How to Thrive in Your Instructional Design Career

Let's acknowledge the elephant in the room: the instructional design field is beyond saturated. And it's easy to see why. It's a fantastic space where we help others do what we love most: learn. Plus, we are always learning in this job. Whether it's teaching healthcare providers to code for Medicare payments or showing developers how to implement Open Source software methodology, there’s always something new to discover. I never knew a career could be this diverse.

Our skills are transferable to many different career avenues, which is always a comforting thought. Contrary to popular belief, we don’t just "make things pretty" (yeah, I’m sure you’ve heard that too). We’re project managers, people managers, researchers, writers, educators, consultants, analysts, designers, facilitators, and all-round problem solvers. Yes, we make awesome training programs that look beautiful, but many have no idea the work that goes into that wonderful end product.

But I digress. Back to my original point: yes, our field is saturated. However, I strongly believe there will always be room for genuinely dedicated instructional designers. Designers who are invested in their work and in the outcomes of their training programs. Designers who are not just order-takers and box-tickers, but those who strive to see the larger picture, put themselves in the shoes of the learner, and take time to pause before diving in.

Anyone can be an instructional designer, but it takes a dedicated individual to thrive in this industry. And here are my tips to do just that.

Take Authority.

In this field, we have the privilege of working with remarkably intelligent subject matter experts (SMEs) and stakeholders. But don’t let that intimidate you. Remember that YOU are the expert in YOUR field. It’s your responsibility to know the who, what, when, where, and how of what is needed to reach project goals. Make sure your voice is heard!

Ask Questions.

A curious designer is a successful designer. It's up to you to ask the RIGHT questions. Often, the questions you think are obvious are ones the stakeholders and SMEs have never considered. Your questions can open up a can of worms—in the best way possible. It's your job to extract information from the SMEs that they didn't realize was necessary. Ensure your SMEs provide you with everything you need to know. Open that can!

Your Peers Are Your Most Valuable Tool in Your Toolkit.

LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, Coursera... the list of affordable online education platforms goes on. I've personally taken full advantage of them. However, the most valuable lessons I've learned in this field came from my peers. Those deeply immersed in the game, with their feet on the ground, understand the ins and outs in ways no book can teach.

Tap into the wealth of knowledge your peers offer. Everyone has unique backgrounds and experiences to share, including you!

Prioritize Inclusive Design.

This is a topic I feel very strongly about. We have a responsibility to ensure our learners feel seen, heard, and represented in our training programs. In other words, we want them to feel a sense of belonging. Not only is this the RIGHT thing to do, but it’s also the SMART thing to do. When we connect with learners on a personal level, we engage them more effectively, leading to higher retention rates.

We achieve this by incorporating diversity, using inclusive language, avoiding bias in our content development, and ensuring our courses are fully accessible. While these goals are easy to talk about, they require careful thought, planning, and research to implement.

This topic deserves far more attention than a short snippet in a single article. I'll soon be releasing several articles that dive much deeper into this subject. I hope you'll stay tuned and prioritize this as much as I do in your training programs.

Treasure Peer Review & Feedback.

Remember playing Spot the Difference as kids? There was always at least one difference I couldn't find, but a friend would spot it right away. Peer review is a bit like that. When you've been deeply involved in a project, it's easy to become numb to the content and miss things. So a fresh pair of eyes can make all the difference!

I’m a humble person but I will say my attention to detail is unmatched. And yet I still miss small errors that my colleagues catch during their review. That's why peer review is invaluable to me. None of my work goes to a stakeholder until at least one or two people have reviewed it thoroughly.

Feedback should be treasured, and never taken personally. If someone has taken time out of their day to review your work and provide feedback, be grateful! You don’t have to agree, or even implement everything they suggest. But that fresh set of eyes, and new perspective could be what you need to take your project from good to superb.  

Be Resourceful.

I’ll be releasing a full article soon on creating a portfolio on a budget. But for now, here’s the gist: take full advantage of the free tools at your disposal!

For example, Canva and Google Slides for content creation, Moodle and Google Classroom as free LMS platforms, and Audacity and GIMP as free alternatives to Adobe’s Audition and Photoshop. The list goes on. A small caveat though—be mindful of the licensing requirements of these free tools. For example, Canva licenses are for individuals only, so you can’t use your free license to create content for the company you’re hired by.

On a personal growth note, did you know that most library memberships come with free access to eBooks and LinkedIn Learning? Take full advantage! Which brings me to my next tip...

Never Stop Learning!

Our industry is always evolving with advancements in technology, changes in educational theory, and shifts in learner needs and expectations. We have a responsibility to keep up with these changes to create the best experiences for our learners.

Attend webinars, read books, or listen to podcasts in topics you’re interested in; experiment with new or changing technologies; and connect with fellow designers to swap ideas and stay inspired.

Embrace AI.

I know this might sound contradictory to my previous article on narration, but times are changing—and fast. AI is here, and it’s only going to get more mind-bendingly sophisticated. And so, I urge you to embrace it. Don’t bury your head in the sand like I was tempted to do.

While I won't claim to have even an introductory understanding of AI's potential in our field, I’m on my own journey to grasp and appreciate its current and future impact on our workflows and job security, and I encourage you to do the same!

Let’s embrace what AI can do for us as instructional designers. I’m of the strong belief that AI won’t take our jobs in the near future BUT someone who can successfully leverage AI will. So get ahead of the game!

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And that wraps up my tips on how to thrive as an instructional designer. Now, I'd love to hear from you. What other advice would you give? Share your thoughts in the comments!