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?
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.
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.

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.
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.