Here’s How LinkedIn Could Get You a 20 Percent Salary Increase

You already turn to LinkedIn when you’re looking for a new job or want to network with other professionals within your industry. But, did you know LinkedIn could also help you nab a pay raise?

Here’s how: The professional social networking site started offering classes last fall through LinkedIn Learning, which offers hundreds of courses. They are broken up in categories, like business, creative development and technology and course titles include “Excel Training,” “Foundations of Drawing” and “HTML Training.”

But the site’s online courses surrounding the program management certificate are especially booming, and CNN reports the certificate can lead to a 20 percent increase in salary. Instead of taking out student loans to go back to business school, a person can complete the certificate program for about $800, the article says.

The program is being coined the “poor man’s MBA,” according to CNN. But consider this: Nationally, the average salary of project managers is $91,440, according to Glassdoor. (Not so poor, after all!)

In a nutshell, program managers are responsible for seeing projects from start to finish. That could include anything from helping a tech company launch new software to launching a marketing campaign. Program managers can work in various industries, including construction, IT, marketing, human resources and more.

Students in the LinkedIn Learning program take anywhere from one to four months to earn the certificate, CNN says, and the number of people completing program management coursework has increased by 200 percent.

The prerequisites for a certification include either a secondary degree, like a high school diploma or associate’s degree, plus 7,500 hours leading and directing projects and 35 hours of program management education, according to the Project Management Institute. Or, if you have a four-year degree, you’ll need 4,500 hours leading and directing projects and 35 hours of project management experience.

Once you get the certification, sign back in to LinkedIn so you can update your profile.