# Skills

## Overview

Skills lists the skills on your profile in three groups: skills you have **earned** by completing courses, skills you **self-reported**, and skills you **want** to build. The LMS uses them to recommend courses.

Open it from the **Skills** icon (sparkles) in the left rail ("Your earned, self-reported, and desired skills."), or from the Skills tab of your [learner profile](activity.md).

## Target Audience

**Learner**

## Features

#### Earned
Skills awarded by courses you have completed, each with its points. You can't edit these. Empty: "You don't have any earned skills yet."

#### Self-Reported
Skills you say you already have, each with a rating. Click **Add Skill** to add one. Click a skill to open **Rate your expertise**, a slider from 1 (**Beginner**: "Basic understanding of fundamentals; requires significant guidance.") to 5 (**Expert**: "Expert level mastery; can innovate and teach others in this domain."). Click **Confirm** to save the rating, or **Delete skill** to remove it. Empty: "You don't have any self-reported skills yet."

#### Desired
Skills you want to develop. Click **Add Skill** to add one. Empty: "You don't have any desired skills yet."

#### Add Skill
Opens **Add Self-Reported Skill** or **Add Desired Skill**. Search ("Search skills..."), pick one, and click **Add Skill**. New self-reported skills start at level 1.

## How to Use

#### Step 1: Add what you know
Under **Self-Reported**, click **Add Skill**, find a skill, and add it.

#### Step 2: Rate it
Click the skill, move the slider to your level, and click **Confirm**.

#### Step 3: Say what you want to learn
Under **Desired**, add the skills you want to build. Recommendations take them into account.