6 Tips To Find Your eLearning Niche

6 Tips To Find Your eLearning Niche
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Summary: Are you ready to leave the general market behind and commit yourself to an eLearning specialty? In this article, I’ll share 6 helpful tips for finding your eLearning niche and pursue your passion.

How To Find Your eLearning Niche: 6 Tips For eLearning Professionals

There are number of reasons why eLearning professionals seek out an eLearning specialty. It allows them focus on their strengths and interests, as well as build valuable work experience in a targeted eLearning niche. But how do you make the transition from generalist to eLearning specialist and fulfill your eLearning professional goals? Here are a few questions that can help you identify your eLearning niche and forge a successful eLearning career in the eLearning industry.

1. What Are You Passionate About?

It all boils down to passion and purpose. What do you love to do? What drives you? What gets you up in the morning and fuels your motivation? Many eLearning professionals choose an eLearning specialty based on the pay and the status it provides. But those two factors, alone, won't lead to happiness or self-fulfillment. This is why it's essential to dig deep and find your true passion. Think about the top 5 things that spark your creativity or pique your curiosity. Then figure out how these topics relate to an eLearning niche. For example, if your passion lies with numbers and evaluating Big Data in eLearning, Learning Analytics may be the ideal eLearning niche.

2. Are You Ready To Tackle New eLearning Challenges?

In order to pick the perfect eLearning niche, you have to choose between two paths: familiar territory and new terrain. Familiar territory involves an eLearning specialty that you already know. You've worked in that field before or already have the skills that the job requires. New terrain calls for some boundary breaking. You must be ready and willing to try new tasks, meet new people, and deal with a steep learning curve. The question is: do you want to tackle new eLearning challenges or play it safe? Before you answer, there are a variety of factors to consider. For example, a new challenge means more dedication and more time. But the benefit is that you get to explore a complete new eLearning niche and expand your knowledge.

3. Which Words Sum Up Your Strengths?

This is actually a two-step process. First, you must identify all of your strengths and abilities. What are good at? And do you enjoy doing it? Once you've created a list of your talents, you're ready to do a keyword search. Use a keyword tool to learn more about the popularity of certain eLearning niches and their monthly search volume. This helps you determine whether there is a gap in the market AND if people are really in need of that eLearning service. For example, an eLearning specialty with extremely low monthly searches may not be a wise choice. Unless, of course, it's a relatively new concept that's still catching on. Which brings us to our next question…

4. Is Your eLearning Niche New Or Tried And True?

Once again, you have two routes to choose from. You can opt for a brand new eLearning niche or one that's been around for years. A new eLearning niche is exciting, because your trailblazing a path that others may follow. It also means less competition and more opportunities to establish yourself as an eLearning expert. However, there is something to be said for the tried and true option. A proven eLearning niche means more competition, but you can rest assured that there's a need for the eLearning service. Newer eLearning specialties require you to build your own eLearning audience and earning their trust. They might not even know that they need your eLearning services. So, you'll have to sell them on the benefits and identify their "pain points."

5. What Are Your Personal Values?

Just like our online learners, we all have cognitions that factor into the decision making process. Most notably, our values and personal beliefs. You don't want to end up in an eLearning niche that makes you compromise your integrity. Values also help you identify where your interests lie and the lengths you're willing to go to. For instance, if you consider yourself an introvert and don't like interacting with strangers, eLearning marketing may not be the right choice. Oddly enough, finding your eLearning niche can be a cathartic process that involves a lot of self-reflection. You have to discover what makes you tick and how you want to make your mark in the eLearning industry.

6. Can You Make A Living In Your eLearning Niche?

Now it's time to broach the million dollar question. You have thought long and hard about the best eLearning niche for you, but is it a profitable one? Are you going to be able to make a suitable living, or will you have to supplement your income? As they say: "happiness doesn’t pay the bills." Regardless of which eLearning niche you choose, you're going to have to work hard to build your eLearning business and establish yourself. That's a given. However, some eLearning specialties are going to be easier than others.

This is particularly true for eLearning niches that cater to your specific talents and skills. For instance, you want to become a mobile learning specialist. So, you're already one step ahead of the game if you know how to use responsive eLearning authoring tools. You can reach out to other eLearning professionals in the field to get an idea of what to expect. Join social media groups and eLearning forums to ask questions and gain insight. There are also a number of sites that allow you to view salary ranges for certain eLearning specialties.

The key to finding your eLearning niche is to throw caution to the wind and test your boundaries. Try out some new eLearning specialties to determine which is right for you and your professional goals. You might be surprised by what you discover.

Are you looking for additional tips to improve your skills as an eLearning professional? Read the article 5 Things Successful eLearning Freelancers Do EVERY Day to find out the top things that successful eLearning freelancers do on a daily basis.