The best way to become an instructional designer is to continually learn about what’s happening in the industry. I joined ATD, ISPI, the eLearning Guild, went to chapter meetings and 1-2 annual conferences a year. I read books and/or blogs from Cathy Moore (action mapping), Tom Kuhlmann, Clive Shepherd, Sharon Shrock, Ruth Colvin Clark (science of eLearning), and Karl Kapp. I found tons of free resources, such as those found on Articulate’s eLearning Heroes community. My employer didn’t have a big budget; I had to figure out a lot of stuff on my own. Ask your peers and go to Lynda.com. I became a super user of Storyline and PowerPoint. I know more than the basics about graphic design; I firmly believe no one wants to sit through training (either live, virtual, or eLearning) that is unattractive and poorly laid out. I looked at examples of other people’s work and became hypercritical of what looks good and delivers a great learning experience. I keep on top of what a good website looks for inspiration. You have to continually learn and push yourself to improve.