Iconic Media Publisher

O’Reilly Media is that iconic media publisher most well known for its books having covers featuring hand drawn animals:

Unlimited Access Through O’Reailly Online Learning Platform

In case you didn’t know, O’Reilly has an awesome online learning platform. Check out O’Reailly’s promotional page and video describing its offerings. Many companies use the excellent platform to train employees.

Access to the premium content normally costs $500 a year for an individual.

Here’s a screen capture of the feature list from the O’Reilly site as of the date of this post:

I’ve personally used the site for several books and courses and can’t believe the value. I have purchased several courses at Udemy for example and this platform solidly outperforms Udemy’s offerings. The O’Reilly site offers all the computer books and training you could ask for on the latest IT technologies and software development. Besides books (including classics, new and pre-release titles, and countless non-O’Reilly publishers), the Learning platform offers daily live seminars, recorded video talks and conferences, and interactive labs – access unlimited for a yearly fee. In addition, O’Reilly has mobile apps that allow you to access all the material on your phone.

So how do you get all of this and more for $75 a year instead of O’Reilly’s price?

ACM Membership Provides Full O’Reilly Platform

The little known secret is that you can access all of the O’Reilly Learning platform by being a member of the Association of Computer Machinery (ACM). Professional Membership to the ACM for individuals is typically $100, but is currently on promotion for $75 for new members.

What is ACM ?

Here’s the description on the ACM Website:

I recently became an ACM member and have been blown away with the O’Reilly offering.

Skillsoft Tutorials Also Available

And just today I discovered that in addition the O’Reilly Platform, ACM provides access to Skillsoft/Skillport, another excellent learning platform offering countless up to date computer video courses and books. Once you get your ACM membership, just login to https://acm.skillport.com for acess.

Why aren’t the benefits of ACM Membership more generally known ?

Probably because ACM is a non-profit and doesn’t go out of its way to advertise the O’Reilly offering. It is just one of many benefits that it offers its members. I found out about the O’Reilly benefit of the ACM membership in an obscure posting on the internet. The ACM website is also old-school and difficult to navigate, filled with lots of obscure references and outdated information. For example, one of the site’s pages mentions that ACM membership provides access to “Safari’s entire collection of 40,000 online books and videos”. Safari is the old name for O’Reilly’s learning platform and the current collection exceeds the 40,000 number. The list of member benefits does mention O’Reilly and Skillsoft but not as a separate line item, only as part of the “Learning Center” description.

Other Benefits of ACM Membership

In addition to O’Reilly, an ACM membership gets you many other benefits, including networking and job boards, the hard copy ACM magazine delivered to your door, various discounts, and access to the ScienceDirect platform and other e-learning sites.

If free is not an option then don’t hesitate to get your $75 ACM membership now (note that student memberships to the ACM are only $25). I’m getting no commission or payment for this link – I just think it’s an awesome offer.