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Why non-educators shouldn't feel left out of instructional design
Why non-educators shouldn't feel left out of instructional design
When I started my journey to becoming an instructional designer, I spent countless hours searching high and low for information to help me learn about the field. In my search, I found YouTube videos, podcasts, training programs, and even instructional designer learning communities - this was very exciting for me! As I began to dive into these resources, I couldn't help but notice something - It seemed like a lot of what I discovered was teacher-centric or even speaking directly to teachers. (Note: By "teacher", I am mainly referring to K-12 educators both in the United States and abroad.) For example, I saw videos that explained why instructional design is the best career for former teachers; podcasts that explained how to transition from a teacher to an instructional designer; and I also noticed from both written and verbal comments that many of those in the online instructional design community have a teaching background.
After realizing the connection, my excitement started to dwindle. I asked myself "Is this field only for teachers?" Though I've heard many times that anyone can be an instructional designer, I wasn't necessarily seeing that in the messaging when it came to specific targeting. I had to pause and reflect on this to see if I was wasting my time and resources pursuing something that may not even be for me.
I decided to stay the course, even though I was a little discouraged. As I continued to learn more, specifically about the job roles and responsibilities of an instructional designer, I realized that "I've already done most of this stuff" - and have been doing it for years! Just like that, I was excited again!
Looking back, I wish I hadn't wasted time questioning my belonging in this field. The questioning affected my productivity, and I ended up holding myself back.
If you can relate to my experience in any way, keep reading for tips to help people from non-educational backgrounds succeed in instructional design.
1. You are stronger than you think
While this motivational quote is often applied to overcoming life’s trials and tribulations, this also applies to you as an instructional designer and eLearning developer. Take a moment to think about some of the tasks you’ve performed in your previous roles.
Have you ever showed a new-hire the ropes? That took some instructor-led training skills.
Ever made a checklist to document a process? That's creating a job aid.
Have you ever interrogated your coworkers to see who stole your lunch out of the fridge? Well, that’s not quite instructional design but your investigative skills could come in handy when you're helping a business get to the root of their performance or productivity issues.
Think back to examine what skills you already have and how they could be applied in instructional design.
2. Discover your weaknesses
In order to improve, we first have to identify where we are lacking. Take a personal inventory and see what areas you need to work on to become a better instructional designer. The biggest challenge for me was visual/graphic design. Although I'm a creative person, I never had to use any graphic design skills in my previous career because the focus was on making information easy to read and navigate - not visually appealing. Some of the other skills that instructional designers use include writing, technical skills, communication, project management, and teaching. Examine your skill level in these areas to see where you stand.
3. Get to work
Now that you know what your challenges are, work on improving them! Search Google and YouTube to find resources that are relatable to you. Make sure to find topics that cover the skills that you want to improve. If you're struggling with graphic design, don't be afraid to use templates and customize them. Once you've learned a skill, practice, practice, and practice some more until you're happy with what you produce.
4. Don’t give up
Take it from me, a career change can be a humbling experience, especially when you’re coming from an unrelated field. It will take lots of hard work and determination to complete the journey. With this in mind, it’s important that you never give up! If you need to pause and reset, it's okay do so, but DO NOT QUIT. Your future self will be so grateful that you didn't.
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