get a high-level overview of the top tools in your field and learn algorithms and techniques involved in machine learning, artificial neural networks, and deep learning, but you’ll also dive into more complex themes and questions — including what it actually means for a system to display “intelligence.” After viewing this course, AI will look less like magic and more like an exciting new set of tools.

7. Excel: Advanced Formulas and Functions with Oz du Soleil

Follow along with Excel expert Oz du Soleil as he demystifies the many kinds of formulas and functions available in Excel. Oz starts with a few critical keyboard shortcuts that will speed up your work, and shares how to develop your own working style with formulas and functions. He also covers Excel’s more complex capabilities, all while providing practical examples grounded in real-world scenarios.

8. Excel Tips Weekly with Dennis Taylor

This tips-based course with Dennis Taylor is updated weekly (tune in every Tuesday!) and provides Excel users with productivity-boosting tricks, cool hidden features, need-to-know functions, and advanced content on subjects like using PivotTables for data analysis. Every weekly update is a short, self-contained lesson that can help give you new insights into Excel.

9.  Python Essential Training with Ryan Mitchell

Python is one of the most commonly used dynamic languages used by companies and organizations around the world. In this course, senior software engineer Ryan Mitchell guides you through all the essentials of using Python. You’ll learn the basics of writing a program, explore how computers “think,” go over basic data types, dive deep into data structures, find out how to handle errors and exceptions, and more.

10. SQL Essential Training with Walter Shields

The ubiquity of big data means that now, more than ever, there is a burning need to warehouse, access, and understand the contents of massive databases quickly and efficiently. Attaining proficiency in SQL is essential to prepare for our data-driven present and future. In this course, tech educator Walter Shields goes over the basic structure of databases — what they are, how they work, and how to successfully navigate them with the help of SQL.

11. Learning Data Analytics: 1 Foundations with Robin Hunt 

If you’re interested in pursuing a career in data analytics, instructor Robin Hunt can help. In this course, she brings you into the mind of an analyst, highlights the tools necessary to be successful, breaks down everything you need to know about data, and goes through what an analyst does during their typical workday.

12. Time Management Fundamentals with Dave Crenshaw

If you had an extra 10 hours in your week, what would you do with it? Pick up a hobby, exercise more, or start writing that novel you’ve been thinking about for years? In this course, productivity expert Dave Crenshaw can help open up your week by showing you how to get more done in the shortest time possible. He lays out the theoretical and practical foundations for being more productive, explains the obstacles that can get in the way, and highlights strategies and habits for increasing your productivity.

13. Communication Foundations with Brenda Bailey-Hughes and Tatiana Kolovou

This course helps you better communicate in a variety of professional situations, including meetings, email messages, pitches, and presentations. Instructors Tatiana Kolovou and Brenda Bailey-Hughes introduce the four building blocks of communication — people, message, context, and listening — and show how they apply in different circumstances. Through the use of vignettes and applied tools, the course shows how to build this core competency and communicate in a way that effectively and professionally conveys your message.

14. Time Management Tips with Dave Crenshaw

Dave Crenshaw wants to help improve your productivity so you can get things done and find more time for what's most important to you. Each short segment of this course provides you with actionable time management tips and advice, including managing emails and calendars, setting priorities, collaborating with coworkers, reducing interruptions, creating a more effective work environment, and more.

15. Agile Foundations with Doug Rose

Teams that embrace an agile mindset are often better able to respond to customer feedback and shifting business needs — and maybe even have a bit more fun in the process. Join instructor Doug Rose as he goes through the fundamental concepts you need to know to start thinking like an agile team. He shares his “agile manifesto” and explores popular agility frameworks, all with the goal of giving you and your team the tools necessary to better respond to change, keep up morale, and boost your productivity.

16. PowerPoint Essential Training (Microsoft 365) with Jess Stratton

Many people are intimidated by PowerPoint. “I’m not a designer,” they think, “so why bother trying to improve my presentation skills?” If this sounds familiar, instructor Jess Stratton’s robust introductory course can help. She makes PowerPoint more accessible and walks through the steps of how to quickly create, edit, and share professional-looking presentations. By the end of the course, you'll know how to use PowerPoint tools and follow a few simple design rules to draw attention to your message and deliver a presentation that shines.

17. Leadership Foundations with Dr. Shirley Davis

In this course, leadership consultant and global workforce expert Dr. Shirley Davis covers the basics of leading yourself and others. Along the way, she identifies the critical competencies and best practices for effectively leading today and in the future. Learn how to lead across differences; cultivate a more inclusive workplace; establish trust; build relationships; lead change through agility and resilience; have difficult conversations; and more.

18. Problem-Solving Techniques with Chris Croft

You can't solve a problem unless you can get to the cause — and sometimes there's more than one. In this course, learn techniques for identifying the root cause of a problem, generating options, and selecting the best solution. Chris Croft takes you through several methods for identifying what's actually causing a problem, including looking at the whole system when a problem is actually a symptom of a larger issue. He also explains how to generate potential solutions using mind maps and decision trees, how to boost your creativity to help you come up with more insightful options, and how to use both logic and your intuition to select the right solution to your problem.

19. Data Literacy: Exploring and Describing Data with Barton Poulson

Data analysis isn’t just for specialists who need to make sense of massive datasets. Decision-makers in every industry can benefit from a basic understanding of the goals and concepts of applied data analysis. In this course, Barton Poulson focuses on the fundamentals of data fluency, or the ability to work with data to extract insights and determine your next steps. Barton shows how exploring data with graphs and describing data with statistics can help you reach your goals and make better decisions. Instead of focusing on particular tools, he concentrates on general procedures that can help you solve specific problems.

20. Becoming a Product Manager: A Complete Guide with Cole Mercer and Evan Kimbrell

What does a product manager actually do? What kind of product manager roles are out there, and how do they differ from project management? In this course, get answers to those questions — and more — as you learn about the different tools and techniques needed to successfully coordinate all aspects of product development. Instructors Cole Mercer and Evan Kimbrell go over the major phases of the product lifecycle and discuss how approaches like agile, scrum, and kanban actually work in real-world situations. Plus, learn how to address real user needs, approach customer development, run MVP experiments, sketch out mobile apps, work with your stakeholders, and much more.