Pros and Cons of Being an Instructional Designer

Here are some pros and cons to consider if you are thinking about becoming an instructional designer or e-learning developer.
More resources for anyone considering an instructional design/e-learning career:
Books I recommend -
The Accidental Instructional Designer by Cammy Bean - www.amazon.com/gp/product/156...
Map It by Cathy Moore - www.amazon.com/gp/product/099...
The Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams (no, not THAT Robin Williams...) - www.amazon.com/gp/product/013...
Instructional Story Design by Rance Green - www.amazon.com/gp/product/195...
slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations by Nancy Duarte - www.amazon.com/gp/product/059...
The eLearning Designer's Handbook by Tim Slade - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08...
Articles -
How to Become an Instructional Designer: www.yourlearningcareer.com/ho...
How to Become an E-Learning Developer: www.yourlearningcareer.com/ho...
How to Get Experience in Instructional Design: www.yourlearningcareer.com/9-...
Day in the Life of an Instructional Designer: www.yourlearningcareer.com/wh...
Note: Some links used above are affiliate links. Purchasing through these links gives me a small commission to help support videos on this channel -- the price to you is the same.

[@ckernest]

Thanks for your video. I am a instructional designer and the pain point of being a Id you mentioned is exactly how I feel. We cover too many grounds in different areas and it is quite stressful to master every aspects of our job.

[@yourlearningcareer]

Yes, expectations are very high for us ID types. On the plus side...we're never bored! 😀 Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@021August]

Very helpful, thank you!

[@yourlearningcareer]

Thanks for watching!

[@yourlearningcareer]

More resources for anyone considering an instructional design/e-learning career: Books I recommend - The Accidental Instructional Designer by Cammy Bean - www.amazon.com/gp/product/1562869140/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yourlearningc-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1562869140&linkId=12693748a3cac359a6833a9332f9f4bf Map It by Cathy Moore - www.amazon.com/gp/product/0999174509/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yourlearningc-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0999174509&linkId=05c79e6ac020fe1a7b2e1c31dce5fec7 The Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams (no, not THAT Robin Williams...) - www.amazon.com/gp/product/0133966151/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yourlearningc-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0133966151&linkId=53aa2fba3d86f78cb009f7bb0274fb16 Instructional Story Design by Rance Green - www.amazon.com/gp/product/1950496597/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yourlearningc-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1950496597&linkId=19bbfc2729cc8c9b0f0e9bdb6b0dd3b0 slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations by Nancy Duarte - www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596522347/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yourlearningc-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0596522347&linkId=1f18fbffdb79dcacad8144a37728ea33 The eLearning Designer's Handbook by Tim Slade - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08HBDDSBN/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yourlearningc-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B08HBDDSBN&linkId=23f24e87359881c93438e7c57194c2f2 Articles - How to Become an Instructional Designer: www.yourlearningcareer.com/how-to-become-an-instructional-designer/ How to Become an E-Learning Developer: www.yourlearningcareer.com/how-to-become-an-e-learning-developer/ How to Get Experience in Instructional Design: www.yourlearningcareer.com/9-pro-tips-for-how-to-get-experience-in-instructional-design/ Day in the Life of an Instructional Designer: www.yourlearningcareer.com/whats-it-like-to-be-an-instructional-designer-a-day-in-the-life/

[@62Asmith]

So informative!!!!

[@yourlearningcareer]

Thank you!

[@curvewomanlover1987]

I like ur channel.. thanks for the contents..

[@yourlearningcareer]

Thank you!

[@pritijain3547]

Hey there... Thanks for the details. Very informative. Could you please share some tools commonly used for this job profile? Thanks again.

[@yourlearningcareer]

It depends on the type of project you are working on but the ones I most commonly use are PowerPoint, Word, Camtasia, Audacity, Webex and Microsoft Teams.

[@jjstarwind]

Thanks for the tips Jeff. Is there a way to reach you on your website?

[@yourlearningcareer]

Thanks for watching! Yes, you can contact me from here: www.yourlearningcareer.com/contact-us/

[@tiffanywilliams8589]

This is so helpful! I keep looking at job descriptions and thing - but I don’t know that I am an expert at all 4 of those things, so I don’t even apply. Thanks for your explanation 😄

[@yourlearningcareer]

Thanks, Tiffany! Glad it helped!

[@manishamukherjee1168]

Thank you for the Tips. Jeff, but as you started off with how introverts will fit in as an instructional designer , I am an extrovert who loves gelling and communicating with people , can I (being an extrovert ) fit in this role too? do reply please

[@yourlearningcareer]

Absolutely! There is usually a lot of collaboration with others as you gather information and work through various phases of the project including working with SMEs, leadership and others on your project team. You may also end up participating in the training you developed if it's instructor-led so that can be another great opportunity for an extrovert. Something else you may want to look into are Training Specialist type roles where you get to do both the instructional design and the training. Also, take a look at some of my corporate trainer focused videos for more info on training delivery focus. To me, that is where an extrovert can really thrive since you are presenting for and interacting with people all the time.

[@tamasbrenyo1348]

Great video. How would you describe the average workload? Is it project based, heavy until you agree on & create the final version and you have some lazy periods between projects? Or a constant high pressure as mutiple projects run simultaneously?

[@yourlearningcareer]

It's going to depend on where you work but in my experience, I usually have multiple projects with mostly reasonable timelines. i.e. I'm not typically under a lot of high pressure or stress. Now, there are times where things heat up and I may have to work late to get something done but that is not the norm for me. Here is a video where I show a "day in the life" kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4m8nHyCoZWVjKs And here is an article I wrote about it as well: www.yourlearningcareer.com/whats-it-like-to-be-an-instructional-designer-a-day-in-the-life/

[@tamasbrenyo1348]

@@yourlearningcareer thanks, I'm checking your typical day now :) Do you think working in a remote position is difficult for this job? I guess the begining is challenging but I've been in HO since Covid kicked in and got used to it.

[@yourlearningcareer]

@@tamasbrenyo1348 No, at least not for me. I love it. We were working remotely before COVID at my company so there wasn't much difference for us.

[@RubyK-zd7fj]

Hello there . I have a Quick Question . I dont like lot of dependency on SME'S especially when we are Working in Corporate it's Frusturating . Can you recommed low Pressure less dependency Role in L&D .That would be more Helpful .

[@yourlearningcareer]

Then I'd probably stay away from any instructional design/training design role and focus on pure trainer type roles. There are training roles where all of the design is done by someone else or another department and all you have to do is deliver the training. Those were the types of roles I had early on in my career. Another role to consider would be a training coordinator or project manager role where you are responsible for the training project and team but not for the actual creation/design of the training. e.g. class or course logistics, planning meetings, timelines

[@jackylex3959]

Hi Jeff! How do you quantify that the curriculum provided was effective? So many companies just want a checkmark that the employee was trained and then, move on.

[@yourlearningcareer]

Great question! Yes, ideally, we want to be able to quantify with some kind of measurable result. On my current team, we try to identify what that is going to be up front as part of the design process. For example "increase the sales of x by y%". Then, afterward, there is follow up with leaders and participants to see what the results were and/or how the training impacted the business.

[@andreaackner4618]

Can you recommend a program to get certified?

[@yourlearningcareer]

Hi Andrea - see this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2mchpeXaJeniqs