Entering into E-Learning Training and Development Field

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, a graduate certificate in distance learning is a good first step. My cousin did that, then eventually got a masters in education with an emphasis on instructional design/distance learning. He's doing well as an in-house training designer at a Fortune 500 company.

I agree that getting a grad certificate in distance/eLearning as well in Instructional design would be good first step. UMBC has a graduate certificate program in ISD and Instructional Technology, though there are other unis in the DC Metro area with similar offerings.
What are you currently doing in terms of Learning and Development at your current place of work? I ask because L&D is quite broad, and comprises several competencies : https://www.td.org/certification/atd-competency-model

I would also advise you visit the ATD website to learn more about Learning and Development, and the various opportunities available. There are free webinars and other resources available. In addition to that, you can reach out to members of local ATD chapters including ATD Washington D.C.(http://astdmetrodc.memberlodge.org) and ATD Maryland (http://maryland.astd.org/about), which has an event this Saturday - a great way to meet other L&D professionals.

If you're on LinkedIn, you can join the ATD group, E-Learning professionals group, Instructional Systems Design group, and the ATD Maryland group. Other E-Learning resources/communities are 1. https://elearningindustry.com. 2. https://community.articulate.com

I'm a Learning and Development professional with expertise in ISD and some experience with E-Learning, and would be happy to answer other enquiries you may have, or at least guide you in the right direction. By the way, if you are working in Higher Ed, you can always reach out to ISDers and Learning and Dev. professionals for more guidance and insight.

To PP (2/19/2018 12:28): I am looking for ISD opportunities in the DMV area, and would be interested in learning more about your company's Learning and Development needs. How may I get in contact with you?

This post kinda suggests there aren't a lot of jobs out there.

PP (2/19/2018) here. There are indeed a lot of jobs out there; my particular case happens to be different and a bit complex than the average ISD applicant/practitioner. As a PP (2/22, 20:12) rightly stated, most companies are unsure of what they need or are looking for. I have had to explain during interviews that I am not an e-learning developer, graphics designer or an instructional technologist. It is important that you know your competencies and find the right match for you. I just haven't found that match, yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is the problem with the field. No one knows what they are looking for. Some companies really just want trainers - which is an old field and doesn't need a lot of educational background.

Some people want someone who can train and do instructional design. These are entirely different skill sets, one is in front of people, one is not.

Some organizations want instructional designers who can develop e-learning entirely independently which involves a lot of graphic design and tech skills.

Some organizations want someone who can analyze and present data (e.g. tableua experts)

These are all very different skill sets.

This. And it changes with the economy. When the economy is good there are lots of ID and content development gigs. When the economy isn’t doing well? Well, training departments got cut pretty seriously during the recession. A lot of instructional designers lost their jobs.

My masters is in iSD and I expected to spend my career developing elearning materials. But then I fell in love with software product management and have worked in that field in a specific vertical pretty much since a year after getting my degree. 20 years In, I can say that the degree was a great choice but it never took me where I expected to be and if we are being totally honest, there is better money and more opportunity doing what I do now.

Fascinating! I'm curious to know how that opportunity came about. What types of software products do you manage?

[Anonymous]

06:34 -- I finished grad school during the dotcom boom. There was a lot of opportunity doing a lot of things. If you were experienced or educated in educational technology, it was pretty easy to get your foot in the door.

I took a job as an instructional designer at a higher ed software company right out of grad school. There was embedded product management in my group, and I did some work for/with them, including product managing the partner product I was working on.

From there I ended up doing similar work in software development shops in the k-12, higher ed, and corporate education spaces. I've worked on the business side and on the engineering side, but always doing largely the same thing.

No one goes to school to become a product manager, but most products need product management. As agile methodologies have become the norm, PM has become baked into the process... when it's done right. And it usually isn't.

[Anonymous]

For those thinking about switching careers. I have a PhD in Psych and went back and got a masters in instructional design with a focus on e-learning, after working over ten years as an adjunct. The job offers I have received have been for salaries between 47 and 68. More than an adjunct, but probably not more than other fields. I took one at 59, because I can telecommute one day a week, two days when I have trainings/etc an evening during the week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those thinking about switching careers. I have a PhD in Psych and went back and got a masters in instructional design with a focus on e-learning, after working over ten years as an adjunct. The job offers I have received have been for salaries between 47 and 68. More than an adjunct, but probably not more than other fields. I took one at 59, because I can telecommute one day a week, two days when I have trainings/etc an evening during the week.

This makes me sick. Why on earth would you accept such low pay?

[Anonymous]

The field used to be a good field. However, it became power point on steroids with Adobe Captivate and Articulate Storyline. They want a multimedia developer, not an instructional designer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:06:34 -- I finished grad school during the dotcom boom. There was a lot of opportunity doing a lot of things. If you were experienced or educated in educational technology, it was pretty easy to get your foot in the door.

I took a job as an instructional designer at a higher ed software company right out of grad school. There was embedded product management in my group, and I did some work for/with them, including product managing the partner product I was working on.

From there I ended up doing similar work in software development shops in the k-12, higher ed, and corporate education spaces. I've worked on the business side and on the engineering side, but always doing largely the same thing.

No one goes to school to become a product manager, but most products need product management. As agile methodologies have become the norm, PM has become baked into the process... when it's done right. And it usually isn't.

06:34 PP here: I would be interested to connect and chat with you, if possible. How can I contact you?

[Anonymous]

I’ve been in this field for 6 years. It’s not super easy to find a job, it’s possible obviously but it will take some time. I wouldn’t say there’s super high demand. Also, consider that when a company has financial trouble the training dept is the first to get cut. It can also be a stressful position to work in because most companies, even though they ‘calue’ Training (in theory), since it’s not a revenue generating dept, they are constantly asking you to defend your position and prove that it’s necessary. It’s just stressful to constantly have to convince people that training is useful or necessary. Just things to consider

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:06:34 -- I finished grad school during the dotcom boom. There was a lot of opportunity doing a lot of things. If you were experienced or educated in educational technology, it was pretty easy to get your foot in the door.

I took a job as an instructional designer at a higher ed software company right out of grad school. There was embedded product management in my group, and I did some work for/with them, including product managing the partner product I was working on.

From there I ended up doing similar work in software development shops in the k-12, higher ed, and corporate education spaces. I've worked on the business side and on the engineering side, but always doing largely the same thing.

No one goes to school to become a product manager, but most products need product management. As agile methodologies have become the norm, PM has become baked into the process... when it's done right. And it usually isn't.

06:34 PP here: I would be interested to connect and chat with you, if possible. How can I contact you?

Email me at bertimusmaximus at gmail

I don’t know how much I can help but I’m happy to try.

[Anonymous]

UMUC offers three Education Master's Degrees in this field:

Distance Ed and E-Learning
Instructional Technology
Learning Design and Technology

They also offer a certificate in Instructional Technology Integration

http://www.umuc.edu/academic-programs/education-and-teaching/index.cfm

[Anonymous]

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