The yin, the yang, and the third essential leg. Or, how to be an eLearning instructional design superstar.
What a great field. I stand in awe of IDs; they’ve always been the smart ones. Technology is a wave—it’s unending and fast-moving, and along the path, and not that long ago, eLearning emerged. Highly fueled, this is a field of change. So, how to be awesome, an eLearning pro, of great value?
- Put on your technology hat and understand the digital shebang (the yin): Learn about social media, games, authoring tools, big data, and new stuff as it emerges. (Caveat: This is all about balance, so reach no conclusions until you’ve read through to the end.)
- Take off your technology hat and learn ID theory (the yang): It’s an academic field with a long history and lots of applied brain cells, and there is great stuff to learn. Don’t skip this step and don’t be seduced by authoring technologies and focus on development alone.
- The big “duh” (the essential leg): Become business savvy. Business objectives drive the need for change and performance improvement, and you’ll get the big bucks if you can analyze real-world problems and craft solutions.
There you have it, simple enough—the three components to greatness. Now you only have to do two things: 1) Figure out where you are now, and how you are going to get the stuff above, and 2) Think about who you are, and what things ring the bell for you. You are you, and you can be an awesome pro, a superstar, but you have to follow your passions and explore your own unique path. Have a great time.