Episode 20

full
Published on:

6th Nov 2023

Ep20: LinkedIn Learning Free with a Library Card... And a Whole Lot More!

Unlock Free Learning Resources with your Public Library Card

In this podcast, I will tell you how to access premium online learning resources like LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, and Coursera for free, simply by utilizing your public library card. Most people don't know that library cards can open doors to various resources, varying from library to library. However, most libraries in the U.S provide free access to LinkedIn's premium content. Plus you can gain access to Libby, an app allowing users to borrow a selection of audiobooks and ebooks. I want to stress the importance of taking advantage of available resources paid through taxes rather than spending additional money on courses and online platforms.

00:00 Introduction to Free Access to LinkedIn Learning

00:37 The Secret: Public Library Card

00:57 How to Use Your Library Card for Online Learning

01:33 Accessing LinkedIn Premium Content with Library Card

02:12 Why Collect Multiple Library Cards

02:27 Examples of Different Libraries and Their Offers

02:49 Accessing Coursera with Library Card

03:53 Additional Benefits of Public Library Card

00:40 Steps to Accessing Online Learning Resources

05:48 The Value of Public Library Resources

07:23 Conclusion and Call to Action

08:08 Accessing Mobile Hotspots with Library Card

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Transcript
Speaker:

How to access.

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LinkedIn learning.

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For free.

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It seems like a sketchy,

catchy click baity title.

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But what you're going to

hear in this podcast today.

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Is how to access.

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All these type of resources

for free no coupon codes.

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No trials.

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No gimmicks.

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No BS.

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And as long as you're a resident.

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In the state that you are.

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You too, can access all this.

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So it isn't just linked in learning.

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It's called.

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The public library.

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So step one.

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Is to go get yourself

a public library card.

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And you're going to want to

get one at the biggest library

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that you can in your state.

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You can actually get more

than one library card.

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And I'm going to get to

that tip in a second.

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But once you have that library card, And

you have set up that pin or password.

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And unfortunately, every library is a

little different on what that means.

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You will go to your library's website.

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And look for digital resources.

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Or e-learning.

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Anything that has, online

training or online resources.

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And once you're there, every

library is going to be different.

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You're going to see a

whole bunch of stuff.

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One of the things that seems to

be most consistent with libraries.

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In the United States.

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As you can get access to LinkedIn

premium content with your library card.

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And the caveat is because it's

linked to the library and not

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your actual free LinkedIn account.

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Any of the certificates that you

download will not have your name on it.

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But you can access all

the premium content.

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Save it to your library.

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Watch it later viewed on a mobile device.

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And learn.

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And that's really what it's about.

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Not getting some certificate

that you're going to post.

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And we're talking.

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Pretty much anything you can think

of that's in that premium library is

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going to be yours to view for free

because you have a library card.

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The reason that I say that you should

collect library cards is because every

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library apparently makes different.

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Deals.

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With the state that they're in for

what kind of resources they can get.

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For example.

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San Francisco public library.

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I could get LinkedIn learning

their premium for free.

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I can also get you to me.

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Oh, that's right.

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You heard me?

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You can get the entire you tummy catalog

for free there as well among other things.

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But if I go over to the Contra Costa

library, I don't see you to me.

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But I see Coursera.

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Yeah, that's right.

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The entire Coursera.

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Catalog as a California resident.

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That I can get for free.

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Now granted they only have a number

of licenses that they can do.

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So there's all kinds of these little

weird hiccups with every library in

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your state that you're going to look at.

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As to how much they actually have

paid for it and how much they can get.

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So in my case, Coursera, Right now

for California residents booked.

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But every Monday I could go back

and check because every 90 days.

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They look for people who haven't used

it in 90 days and they dropped them from

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the program and they open up more spots.

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Now, what can you get in Coursera?

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You can get that coveted, Google,

cyber certificate, Google cybersecurity

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certificate that you hear about, or

that you've seen and take the entire.

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Eight modules.

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It would normally cost you upwards

of depending on how long you did it.

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300, 300 plus dollars because it's

$49 a month to get access to Coursera.

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But at the public library card.

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You get it for free.

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You also get access to Libby, which

is an app that you can download.

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And again, every library has a certain

selection of audio books and books.

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That you can check out for free.

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And read and listened to

on your mobile device.

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So like audible.

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Not as instant gratification because

the library only has so many copies.

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But you can put things on hold

and eventually listened to them.

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So the gist of this podcast and

I'm going to keep it short is.

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Step one.

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Get a public library card.

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Collect public library cards.

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Log in.

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To the public library website that you

have and see what digital resources

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and or e-learning options you have.

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Because as I've just said, within two

libraries of mine, I have access to.

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LinkedIn learning premium.

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The entire you tummy catalog.

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Anything on you to me,

I can watch for free.

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And Coursera.

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Now with those three resources.

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Depending on what unique is.

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You can learn a ton.

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About cyber security from the

basics to the advanced stuff, to

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hacking, to penetration testing.

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Two different language programming.

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All at your own leisure.

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All online.

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And a lot of it with the mobile devices.

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It's just cloogy to get to, and

it's a little difficult and so

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most people aren't going to do it.

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Most people will absolutely

never listen to a video.

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If I created that would be more

than five minutes on how to do this.

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So they're either not going to do it,

or they're just going to pay for it.

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So while they're spending

thousands of dollars to get

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these good, very good resources.

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You already technically paid with your tax

dollars, being a resident of your state.

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It's just.

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Most people don't want to

take the time to do it.

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And it's really not that hard.

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And it is there.

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And it is free.

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And it is a great resource.

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So again, I now have access to

LinkedIn learning Udemy and Coursera.

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That is a ton.

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Of training that I get to take at my own

leisure that I didn't have to pay for.

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I paid for it indirectly, sorry

through taxes, but I didn't have

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to pay for the actual courses.

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And the online platforms, because

I've already paid for it as a

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resident by getting a public library

card, which again, Just in something

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most people are going to do.

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And you get a ton of audio books.

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So if you're into listening to audio

books and you want to learn about

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things, or you just want audio books on

fiction or whatever, You get that too.

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So it is a very valuable resource that

I don't think a lot of people with.

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Take advantage of, and again,

Going to the resource to going

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to the website in question,

they're all going to be different.

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And that's part of the.

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Problem.

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You go get a public

library card for a library.

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And how you get it.

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It's usually pretty standard.

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You fill out online form, or you

fill out the form at the library.

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You show them some proof of residency.

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You get a card, you make a pen, boom

that you've got that's not a big deal.

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But then going to the website.

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And finding where those things are.

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Every library has a different looking

website or a different look and

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feel or different way of logging in.

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And that's what gets a little weird.

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But again, Not very hard to do.

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And the second that you do that

you're going to access to all

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these different types of courses.

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. To wrap it up.

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Get yourself.

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A public library card.

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At as many public libraries as you can.

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Log into those various websites and

see what you get because some will

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offer things that others won't.

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So in my case, the

entire you, to me access.

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Course is on the San

Francisco public library.

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Unfortunately, it's not a Contra

Costa, it's just not an option there.

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I guess I didn't make the same deal.

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It doesn't matter.

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I could just log into the

San Francisco public library,

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access Udemy, do what I want.

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San Francisco public library.

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For whatever reason, I can't

get to Coursera, but I can get

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through it on Contra Costa.

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Had a library card for that one too.

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So I just log in there and I

do the entire Coursera catalog.

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I also discovered some of these libraries.

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We'll let you check out hotspots.

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What.

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That's right.

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You can get a Wi-Fi wireless hotspot.

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In my case for 21 days, I can

put a hold on the mobile app or

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I can put a hold on the website.

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And then once available, I go pick it up.

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And I get a 21 day pass.

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To use a mobile hotspot for my phone or

my laptop or wherever from going round.

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And I just turned in.

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I had no idea that I could get

a mobile hot spot for free.

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That's insane.

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But, Hey.

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You get these little tips.

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She gets these little tricks.

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Again, people have short

attention spans and they're not

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going to do this kind of stuff.

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So I'm hoping.

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But because you're listening to a podcast.

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You'll have, you're working out, you're

doing something and you can actually

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absorb this information and it will be

that kind of a jam where you go, oh man.

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I did not realize I could do that.

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Thanks.

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Because if I can get you access to some

type of training, That's good for you that

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you can get a better job or get a leg up

in the industry or whatever you're doing.

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That's exactly what I want to

do because you have access to

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potentially have access to.

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A ton of really valuable

high quality training.

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So go grab yourself a library card.

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And once you do, and once you log in.

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What I really want you to do is look

in the show notes with this podcast.

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And some of the other resources

you'll have access to when you log

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in to your public library depending.

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New York times.

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Wall street journal.

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For free.

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That's right.

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NYT And wall street journal for free.

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Through the public library.

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So you have a lot more access to

just LinkedIn Udemy and of Coursera.

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In addition to all the books.

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You also have a lot of online newspapers

that you can get you normally wouldn't

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be able to get to because you have

to pay for it so go check it out.

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And I want you to send me an

email and I want you to tell

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me if it worked for you or not.

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Okay, again, show notes.

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This podcast.

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I'll put in my contact

information, send me an email.

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Tell me if it worked for you or not.

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So with that, go get yourself

a, public library card today

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Byte Sized Security
Snackable advice on cyber security best practices tailored for professionals on the go
In a world where cyberattacks are becoming more commonplace, we all need to be vigilant about protecting our digital lives, whether at home or at work. Byte Sized Security is the podcast that provides snackable advice on cybersecurity best practices tailored for professionals on the go.

Hosted by information security expert, Marc David, each 15-20 minute episode provides actionable guidance to help listeners safeguard their devices, data, and organizations against online threats. With new episodes released every Monday, Byte Sized Security covers topics like social engineering, password management, multi-factor authentication, security awareness training, regulatory compliance, incident response, and more.

Whether you're an IT professional, small business owner, developer, or just someone interested in learning more about cybersecurity, Byte Sized Security is the quick, easy way to pick up useful tips and insights you can immediately put into practice. The clear, jargon-free advice is perfect for listening on your commute, during a lunch break, or working out.

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Marc David

Marc David is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and the host of the cybersecurity podcast, Byte-Sized Security. He has over 15 years of experience in the information security field, specializing in network security, cloud security, and security awareness training. Marc is an engaging speaker and teacher with a passion for demystifying complex security topics. He got his start in security as a software developer for encrypted messaging platforms. Over his career, Marc has held security leadership roles at tech companies like Radius Networks and Vanco Payment Solutions. He now runs his own cybersecurity consulting and training firm helping businesses and individuals implement practical security controls. When he’s not hosting his popular security podcast, you can find Marc speaking at industry conferences or volunteering to teach kids cyber safety. Marc lives with his family outside of Boston where he also enjoys running, reading, and hiking.