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6 Secrets of Career change - Instructional Design to eLearning
- 1. 6 SECRETS FOR A SUCCESSFUL CAREER TRANSITION FROM SUZETTE CONWAY AT SPIRIT SPOT Copyright 2012 Spirit Instructional Design to eLearning Spot™
- 2. Benefits of eLearning Careers Pays well Part of every industry Gain the skills and a career without a degree Many kinds of eLearning; many starting points (webinars, CBTs, podcasts, social learning communities) Lots of enabling technology to learn & apply Many possible roles It can be done freelance or corporate Work can often be done remotely = lifestyle flexibility, reduced expenses (gas, clothing), no commute time BIGGER JOB MARKET Great options for geography, specialty, industry & career structure
- 3. Circle of Success What’s your dream? Be the Planning is bunny sexy Breaking & Relationships entering matter Get smarter
- 4. What’s Your Dream? What’s your dream? A path to living Career options elsewhere More Income Personal Growth A leadership role? Bragging Keeping up rights at the Moving into a new with next next industry gen of reunion! workers
- 5. eLearning Roles What’s your dream? Instructional Designer Design objectives, content, flow, learning interactions, assessments Developer Build the designed using applications (i.e. Articulate, Captivate, PowerPoint, Flash, Lectora) Develop interfaces for online portals, create web pages & templates, implement standards (SCORM), and test/quality control Multi-Media Developer Create & edit media elements - video, audio, graphics, pictures…
- 6. eLearning Roles What’s your dream? eLearning Technologist Experience and skills across a range of technologies – Network platforms, CMS, LMS, multiple file formats, file rendering Select these platforms and systems, determine delivery formats, file outputs, troubleshoot SCORM issues, etc.. Web developer Graphic Designer Use tools like InDesign, Photoshop Create graphical representations of ideas, concepts, information, processes
- 7. eLearning Roles What’s your dream? Flash Developer Develop in native flash (rather than in Captivate which outputs in Flash) Usually pretty technical LMS Administrator May help with product selection Configure LMS (users, rule, access, course structure,…) Implement LMS (help resource, training, loading content, trouble shooting)
- 8. eLearning Roles What’s your dream? Project Manager For one or more learning development projects Manage Resources, work load/assignments, time frames Define deliverables, set expectations, manage issues & risks Status meetings, reporting/metrics on development efforts Program Manager/Director Define program offerings, cost models, revenue streams Work with marketing & sales on messaging & collateral Define & implements processes, standards for entire learning development cycle Select technology, distribution models Customer support escalation point
- 9. eLearning Roles What’s your dream? Instructional Designer Developer Multi-Media Developer eLearning Technologist Web Developer Graphic Designer Flash Developer LMS Administrator Project Manager Program Manager/Director Employers often want you to fill more than one role
- 10. Skills What’s your dream? Huge Variety of skills and skill levels, based on role Search job descriptions; make a skills inventory from that Note the skills you have that they want AND the skills you have that aren’t obvious requirements but are beneficial Business Analysis | Process Engineering | Project Mgmt Note the skills you don’t have – this is your gap Identify which of those gaps are most interesting to you and which are most necessary for the role Think about the tools & technology used in learning…..
- 11. Top Learning Tools 2011 What’s your dream? 1. Twitter 1. Google Reader 1. Yammer 1. Articulate 2. YouTube 2. Evernote 2. Google Earth 2. Snagit 3. GoogleDocs 3. Jing (screen capture) 3. Scoopit (curationsw) 3. Adobe Captivate 4. Skype 4. PowerPint 4. PB Works 4. Vimeo 5. WordPress 5. Gmail 5. Google Apps 5. Geogebra (math sw) 6. Dropbox 6. LinkedIn 6. Flickr 6. Screenr 7. Prezi 7. Edmodo 7. Tweetdeck 7. Mindmeister 8. Moodle 8. Wikispaces 8. Google Maps (mindmapping) 9. Slideshare 9. Delicious 9. Wordle (word cloud 8. Picasa gen) 9. Walwisher 10. Glogster (int.poster)10. VoiceThread Google+ 10. Voki (speaking avatars)10. iPhone/iPod and aps 11. Wikipedia 11. Animoto 11. Symbaloo 11. Scribd (doc sharing) 12. Blogspot 12. Camtasia 12. Word 12. Ning 13. Digo 13. Audacity 13. Google Sites 13. eFront 14. Facebook 14. TED Talks 14. iPad and apps 14. Adobe Connect 15. Google Search 15. Google Chrome 15. 15. Elluminate/Blackboard Borrowed from Center for Learning Performance Technologies http://c4lpt.co.uk/top-100-tools-for-learning-2011/
- 12. Sample Job: eL Specialist What’s your dream? Design, develop, and deliver both distance and in-class Collaborate with intranet developers or Web Web-based training programs and courses, including all developers to create interactivemultimedia training course materials, exercises, and skills evaluations. applications and learning programs. Collaborate with executive team and unit managers to Confer as needed with third-party providers of assess each department’s e-learning subject matter and educational materials andresources to ensure that training needs. they meet organization training goals and objectives. Create and communicate training schedules in Present instructor-led training sessions. consultation with departmental decision makers. Develop and deploy training feedback mechanisms. Develop and coordinate a training curriculum for end Create, administer, analyze, and report on end-user users of all levels, as dictated by organizational goals progress; recommend andintegrate training and objectives. improvement strategies based on findings. Coordinate and maintain the company’s e-learning Establish and maintain a relational database to track intranet or Web site by posting and updating course training participants’ statusand results. materials, grades, and other information. Communicate software application problems and Liaise with educational suppliers to evaluate and/or issues to Web developmentand support teams. procure course materials, software applications, and teaching tools. Assess, recommend, and purchase courseware packages, and supportdevelopment of appropriate Oversee the conceptualization, development, and layout courseware tools. of the appropriate technical infrastructure required to deliver digital e-learning content to its audience.
- 13. Skills What’s your dream? Learn from the job descriptions Location Salary Titles Responsibilities Industries Cultures
- 14. Circle of Success What’s your dream? Be the Planning is bunny sexy Breaking & Relationships entering matter Get smarter
- 15. Planning Makes You Sexier Planning is Sexy! What’s your time frame? What Interests you? What’s the K&S gap? How will you fill the gap? What’s your budget?
- 16. Time Frame Planning is Sexy! Map goals due dates for 3, 6, 12, 18 months Consider Your goals Time for education (classes, certification, degree?) Length of job search Personal schedule and obligations Current work projects that can contribute to new role
- 17. What’s Interesting? Planning is Sexy! Of all the roles we discussed, skills required, opportunities Do you want to be a specialist or a generalist? Are you a techie or a business leader? Do you like strategy and creating grand visions or want to get your hands dirty with daily tasks? What market/industry do you want to work in? Do you need quick wins to stay motivated?
- 18. What’s Interesting? Planning is Sexy! Is there a certain tool you really want to master? How do you see your career growing over time? presenting at conferences moving into management opening a business becoming the best developer you can be What do you LIKE to do with your time? What do you like to learn? You’ll be learning a lot for a long time.
- 19. Where’s the Gap? Planning is Sexy! Go back to your skills inventory… What’s the gap in current and desired knowledge & skills? Where do your skills overlap? Use this to focus your learning efforts Focuses job search efforts near and long term Determine how you will fill that gap
- 20. Show Me The Money Planning is Sexy! Don’t forget the budget Identify free and fee-based resources and options Estimate the costs Prioritize based on cost and goal alignment Sample costs Online courses Conferences Certifications Professional assoc. fees New Software Purchases Paid networking events Resume writing assistance
- 21. Circle of Success What’s your dream? Be the Planning is bunny sexy Breaking & Relationships entering matter Get smarter
- 22. Networking Relationships Matter Connect with others – can lead to leads, knowledge, support We learn socially, casually Options: Networking groups (Network in Austin) Job Clubs Online groups and networks (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, eLearning Guild): Follow industry leaders, companies, learning analysts, etc. Professional associations (ASTD, STC, Women in Communication) Blogs – can email you a list…..
- 23. Circle of Success What’s your dream? Be the Planning is bunny sexy Breaking & Relationships entering matter Get smarter
- 24. Get Smarter Get Smarter What should you learn? Terminology Theories, approaches, practices Technology and applications Techniques Social communities for the industry Key players
- 25. Get Smarter Get Smarter Self study Blogs & Groups (online and in person) Books & Magazines (T&D from ASTD National is excellent) Search online – be a detective Articles, White papers, College papers Conference notes PPTs Videos Content on learning organization sites Research from industry analysts
- 26. Get Smarter Get Smarter Structured Learning Online training & tutorials (Lynda.com) for software Training Mag Network for free webinars (live & on demand) Online certificate programs, online MA Ed. Tech, Meet up groups (can’t find one… start one! Professional Certificates (Langevin, ASTD national (CPLP) Conferences & Conventions (volunteer & go for free, focus on local and go for low cost, make the case to work and get them to pay for it) University degree
- 27. Circle of Success What’s your dream? Be the Planning is bunny sexy Breaking & Relationships entering matter Get smarter
- 28. Relate and Educate Relationships Matter Get Smarter Conferences Conventions Online groups Prof. associations Meet up groups
- 29. Circle of Success What’s your dream? Be the Planning is bunny sexy Breaking & Relationships entering matter Get smarter
- 30. Breaking and Entering Breaking and entering Look for the overlap Skills: You already know ID, ALP, ADDIE, Maybe software like captivate, articulate, PPT, Industry: If you have training background in insurance, banking, medical, your industry knowledge may be more valuable than eLearning skills…. Company: Look for opportunities to move within your current company. You already have a reputation, proven skills, and connections… make it known that you are interested in eLearning and have gained skills in the area. New company or industry, old skills: Consider an entry level role in a new company, then look for ways to move up and around Connections: Work your network; who do you know at the company that interests you? Don’t overlook 3rd degree contacts. These folks know your background, reputation, abilities, and can talk you up when they hand in your resume.
- 31. Breaking and Entering Breaking and entering Develop a portfolio Download free trials of all the software you are learning about Develop an eLearning module for something you already know Develop an eLearning module for free for a non-profit Offer to do something for your current employer – on your own time if necessary Develop a presence Put some of your portfolio online – YouTube, on eLearning communities, on your website Update your social profiles to include eLearning keywords; don’t lie – but as you learn something, add it. It’s not about proficiency, it’s about keywords.
- 32. Circle of Success What’s your dream? Be the Planning is bunny sexy Breaking & Relationships entering matter Get smarter
- 33. Be the Bunny Be the Bunny YOUR’E IN … now what? Stay connected and on top of changes in the field. Networking Learning (self study, conferences, online, cert) Reading blogs and white papers (Inexpensive, convenient, effective) Research Don’t be afraid to ask people for help.
- 34. QUESTIONS? REACH ME ON TWITTER @SUZETTECONWAY Copyright 2012 Spirit Instructional Design to eLearning Spot™
Editor's Notes
- All of this means more options in terms of where you work, what you specialize in, and in what industry you can be marketable
- I call it the “Circle of Success”. It’s good, right? Inspirational? Feel free to use it….
- It’s important to know your motivations – why you are making the change. It will carry you through the process. Why are you interested in moving to an eLearning career? Increased incomePath to a new cityCompletely different career/roleManagerial role/Upward mobilityBecoming more technicalMoving into a new industryPersonal growthProfessional bragging rights for the upcoming reunion ? What roles are you all in today? Is it connected to the eLearning world at all?Once you know your motivation and where you are coming from… you can start to think about what roles interest you…..
- It’s exciting that there are somany roles available in the eLearning professionYou can choose many paths depending on your interests, skills, goals, education, and more
- There are so many to choose fromEmployers often look for resources who can fill MULTIPLE roles – so the more versatile you are the more marketable you areCon: can feel overwhelmingPro: What do YOU think are some of the pros? Here are my thoughts…Can learn small bits at once and build it into a very robust eLearning career over timeMany roles cross multiple industries, so if you decide to move out of eLearning later, your skills in almost everyone of these areas will benefit you elsewhereLots of room to move around once you are in the careerWhat roles interest you NOW, having seen this list? So what can you do to get a handle on all the options and find your area of interest?....
- What do you think of when you see this list? What I see? Look how few and how far down our ‘traditional’ eLearning dev tools are and look at what the other tools are that replace them? Now think about what key words you might put on your resume and how you’d fill out a skills inventory differently….. You likely have more “eLearning skills” than you think
- In addition to tools/tech… think about responsibilitiesConsider this sample job description of ‘responsibilities’ REVIEWWhat do you think of when you see this?. HOLY COW Cool, lots of opportunity Good list of desired skills Search for different more targeted roles How much does that pay?
- As you are doing the skills inventory by reviewing job descriptions…. Pay attention to the other information you’ll find. It can help you later in the process to have a good understanding of… Where the eLearning jobs are being offered (location) Which rolespay what salaries – generally the techier roles pay more, as do the techier industries (IT pays more than retail industries) and the more skills you have the more $ you can request What titles are used? You can work this into your resume and social profiles as key words What responsibilities are they assigning each role? You may find hybrid roles that cross multiple areas – that changes skills required, should impact pay offered, and might change your priorities- Check out which industries are hiring for which role look at culture and how it varies – laid back IT shop or buttoned up banking firm? Learning shop with strong processes or small business with a ‘wing it’ attitude and budget?It will help you identify what you want to do, what’s out there, what to work on in your own skill
- We all know that training makes us sexier…. You knew that, right? Well, so does PLANNING. Try it… start talking about spreadsheets and resource allocation and budgets… you won’t be able to keep people away from you!
- All kidding aside… planning is essential. Now that you know what some of the roles are, will do some research on the skills, salaries, hiring industries… and you understand your motivation…. Ask yourself some questions, figure out what your goals are in terms of… time, interests, knowledge & Skills gaps, process, and budget.
- As you plan your career move, consider the time frames How long will it take to learn the new skills you need? Will that depend on the way you learn them (Degree, prof. certification, online classes)?What is the market like for the job you want – will it take 4 months or 12 to find the right job?How much time can you dedicate to the effort each week? Researching jobs, writing resumes, taking classes, networking… it all takes timeWill you change your personal schedule to make room for these activities or add them in where you have current space?What are you working on now and in the next 6 months at work that might contribute positively to your job search? If you are spearheading a guerilla eLearning campaign, it may be better to finish that and add it to your resume and experience BEFORE you apply for the next job.
- Don’t forget to BUDGET for the career change.-- Identify the resources -- Estimate the costs-- Prioritize your expenses – cost vs goal alignment--- Sample costs to consider…..TIP: Professional development costs – education, association fees, travel to conventions may be tax deductible as professional education costs or job search costs.
- Obviously you’ll be learning new things as you change careers….What do you think you should be looking to learn?
- How do you start? Learning about a completely new field can be overwhelming…..When you learn a new thing, how do you approach it? Do basic searches - key words, terms, concepts, approaches, leaders… FOLLOW BREADCRUMBS… you will find….
- Where do networking and education opportunities overlap? This can get you the most bang for your buck when paying for things. Think about how these are both networking and learning…
- Company network, ask for what you want, take on special projects in your current role to prove your new skills or build a portfolio (i.e. dev an el course from an existing ILT course w/o being asked, share it with your boss as an example of what can be done – she might ask you to head a whole new EL initiative!New company or industry, old skills – consider an entry level role in a new company with better eLearning opportunities Get in on current skills, then move around and into eLearning
- Once you get the job keep doing all these things – networking, learning…Helps you grow your skills quickly since you have a place to apply them ---application = retention. What do you think will change about your approach to these things once you are IN an eLearning role? Who you network with – others in THIS career in addition to those in your past career How you get involved – start presenting, contributing to blogs and forums, writing articles, etc… You’ll find favorite blogs and focus on those Your research will be more targeted The conferences you attend might change – or at least the sessions you are interested in.ASK FOR HELPNo one is expected to be an expert in everything because there is too much to know and it changes all the time. So it’s ok that you are “in eLearning” without knowing about eLearning.The minute you stop exploring and asking questions you stop learningBe the bunny – stay energized, don’t give up