Getting Instructional Design Experience Without the Job - My Best Tip 🤓

[@visuallanguage]

THIS gives me hope. Have been feeling really lost in the skills gap. And no entry level jobs. Eeeeek!

[@nicoletrombetta7928]

What perfect timing! I recently reached out to a friend of a friend to offer my help. I need projects for my portfolio, and she needs to build her business post-pandemic. We just had our first meeting, and we came up with some great ideas together! It’s a win-win!

[@DrLukeHobson]

Sounds like a win-win indeed!

[@thebridgewalker2129]

Gosh, this is so amazing! Thank you so much for talking about this topic!

[@DrLukeHobson]

Happy to help!

[@NLGVIDEOS2]

I have been involved for over 30 years in education from Educational TV to developing training video for a fortune 100 company. I am now going into ID contract work. Your video was very helpful.

[@DrLukeHobson]

Thank you for sharing! I’m glad they’ve helped!

[@slfleming9001]

You provide some excellent advice. I particularly appreciated the information about how to find individuals to work with. Like Nicole below, I need to develop a portfolio.

[@elaineharries1779]

As a newby, my toolbox is a little on the light side but my idea to get started is figure out something that I am passionate about and make content around that. Maybe a demo with screencast or interactive PSA. I have trial access to Articulate so I have 30 days to hopefully learn enough to create an artifact there.... I like the idea of finding entrepreneurial people to connect with though. They tend to be the most CREATIVE problem solvers...

[@DrLukeHobson]

That’s certainly possible! Don’t be afraid of reaching out to folks now though about trying to help them. Entrepreneurs are problem solvers, but so are educators. Put those two kinds of minds together and awesome things will happen.

[@elaineharries1779]

@@DrLukeHobson great idea! I know I am probably underselling myself a little. It’s a little overwhelming at first but I’m starting to feel some confidence around my skills as they are. I’ll get there!

[@ladydulaney]

I think this is fantastic advice!!

[@DrLukeHobson]

Thank you!

[@petermiranda6939]

The networking piece is key. I find I am definitely an extrovert, as long as I am confident. I derive confidence from prior research and then building on those fundamental skills through working. The interesting thing I would say to anyone else nervous about networking is that if you have contacts with entrepreneurs in your local community, there is a reason. You probably already have some type of repour or have made enough of an impact socially to make their acquaintance at the very least. Think about that/those connection moments and reach out with a strategy of building upon that connection. This seems to me like the most authentic route to developing a healthy work-life relationship. Do you Luke, or anyone else agree with this? Disagree with this course of action? Constructive criticisms welcome, I am a former teacher/entrepreneur breaking into this space myself. Feedback from people in the trenches would be highly valued (just like people is said course^)

[@jensullivan8051]

Thanks, this is a great suggestion. I have prior experience that translates well to ID, but I am seeking "officially" working in ID. I'm currently building my portfolio, and have a job aid sample so far (which I created for a local institution). Also, I have an entrepreneur friend I plan to reach out to to collaborate with, as you suggest. My question, though is how does that work if create something in Storyline, but this entrepreneur doesn't really use an LMS? I really need a Storyline piece in my portfolio. What does the business/entrepreneur need in place to be able to make use of something created in Storyline? Thanks so much!

[@DrLukeHobson]

Hi Jen! I’m glad you found this video helpful and that you are taking these steps! I’ll link to Articulate’s website to answer your question since they have hyperlinks in there to help guide you with this: community.articulate.com/discussions/articulate-storyline/hosting-a-storyline-or-rise-course-on-a-website

[@jensullivan8051]

@@DrLukeHobson thank you!

[@bananaster]

What great timing on this video/podcast! Long time podcast listener here, first-time commenter on either format! First, I want to say that I liked the cross-over episode you did here combining both formats into one. Normally, I listen to your podcast through Spotify, but came across the video on your post on LinkedIn and thought I'd give it a shot. I love that I don't need to WATCH the video because you don't rely on visuals to communicate. My only drawback is that I started watching on my iPad and as soon as I tried to switch to my notes app it stopped playing. This is where podcasts win, I guess. :) Secondly, I'm commenting because I recognized the need to find that volunteer work, and my normal sources of Volunteer Match and Catchafire were coming up dry. Last week, on LinkedIn, I reached out to a former coworker who recently launched their own sales rep agency. As an introvert, this was the easiest cold call I could manage and to my surprise, they answered immediately. While they don't have an immediate need that he is aware of, they agreed to set up a time to discuss what I CAN help with and our next steps. This was incredibly encouraging because it's not a no and it gives me a chance to determine if there are any gaps to address. I've also been taking time to read the content on their website and have a few notes ready to go. It's good to know that this was a good first step to take. I will do more research into the steps you suggested and thoroughly evaluate my network. Thank you for continuing to provide relevant content that makes a difference!

[@DrLukeHobson]

Thank you so much for commenting! It’s so interesting to hear how folks consume content. I heard from someone recently who listened to the podcast for a full year, but she had no idea what I looked like until KZbin haha. I’ll keep on trying the multiple formats to serve everyone. That’s fantastic to hear about your former coworker! Having that kind of connection already will help to build towards next steps. I know it’s quite the journey, but you are doing all of the right things. Keep on going!