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He hobnobs with clients who may be life coaches, entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals, owners of production units, real estate magnates, or banking professionals.

He gets to read on and learn about a mindboggling array of subjects-self-development tactics, new software systems, fire safety, managing diseases and medical emergencies, flying an airplane, food packaging, and everything else under the sun.

He shares office with creative graphic designers and illustrators who make scenes and people come alive with their images, wordsmiths who paint pictures with their words, and maverick programmers who bring together the words and the pictures to create exciting courses.

He looks for inspiration in movies, video games, books, and toys.

There's never a dull moment at work for the instructional designer. And he gets paid to have the fun!

Do you want to be an instructional designer too? Here's how you can break into the world of instructional designing and carve a successful career out of it:

Tip # 1: Get Yourself an Education

The doctor had to go through the grind at the medical school. The lawyer went to a law college. The successful entrepreneur still takes management lessons. The artists and the writers attend workshops even if their works sell like hot cakes. Knowledge is power, and to be successful in a competitive world, you have to distinguish yourself with your learning.

Many colleges and universities offer eLearning courses. These are structured programs where you will receive plenty of guidance, get to interact with peers, and be assessed on your progress. But self-learning suffices. There are also plenty comprehensive resources on instructional designing. Here are a few to help you get going and get a hang of the thing:
Books
Start with the classics. The following books have more or less spelled out everything that is there to learn about instructional designing:

Slide:ology by Nancy Duarte

Better than Bullet Points: Creating Engaging eLearning with PowerPoint by Jane Bozarth

Design For How People Learn (Voices That Matter) by Julie Dirksen

e-Learning by Design by William Horton

e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning (Essential Knowledge Resource) by Ruth Clark and Richard Mayer

Also, browse through the following lists for some more book recommendations:
Online Courses
There are plenty of online courses for instructional designers. Here are a few formidable ones:

Browse the Lynda and the Udemy sites because they have many other tutorials on offer, and they keep adding to their stocks!
More Online Freebies
The Internet is a minefield of information on everything you want to learn about designing eLearning courses. The following are some excellent resources by eLearning professionals who have been in the business for decades:

Tip # 2: Frequent Forums and Lap Up the Webcasts

Instructional designers are kind and helpful folks! Many of them work from home, and in between creating stellar storyboards and penning engaging scenarios, they come online to chat with aspiring designers. Find them on forums like the one maintained by the eLearning Guild.

Sometimes these folks share their knowledge and insights and provide tips via webcasts. Find these webcasts on ATD and eLearning Guild.

Tip # 3: Ask Around for Advice

If you have a friend who is an instructional designer or know someone who is a designer, ask advice from them. Ask them if you can watch them at work; there's no better way to learn than from examples. Remember to take copious notes and clarify your doubts from them at the end of the day.

Tip #4: Be Up-to-date with the Happenings and Trends in the Industry

Instructional designers have to be innovative. They also have to be on top of design and technology trends, so they can create instructionally sound, visually appealing, and technologically sound courses. Keep up with what's going on in the world of design with news and insights on sites like Smashing Magazine, DesignIsKinky, and Liquidicity.

Follow eLearning professionals like Connie Malamed, Clark Quinn, Patti Shank, and B rent Schlenker on their blogs social media handles to keep up with industry trends.

Find your inspiration from designers who have perfected the art of communicating to diverse audiences. Hear them speak at conferences. Keep track of these events on ATD and eLearning Guild.

Tip #5: Reach Out, Connect, and Network

Now that you have been learning for some time, get out there and connect with your peers. It is also time you did some professional networking and let recruiters know you are ready for the job market. Develop a strong digital footprint, make real connections and learn all you can about the ed-tech space

LinkedIn, Twitter, and meetup.com are some places where you can hobnob with designers and thought leaders, take part in the conversations, and make yourself heard and be counted. You can also meet other designers at Skillshare-like events. Also follow local business owners; be sensitive to their training needs. Sometimes they might not realize an eLearning course can resolve their training requirements; this is where you step in, so always be on the lookout for hints they drop.

Network with your peers as well. You never know when they might need someone to pitch in and help them manage their busy schedules and overflowing workload. Besides, peers can also direct you to lucrative gigs that they can't take up themselves.

Be patient; all these connections will eventually lead to referrals and other business opportunities.

Read this inspiring story.

Tip #6: Get Going with Projects Even if They Are DIY Tasks

Recruiters always choose individuals who walk the talk. So you will need a portfolio handy. Volunteer at non-profit organizations and offer to design their courses. Track them on Yelp, Craigslist, and Volunteer Match and pitch your skills. If you show the commitment, they will be happy to let you help. You may be paid peanuts (that is, if you are paid at all) but the experience you gain will be invaluable.

If you cannot land any opportunity, create your own projects. Give vent to your creative juices and create a course that carries the stamp of your enthusiasm and passion.

Once you have a portfolio to show for your talents, approach local businesses. You may have to work at prices less than the market rate, but be patient. Once you have a robust portfolio and recommendations, you will land higher-paying jobs.

Final Tip: Keep the Passion Alive

Passion. That's one quality recruiters value greatly, and sometimes they consider it more important than experience and expertise. Keep showing your enthusiasm. Let your passion show in your work. You will soon attract recruiters.

CONCLUSION:
When you are trying to break into the world of instructional designing, you need the backing of sound technical and design knowledge and should be armed with a stellar and diverse portfolio. These will need some preparation, so start today.

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Seven Tips for Breaking into the World of Instructional Design

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He hobnobs with clients who may be life coaches, entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals, owners of production units, real estate magnates, or banking professionals. He gets to read on and learn about a mindboggling array of subjects-self-development tactics, new software systems, fire safety, managing diseases and medical emergencies, flying an airplane, food packaging, and everything else under the sun.

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Good listener. People person. Lifelong learner. Sound like you? No, we're not trying to arrange a first date. These are some common traits of people with successful careers in a booming job market: instructional design.

Colleges, K-12 schools and companies increasingly turn to instructional designers to help them improve the quality of teaching in in-person, online or blended-learning environments.

Once-lonely techies who helped faculty figure out Blackboard and dwelled in university IT departments, IDs now are growing in number and gaining celebrity status at their institutions. Arizona State University employs roughly 40 of them, and the role ranks among The Chronicle of Higher Education's "Top Trends of 2016."

Jobs in the industry take many shapes, but instructional designers act broadly as shamans who guide educators and institutions through the world of digital learning. So who's a good fit for the role? We talked to professionals who've been in the field since long before it was "hot" and more recent transplants to identify key traits for successful IDs.

You're a good listener

IDs often start the design process by talking to faculty and subject matter experts about the courses they teach. "A lot of the job is translating from expert to beginner," says Christine Bower, who's currently an instructional designer at YouTube's Creator Academy and previously was at General Assembly. It's the ID's job to ask questions and understand not only what's on the syllabus, but also what instructors want students to get out of their classes.

You enjoy working with diverse teams

Instructional design work is unique to any given organization, but odds are it involves collaborating with people who have vastly different roles and personalities. IDs work with faculty and subject matter experts, designers, videographers, developers and data analytics experts to build an educational experience that fits the curriculum and achieves desired outcomes. "The designers are the connective tissue," says Rebecca Petersen, director of Online Experiential Learning at Northeastern University.

Many instructional designers have backgrounds in education. Natalie Milman, director of the Educational Technology Leadership Program at the George Washington University, says she was drawn to the field when she was a classroom teacher and found herself helping students and other faculty use technology in their classes. "I realized what a powerful and wonderful tool tech is," she says. "I had kids who were the worst kids you can think of and then in my class they behaved because they wanted to work on the computer."

Instructional designers understand that people have distinct learning styles. Bower says "figuring out how people tick" is a lot of the job. She's taken every kind of class imaginable, from night school to online programs, and says it's important to see different teaching styles and observe how others learn.

You have a passion for teaching and learning

Many instructional designers have backgrounds in education. Natalie Milman, director of the Educational Technology Leadership Program at the George Washington University, says she was drawn to the field when she was a classroom teacher and found herself helping students and other faculty use technology in their classes. "I realized what a powerful and wonderful tool tech is," she says. "I had kids who were the worst kids you can think of and then in my class they behaved because they wanted to work on the computer."

Instructional designers understand that people have distinct learning styles. Bower says "figuring out how people tick" is a lot of the job. She's taken every kind of class imaginable, from night school to online programs, and says it's important to see different teaching styles and observe how others learn.

You have a project-manager mindset

More IDs are being asked to track all of the aspects of production of a course, which means they need to coordinate all of the day-to-day work that goes into them from all of the different contributors. "You need to understand and articulate how long something may actually take to produce and manage people's expectations on what it really means to develop a course," Petersen says. "Being able to articulate progress and create systems for faculty that you're working with is really important."

You can check your ego

Many faculty get a little squeamish when they think of instructional design, Petersen says. They think online courses are inferior to their in-person lectures and they fear they're giving up control over their lessons. It's an ID's job to reassure educators that the design work is meant to help-not replace-them. "You're supporting the work of the faculty and the college. While you're not the star, you are an integral part of the work getting courses up and running," Petersen says.

Bower has designed courses in the programming language SQL and is now creating classes that teach people how to make better YouTube videos. Both fields were new to her, and she stresses the importance of bringing a beginner mindset to the table. "Don't ever assume you're an expert in anything," she advises. "You have to be humble."

You're technology agnostic

The technology will constantly change, so IDs need to understand the principles behind it. Milman says GW's Educational Technology Leadership Program doesn't teach any specific software. "We try to teach students skills and theory, and apply theory to practice to prepare them for being ed-tech leaders," she says. Part of an instructional design job is knowing where to get more information for new tools and what questions to ask. "It's really a field that's impossible to know everything there is to know," Milman says.

Do these traits describe you? Are you itching to jump into instructional design or boost your existing skills? There's a growing number of resources for new and experienced IDs to stay current in the field. Industry groups like the Higher Education eDesign Association, run by Milman's colleague at GW, are growing in membership and informal ID meetups happen all over the world. Petersen recommends reaching out to nonprofits like museums that are looking to move some of their materials over to digital formats and could use volunteers.

As instructional designers work to improve learning outcomes, they're constantly continuing their own education. As Milman says, "I'll never be bored because the field is always changing."

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So You Want to Be an Instructional Designer? - EdSurge News

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Good listener. People person. Lifelong learner. Sound like you? No, we're not trying to arrange a first date. These are some common traits of people with successful careers in a booming job market: instructional design. Colleges, K-12 schools and companies increasingly turn to instructional designers to help them improve the quality of teaching in in-person, online or blended-learning environments.

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Before getting any further with the tips on how to develop a successful Instructional Design career, there is something we should do: Provide a precise definition for the term.

Instructional Design is the process of analyzing the needs of the learners and developing systematic, relevant instructions that enable them to acquire the desired knowledge and skills. In other words, an Instructional Designer should first determine the current state and needs of the learners, and then construct a teaching system that leads them towards the goal they want to achieve.

You can create your own distinctive path in this industry with any degree you have earned. This profession will enable you to share your knowledge in the subject you have mastered.

What Skills Does An Instructional Designer Need?

This profession is not only related to teaching; Instructional Designers also plan and structure the entire program according to the needs of the target audience. Thus, the first thing you need is curriculum-planning sense.

Due to the fact that an Instructional Designer approaches the teaching methods from a broader perspective, it would be great to gain some teaching experience before you make your first steps into an Instructional Design career. Many of the skills you need overlap between teaching and Instructional Design, so the transition will be easier if you already know how to teach.

For recent college graduates with no experience in teaching, tutoring is a great option. You can offer services as a tutor in your area, but you can also become part of one of the many online platforms that connect tutors with students. As a tutor, make sure to offer personalized experience for your students. Evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and tailor your teaching approach in accordance with their needs. When you manage to do that, you'll easily understand what Instructional Design is all about.

Needless to say, you'll also need some technology skills. This profession is intertwined with the eLearning industry, which means that you need to design programs for online courses. Explore course authoring software and learn how to design captivating materials before making your first steps into Instructional Design.

Are you wondering which college courses would make you suitable for an Instructional Design career? There are no specific requirements, but psychology is something you can only benefit from. Since you'll have to explore the weaknesses of your target audience and you'll help them to surpass the obstacles, you will need to find a motivational approach. If you understand human psychology, you will do well in this career.

What Opportunities Do You Have In Instructional Design?

There are versatile opportunities for talented Instructional Designers on the market.

The first and most obvious option is tailoring online courses for a specific audience. If that's the aspect of Instructional Design that interests you the most, you might want to start from the eLearning Guild - a great community of professionals from this niche with a resourceful job board.

Corporations also offer great opportunities for Instructional Designers. If you intend to turn this type of work into a full-time career, then you should focus on the jobs offered by businesses that need training for their employees. Large companies invest plenty of resources for skill upgrading, so they open positions for in-house Instructional Designers.

Some Instructional Designers work in higher education. Universities are relying on this type of professionals to tailor curriculums adequate for the current generation of students. Needless to say, you'll need a lot of experience and possibly an MA/PhD degree in your niche to land such position. Thus, it would be wiser to aim lower and start by structuring online courses before you try to move your career to this direction.

A Life Committed To Learning And Exploring

Your main goal will be to help people learn, but your progress in this market will depend on your own will and ability to learn. The best Instructional Designers never stop looking for ways to make their plans better. They experiment with different technologies and teaching methods before they come up with the final version of an instructional system that helps the target audience learn in the most productive and efficient way possible.

This is a great profession to work towards if you just graduated from college. You'll become progressively better as you gain more experience, so start by making small steps and work on the skills you need to become a great Instructional Designer.

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Path From College To An Instructional Design Career - eLearning Industry

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Before getting any further with the tips on how to develop a successful Instructional Design career, there is something we should do: Provide a precise definition for the term. Instructional Design is the process of analyzing the needs of the learners and developing systematic, relevant instructions that enable them to acquire the desired knowledge and skills.

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10 Best Freelance Instructional Design Jobs Online In May 2018

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Find freelance Instructional Design work on Upwork. 11 Instructional Design online jobs are available.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe in iTunes.

In this first episode, you'll get a fresh perspective on job seeking, hiring and finding your career path as a learning experience designer. Director of Instructional Design, Joe Fournier, provides super advice on starting out or moving to a better position in instructional design, training, and eLearning design and development.
WE DISCUSS:

Skills hiring managers are seeking

How to get experience

Making a portfolio

Whether an ID degree is required

Changes in the field

Preparing for the future

Pay disparity between men and women

TIME: 23 minutes

RATE: Rate this podcast in iTunes

TRANSCRIPT: Download the ELC 001 Podcast Transcript
RESOURCES:
Keep up with research, new ideas, tips and free resources with The eLearning Coach Newsletter delivered to your Inbox every month. Ideas-articles-freebies-resources.

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ELC 001: Finding a Job in Instructional Design

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed Subscribe in iTunes. In this first episode, you'll get a fresh perspective on job seeking, hiring and finding your career path as a learning experience designer. Director of Instructional Design, Joe Fournier, provides super advice on starting out or moving to a better position in instructional design, training, and eLearning design and development.

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Questions for Instructional Design Job Applicants -  Technology and Education Today

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So what steps does it take to become an instructional design specialist?

Step 1: Earn a Bachelor's Degree

A bachelor's degree is a critical first step for instructional design specialists. While public schools will require a master's degree, they may also ask that these instructors have a teaching license. In order to advance to those steps, individuals should first pursue a bachelor's degree. Students can expect to complete a teacher preparation program while earning their undergraduate degree. They'll also engage in student teaching experiences. Individuals who wish to work for colleges, universities, government agencies, private companies or other locations where a bachelor's degree is the minimum requirement can pursue an undergraduate degree program in instructional design and technology, teaching or related fields.

Step 2: Earn a Master's Degree

Public school instructional design specialists are required to have a master's degree in curriculum and instruction or a related field, but other employers may also prefer to hire candidates with master's degrees. Aspiring design specialists can purse degrees in instructional design, learning design and technology or curriculum and instruction, among others. These programs often include thesis or non-thesis options and may require a practicum or culminating experience.

In addition to completing a master's degree, acquiring skills working with various Learning Management Systems is helpful. Job postings often ask for applicants with experience in LMS. While in graduate school, students can seek out courses or training options that can prepare them to use these systems.

You may also want to be proficient in design, presentation and graphics programs including the use of digital storyboards. Learning the tools of the trade and staying on top of technological advances in this field is one way to prepare for a career in instructional design. Graduate programs may offer elective courses in digital video, instructional graphics, and other technologies.

Step 3: Get a License

To work in a public school, aspiring instructional design specialists will need to get a teaching license, according to the BLS. However, some schools may ask for an education administrator license. Education requirements will depend on the license required, but instructors will need to pass an exam and take continuing education courses after earning their degrees.

Step 4: Acquire Experience

Many employers require their candidates to have 3-5 years of experience in the field. Public school teachers can get curriculum and teaching experience from their classrooms. Aspiring instructional design specialists working outside of the public school system can acquire jobs related to training modules, materials or curriculum. In addition, the more experience you have, the more you usually get paid.

To be successful at this step, you might want to consider reading industry journals and magazines. Stay updated with the latest news through professional organizations focused on online education, instructional development or workplace learning. These organizations offer publications, workshops and seminars for continuing education in this field.

To recap, with an undergrad or graduate degree, licensure and experience, you can earn about $64,000 as an instructional design specialist who creates or revises teaching materials and designs innovative learning materials for schools and companies.

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become an instructional design specialist: career roadmap

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Become an Instructional Design Specialist: Career Roadmap

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So what steps does it take to become an instructional design specialist? A bachelor's degree is a critical first step for instructional design specialists. While public schools will require a master's degree, they may also ask that these instructors have a teaching license. In order to advance to those steps, individuals should first pursue a bachelor's degree.

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Choosing to become an Instructional Designer can lead to a truly rewarding career path. Not only do you get the chance to earn a living by doing what you are passionate about, but you also have the opportunity to give others the gift of knowledge. Keep in mind that an effectively designed eLearning course or training module can make a world of difference in someone's personal or professional life. With that being said, knowing which steps to take in order to become an Instructional Designer may be crucial for your career.

Step #1. Determine your primary objective and/or specialty

The first thing you'll want to think about is what niche you'd like to specialize in and/or your primary objective of becoming an Instructional Designer. Is there a specific skill that you feel needs to be taught and may be currently undervalued? Are you planning on specializing in the educational sector or the corporate sector? Are you an expert in a particular field and want to share your knowledge with others? Determining your primary goal will allow you to begin narrowing down what content you will offer and which learning materials you will use.

Step #2. Gain invaluable experience in your niche

If you aren't already familiar with the subject you are going to be specializing in, then you will need to learn as much as possible about its core ideas, principles, and concepts. Similarly, you will also have to gain experience in Instructional Design, in general. If there's an eLearning course that your organization suggests that it needs to be fine tuned, then offer to improve it. If an organization is in need of a new eLearning course, let them know that you'll do it free of charge, in order to gain that invaluable experience. On the other hand, if you prefer testing the waters before actually working for an organization, then why not simply design an eLearning course based upon a hobby or a point of interest that you may have, such as music theory or gardening, in order to try out the eLearning tools and practical applications.

Step #3. Study the Instructional Design models and theories

After you've begun gathering all-important experience, you may want to consider learning about the theories and models behind Instructional Design. These theories will often serve as the backbone or the structure of your eLearning courses, and will help you to create eLearning courses that engage and motivate the learner to acquire and retain the information you are offering. For example, suggests that learning should be presented in "bite sized" modules or lessons that allow the learner to fully acquire the information, rather than overloading them with an abundance of information at once. Read up on the various theories and models that are involved in Instructional Design and figure out which ones will help you to create meaningful and effective eLearning courses.

Step #4. Consider Instructional Design training (such as certificate programs or training courses)

There is a variety of Instructional Design programs and degrees that offer you the chance to gain an in depth understanding of the core concepts and principles of Instructional Design. When trying to select the right program, you may want to opt for one that offers real-world experience, rather than just basic knowledge of Instructional Design theories. This will allow you to learn from other eLearning design professionals and gain on-the-job practical training. You may find valuable the How to Choose the Right Online Instructional Design Certificate Program article.

Step #5. Learn about eLearning tools, design principles, and multimedia aids

Get familiar with eLearning authoring tools, Learning Management Systems, principles, and multimedia aids that are available to you as an Instructional Designer. These will be your "tools of the trade" that you are going to use once you develop your eLearning course design strategy. If you'd like to learn more about the best eLearning authoring tools and cloud-based lms, this article features a list of HTML5 eLearning authoring tools and here is a list of Cloud-Based Learning Management Systems that you may want to consider.

Step #6. Begin developing an Instructional Design portfolio

Your portfolio is going to be your first impression as an Instructional Designer. Employers and clients will get a glimpse of your past work, regardless of whether it was paid or volunteer, and their hiring decisions will be based upon what they see. So, developing a solid portfolio should be a top priority. Be sure to include explanations for each project that you include in your portfolio, such as your design strategy or the primary goal of the project.

Step #7. Stay up-to-date with the latest eLearning technology

The world of eLearning and Instructional Design is always changing and evolving. Educational technologies that are cutting edge today may give way to bigger and better methods and tools tomorrow. As such, it's essential to stay on top of the latest eLearning course design technology, so that you have the opportunity to provide your learners with the best possible eLearning experience possible. Not to mention that this also allows you to improve your eLearning course designs while simplifying the development process, thanks to the fact that emerging technologies tend to offer a wide range of time (and resource) saving benefits.

Relevant Articles for Instructional Designers

If you'd like to learn more about the Instructional Design field, you may find valuable the following articles:

How To Get A Job As An Instructional Designer
Getting into instructional design is a very desirable career choice at present, and so many people want to get into it but are often not sure where to start. What skills do Instructional Designers need? What will the hiring manager or interviewer be looking for?

What Does An Instructional Designer Do? Infographic
Several professionals are involved in the instructional design field. However, do you know the full range of what an instructional designer does? A large group of ASU Instructional Designers and Technologists were asked to tell about the work they do!

What an Instructional Designer Does? 3 Myths Revealed
At the following post I will give my perspective concerning "What Instructional Design really is?" "What Instructional Designers Do?", and I will talk about "3 Instructional Design Myths". You constructive feedback will be highly appreciated!

Is it necessary for an Instructional Designer to be a Subject Matter Expert?
Should their roles be autonomous, identical or interconnected? Experiences vary, but let's see at what level they actually coincide.

The Role of an Instructional Designer as Project Manager
Managing e-Learning Projects is extremely important for successful e-Learning course design. This article is the second in a series about e-Learning Project Management. Check it out and learn about the role of an instructional designer as project manager.

Last, but certainly not least, you can access the free eBook "How To Become An Instructional Designer", which includes eLearning tips, insider advice, and invaluable information that will help you become a top-notch eLearning professional.

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7 Steps To Become An Instructional Designer - eLearning Industry

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Choosing to become an Instructional Designer can lead to a truly rewarding career path. Not only do you get the chance to earn a living by doing what you are passionate about, but you also have the opportunity to give others the gift of knowledge.

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A lot of people ask me how they could become instructional designers. Here's some advice from my perspective, followed by links for other perspectives. All of this applies to instructional design in the business world, not academia or K-12 education. It's probably most applicable to people in the US.
Get experience in your current job
The first step can be to get more instructional design experience at your current job, if possible. For example, if you're offered the technical writing part of a project, you might ask about other training and support materials that the project requires and what the larger business need for the project is, and suggest that you could design those other materials to meet that need.

Another approach is to simply create what the organization needs, if you have the time. That's what I did in the 1980s. My job was a combination of tech support, technical writing, and training, so I was in a good position to identify ways to improve the organization's performance. By volunteering to improve processes and create training and support materials beyond my official job description, I created items for my portfolio and eventually transitioned into a more "pure" instructional design role.

Another approach is to politely offer to overhaul an existing course or other learning intervention that isn't working or that people complain about, even if has nothing to do with your job description. That way you can show what you can do, save your colleagues from suffering, and learn how to redo others' work without stepping on toes, which is a valuable skill in our field.
Build a portfolio
A lot of designers create portfolios that show examples of elearning that they've developed. Maybe they do this because it's easiest to show elearning, but they often give the impression that they see themselves as elearning developers and not as instructional designers.

If you want to do instructional design, meaning you want to solve performance problems and not just be a course producer, be sure to explain the instructional decisions you made for each sample in your portfolio. I've looked at a lot of ID portfolios and by far the most common mistake is to simply show the material without discussing the strategy behind it or linking it to any larger need in the organization.

If you currently do only design and not development, put your design ideas in the portfolio. For example, describe the performance problem and the solution that you designed, explaining your reasoning and describing the results.
Consider volunteer work
If there's no way to get ID experience at your current job, you might consider doing some volunteer work with an NGO or LINGOs. The UN online volunteers program might also be a source of projects or contacts.

Again, it would be important to design the project to support the organization's strategy and not let stakeholders treat it as just a writing and media task.
Decide: design or development, or both?
As you get more experience, identify what gives you the most satisfaction. Do you love analyzing a performance problem, figuring out a solution to it, and outlining a training program that you know will be effective? Or do you love to create the media for content that already exists, making it more interesting and interactive?

Most jobs that I hear about seem to require both sets of skills, which means neither gets the time it deserves. If you like both the instructional design and the media creation, there are jobs out there that will give you the chance to do both, keeping in mind that you probably won't have time to do your best work. The number one complaint I hear from solo instructional designers is that they're not given enough time for strategic instructional design and are expected to just put existing information online.

If you prefer strategy and design over production, look for a position in an organization that's big enough to have a separate production team or that outsources the production. Also make sure that your possible employer will view you as a performance consultant included in training strategy and not just as someone who converts information into a course.
Learn the theory
If you aren't doing it already, I'd recommend that you also do some independent reading to get the vocabulary and basic theoretical background that's expected of IDs. Cammy Bean lists a lot of recommended books and sites that traditional IDs use. I got the most help from Michael Allen's Guide to E-Learning, Ruth Clark's research-based books, David Merrill's First Principles of Instruction, and guidelines for performance consulting ( Performance Consulting: A Practical Guide for HR and Learning Professionals by Robinson & Robinson is one book).

Since many people in our field like to discuss theory, it's good to be able to talk about Bloom's taxonomy, Gagne, constructivism, etc., much of which is described for free online. However, I think it's equally important to remember that most of it is theory, and that experiments that support a theory were likely done on students learning facts in school, not adults learning to do something in the business world.
Consider a degree
Compared to other instructional designers, I seem to be less enthusiastic about degrees. I worked with several recent graduates of ID degree programs and usually found that they learned a lot of theory but had little knowledge of business needs and no experience applying the theory to real-world business situations.

If you think a degree will help your career, I'd encourage you to be skeptical of programs that lump educational and corporate instructional design together. Based on my experience in both sectors, they have very different goals and require different approaches. Applying educational approaches to business problems creates the irrelevant information dumps that so many people complain about. The greatest weakness I see in corporate instructional designers today is a failure to consider the needs of the business and therefore the need for behavior change, and I blame the academic "knowledge transfer" focus for that.

So if you want a degree, I'd strongly recommend that you consider programs that give you real-world business projects in addition to the theory. The program should also teach you about the metrics used to measure business performance. You shouldn't spend thousands of dollars on a corporate ID degree and graduate without knowing what a "key performance indicator" is.

I'd also encourage you to look for any pseudoscience that the instructor is presenting as fact. Does the program say that you should accommodate learning styles in your design? Do they apply fictional percentages to theoretical models to make them look science-y? Do they treat theory as proven fact? If so, go elsewhere.

For example, the most recent program I checked teaches that learning styles should be accommodated, which puts it many years behind current research. As L&D departments become more serious about using valid, proven techniques, graduates of such programs could find their degrees actually getting in their way.

Finally, I'd be leery of a graduate degree program that teaches you how to use certain tools. I don't think software training belongs in a graduate program, especially when people in the real world learn the software on their own for free. Your education should equip you to diagnose performance problems and help people change what they do; you shouldn't pay thousands of dollars to have an instructor tell you which buttons to click unless you're in a certificate program specifically designed to teach you a tool.

I haven't looked for an ID job for a long time, so I don't know how many employers require degrees now. However, I can say that when I helped evaluate instructional design applicants, I didn't see a strong correlation between having a degree and having a portfolio that shows effective design decisions.
Other perspectives
This article from the Elearning Guild lists several degree programs and includes tips. It's written from the conventional perspective that instructional design is about knowledge transfer and is basically the same for both the education and corporate sectors; I disagree.

Christy Tucker has a series of posts on Getting Into Instructional Design

10 Qualities of the Ideal Instructional Designer; includes discussion in the comments

The Accidental Instructional Designer; includes lots of links to more information

Do You Need an Instructional Design Degree? with many comments

Instructional design and elearning programs: a long list of US programs. Consider asking for opinions about specific programs in one of the LinkedIn groups on elearning.

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A lot of people ask me how they could become instructional designers. Here's some advice from my perspective, followed by links for other perspectives. All of this applies to instructional design in the business world, not academia or K-12 education. It's probably most applicable to people in the US.

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How to Get Design Experience

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Landing Your 1st ID Job

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A free 12-lesson email course on the career.

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Then you've come to the right place. I've created a free 12-lesson eCourse for people who want to know more about an Instructional Design career. Breaking Into Instructional Design explains one of the most fulfilling and smartest careers of the 21st century (yes, I'm biased).

As an instructional design consultant and publisher of The eLearning Coach, I get lots of questions about careers in instructional design, eLearning and instructional technology. This eCourse answers all of those questions.

What's Inside

Learn about the varied work instructional designers do.

Find out how the field is changing.

See the competencies required for an instructional design career.

Get the scoop on whether you need a degree.

Discover the best places to network and find jobs.

Jump ahead of your competition with this suggested reading list.

Start working on an eLearning portfolio to develop your skills.

Ready to get started?

To start the eCourse, enter your info in the form below. Watch for the confirmation email. When you confirm, you'll begin getting lessons delivered to your Inbox twice a week. Your email address will never be shared. I hate spam as much as you do.

Talk to you soon,
Connie Malamed
Publisher of The eLearning Coach

P.S. If you have questions or feedback, just click Reply to any of the lessons.
The email will come straight to me.

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Careers in Instructional Design and Technology

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Then you've come to the right place. I've created a free 12-lesson eCourse for people who want to know more about an Instructional Design career. Breaking Into Instructional Design explains one of the most fulfilling and smartest careers of the 21st century (yes, I'm biased).

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One of the most common questions I get asked by job seekers is: How can I transition into a new field when I don't have any experience in it?

It's a great question-and a frustrating situation. You know you have the transferrable skills, the drive, and the ambition to do the new job you're seeking, but it's hard to compete with others who've done exactly what's required in the position's description for years.

Yes, it's true that most hiring managers don't want to take a chance on someone who might be able to do the job. They want to have proof that you can start delivering on day one. But it's also true that in today's world, you don't have to get that experience at a full-time, 9-to-5 job.

Sure, it can take time, above and beyond your day job. It takes effort (learning a new skill isn't easy!). In some cases, like if you're going back to school, it'll take money. These aren't negligible factors. But there are options, and if you're truly committed to making a move, those sacrifices will likely pay off in the long run.

This week, I chatted with Hillary Kerr and Katherine Power, founders of Clique Media Group and co-authors of the just-released The Career Code: Must-Know Rules for a Strategic, Stylish, and Self-Made Career, and their advice is the same advice I often give: Make your own experience. As Kerr writes in the book: "I've hired a number of people who didn't have the exact experience I was looking for. These people were able to show their passion for the job through a blog or portfolio. When someone who works full-time dedicates serious after-office hours to creating a blog or doing freelance work in their field of choice, I know that they truly know what they want to do."

OK, so how might this apply to you? Here are some of those ways you, too, can make your own experience.

1. Take on an Internship

And yes, even though you are no longer a 20-year-old college student. Many companies offer part-time, remote internships, and if you're able to complete the work on your own time, you can do this on top of your current job. (One of our editorial interns at The Muse is a full-time reporting and evaluations manager-you can read all about her experience here.)

If you're looking to make a dramatic pivot, you can also look into residency programs or apprenticeships -they're typically full-time work, but they can be great ways to kick off that full-time experience you need for your new role.

2. Start a Blog

This exercise is particularly useful if you want to be a writer-many publications care less about the employers that are on your resume than they do about the quality of your writing, so having an online hub that shows it off is incredibly valuable. Proof: This woman was turned down for a copywriting job at her own company, until she started her own blog and showed she had the chops.

Even if you're not gunning for a writing job, penning compelling thoughts about your industry of choice can go a long way in showing, not just telling, that you're committed to the role even without traditional experience.

3. ... Or Something Else

Not a writer? There are plenty of other media on which you can share thoughts on your desired career-think podcasting, launching a YouTube video series, hosting a regular industry-related meetup, even creating Snapchat stories!

4. Volunteer for a Cause You Care About

If you're interested in moving into marketing, social media, event planning, or fundraising, look for opportunities at nonprofits through sites like VolunteerMatch. Cash-strapped organizations don't always have the resources to fulfill these duties through full-time paid roles, so they look to volunteers to help out. Meaning: They're less concerned with the experience on your resume, more concerned that you're interested, willing, and committed.

In addition to nonprofits, look for opportunities at professional groups, alumni associations, or even...

5. Volunteer for a For-profit Company

Turns out, this approach applies to more than the nonprofit world. Here's a story I came across on LinkedIn about a history major who landed a full-time job with a real estate executive without experience:
As she was talking to the executive, who seemed overwhelmingly busy, a light bulb went off. "You seem incredibly stretched right now," she observed and then asked the $64,000 question. "What would you do to grow your business if you had an extra day in your week?" He paused and said he'd do a market research study for the young urban rental market. She offered to do that for free and was able to communicate quickly how her analysis and writing skills developed for her thesis would give her the ability to execute the project. He took her up on her offer and paid her $10 an hour for her work. After a few weeks, she presented her findings. The real estate executive was blown away by the quality of her report, the clarity of her thinking, and the creativity with which she packaged her analysis. She was offered and has now accepted an entry-level job as a market researcher in the firm.
6. Ask to Help Out on a New Project at Work

Don't want to get caught working for another company? Look for ways to get experience at your own. Of course, you need to make sure you're getting your own work done, but you may find departments or projects that are more than happy to have extra hands, especially if they're new, have more business than usual, or are understaffed in some way.

7. Head to the Classroom

There are plenty of options besides going back to school full-time (though, that's certainly an option), whether it's part-time professional education, an intensive bootcamp, or online classes. The learning aspect is obviously great, but what's really key is the hands-on projects you'll complete as part of the coursework. Do your homework before you go, asking current and former students how the experience has been, what types of projects they've gotten to work on, and how it's helped them professionally. Ideally, you want a course that'll give you something to show at the end of it (so you can put it on your resume- here's how.)

8. Do the Work Before You Apply

Employers want to know you can do the job-so show them. Kerr and Power shared several stories of people who had applied without traditional experience, but with samples of the type of work they'd do if hired. Another example: When told by a hiring manager she didn't have enough experience for a copywriting position, this job seeker responded with a list of sample taglines. The employer loved them-and that lack of experience didn't matter so much anymore. She was hired.

In short, when it comes to gaining that required experience to land your dream job, try thinking outside the cubicle. That, plus some networking and learning how to position your transferrable skills, can be exactly what it takes to put you on the right path.

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How to Get Experience in a New Field Without Starting at the Bottom

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One of the most common questions I get asked by job seekers is: How can I transition into a new field when I don't have any experience in it? It's a great question-and a frustrating situation.

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