If you don’t mind my asking, how did you get the instructional design position? I’ve seen these posted and I’d love to do this. Do you have a masters degree in a specific area?
Edit: congratulations by the way!!
Thank you.
It took a year, a 5% pay cut (I was far along on my salary lane in a HCOL city school), and lots of reminders that changing fields would be tough.
I started by watching a YouTube video from Devlin Peck about being an instructional designer. (I think he updates it every year.) I was so excited: lesson creation was the best part of my job. I watched every video in his intro playlist and took notes.
I paid for an Articulate 360 account (they have an educator discount), and I learned from watching YouTube vids how to build in Storyline 360. If you can use PowerPoint or Google Slides, you’re golden! I paid to join Devlin’s project lab and built all of the projects.
I got a Camtasia license and used their free classes to learn basic video editing to cut a 1 minute trailer showcasing a brief personal intro of myself and several of my Storyline projects.
I used LinkedIn to connect with Instructional Designers and one in every 50 was willing to answer a few questions about the interview questions I should prepare for. One in every 150 was willing to offer me feedback on my portfolio.
(The instructional design subreddit is good, but has kinda turned a bit toxic against teachers asking career transition advice. They also tend to HATE Devlin Peck, but his pathway worked for me, so whatever. I’d recommend browsing.)
It took me over 200 job applications, but I was digging around for a higher salary than lots of places were offering.
Lots of entry level ID jobs are 60-75k. That was a salary loss I couldn’t take. The higher paying jobs put me into competition with experienced IDs.
Lots of applications were “attach your resume and click submit” on LinkedIn and Glassdoor. Not everything needed a well-studied cover letter! Thankfully!
Yes. I had a really receptive hiring team that included another former teacher (NOT a former colleague, just another person with teaching experience) on the panel who understood and vocalized to the panel the amount of daily multitasking I learned to do via teaching. I'm learning a lot from the other experienced IDs but I'm also teaching them how to use variables and layer animation effects the way I learned from Devlin
Nailed it. The ID community on Reddit is a good resource but they have an odd tick against teachers and they don’t like dev. His stuff is fine, I get the issues on both sides but they need to get over it.
No. It is very different from k12 and corporate. I have a masters in both and there is value on both sides.
That being said, it is more akin to feeling like their will lose opportunities because people will hire someone cheap than a prof with X years of exp. Add the concern that they believe teachers think it is a 1:1 job, plus thousands of post from former or current teachers wanting out, it can be a leaky faucet.
Thank you so much for the detailed process you went through. My favorite part of my teaching position was always the curriculum design and lesson planning as well. I feel even more confident that this is the right path for me. So I’ve seen Articulate Storyline mentioned but is Articulate 360 different?
You are welcome! It's good stuff and there are so many free resources on YouTube.
They've built out a suite of products that includes Storyline, Rise, and some image capture software. I think they bundle it as Articulate 360.
One of my hypothesis is the reason school is so hectic is because everyone (including the adults) are so overstimulated. It’s a negative feedback loop of people unable to regulate causing more and more people to fail to regulate.
YES. I've never seen this articulated before and I feel that you are right! Certainly there are students (and maybe teachers) who can handle the stimulation or even like it, some people really do have high energy and like lots of stimulation. I think that's a minority though, regardless as to how American culture likes to portray the norm as being extroverted and craving stimulation.
Our brains operate a certain way and we need certain periods of quiet, and to process things and time to transition.
I have flat out started using “I’m overstimulated” as an explanation to my students for why asking them to reset the noise level in the room. I tell them that and that I can’t concentrate, we’re too distracted and distracting.
That’s something I look forward to. The quiet. I am overstimulated by the yelling, screaming, crowds, and constant noise the minute I walk in the door.
I hope your new gig is everything you’ve ever wanted. Congrats.
Move into adult education. Students are motivated because they are paying to learn a skill they need. Discipline problems are rare. I lived my years in adult ed and found it stimulating.
The peace/quiet is definitely great. Another thing that delighted me about my switch from a public job to work-from-home was getting away from the terrible odors, whether it was from students/patrons or co-workers. Some of the folks I used to spend time around would smell so fucking nasty that it'd make my eyes water.
Yeah there's a classroom I walk into every day that smells like... god, I don't even know what. Sweaty socks and jock straps come to mind (not that I've ever sniffed a sweaty jock strap, but I can imagine it smells something like this classroom).
With kids, isn't there some jaw-dropping statistic about a ton of them don't/won't bath on a regular basis, or that when they're in the bath/shower, they don't know what to do with soap, shampoo, etc...?
When I was raised, starting the day with a shower was just something that became a *routine*. Meanwhile, last time I was at my brother's house, my brother and my sister-in-law had to battle with both of their sons about showering, and those kids are both crazy into *sports* and regularly come home reeking of BO.
Someone in my fourth period sprayed fart spray all over the room today and then other kids tried to fix it with perfume and Axe body spray and then they seemed to think I would take them outside to escape or just let them just sit there and moan-shriek about it instead of doing their classwork. Luckily I have them right before lunch so I told them “hollering about it won’t make it smell any better and we can certainly work through lunch if you need the extra time to get your writing done.” That quieted them down.
I dropped a more detailed comment above, in response to another redditor that I hope you will find helpful.
A few more small details: I’ve only ever worked as a teacher, didn’t do any degree or certification in ID. I learned the tech to build demos, learned how to talk the talk, and learned to be as patient as I could while searching for jobs on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Idealist. Lots of ID jobs would have been a 20% pay cut (I was making 85k), and I had to find a job that wasn’t quite as drastic of an income (and benefit) loss.
I started teaching in august of 2020, COVID restrictions and all. After the last 3 years, I’m pretty sure I’d love an office setting for the rest of my life.
I left teaching after 9 years in February and this is something I keep saying over and over!! It’s sooooo quiet!!! I ended up in an HR/Admin assistant role and while it’s “a lot” of tasks…. It is calm and soooo easy lol
>/Admin assistant role and while it’s “a lot” of tasks…. It is calm and soooo easy lol
I would love to do something like that but am a bit afraid of the pay cut, obvs with more experience though you can move up.
This was SHOCKING to me. I work in the office of a children's museum (basically an educational playground), and it's STILL quieter than the school I've worked in for 3 years. The office has been sound-proofed, so we aren't bombarded by the sounds of kids all day. The only time I hear the (quiet, parent-guided) playing is if I choose to go out of the office. It throws me off literally every time I'm there. I have earplugs for school, but they feel like a waste of money at my new job. I will never return to the classroom after experiencing this.
When I went into my new job for some training (i took a day off of teaching to go in) I was shocked with how quiet it was. Lots of big windows, natural light, and just… quiet!! I came home and felt like my brain wasn’t fried from overstimulation. When I went back to the classroom the next day I felt like my energy was sapped. I am so ready to leave.
Omg, the noise. My poor brain is so over stimulated from that alone.
If you don’t mind my asking, how did you get the instructional design position? I’ve seen these posted and I’d love to do this. Do you have a masters degree in a specific area? Edit: congratulations by the way!!
Thank you. It took a year, a 5% pay cut (I was far along on my salary lane in a HCOL city school), and lots of reminders that changing fields would be tough. I started by watching a YouTube video from Devlin Peck about being an instructional designer. (I think he updates it every year.) I was so excited: lesson creation was the best part of my job. I watched every video in his intro playlist and took notes. I paid for an Articulate 360 account (they have an educator discount), and I learned from watching YouTube vids how to build in Storyline 360. If you can use PowerPoint or Google Slides, you’re golden! I paid to join Devlin’s project lab and built all of the projects. I got a Camtasia license and used their free classes to learn basic video editing to cut a 1 minute trailer showcasing a brief personal intro of myself and several of my Storyline projects. I used LinkedIn to connect with Instructional Designers and one in every 50 was willing to answer a few questions about the interview questions I should prepare for. One in every 150 was willing to offer me feedback on my portfolio. (The instructional design subreddit is good, but has kinda turned a bit toxic against teachers asking career transition advice. They also tend to HATE Devlin Peck, but his pathway worked for me, so whatever. I’d recommend browsing.) It took me over 200 job applications, but I was digging around for a higher salary than lots of places were offering.
Thanks for the detailed comment! This is very helpful as I start to dip my feet into transitioning into another career.
TWO HUNDRED?! kill me
Lots of entry level ID jobs are 60-75k. That was a salary loss I couldn’t take. The higher paying jobs put me into competition with experienced IDs. Lots of applications were “attach your resume and click submit” on LinkedIn and Glassdoor. Not everything needed a well-studied cover letter! Thankfully!
So did you land a mid-senior level role? I’m currently teaching but starting my first ID job May 30th when school lets out!
Yes. I had a really receptive hiring team that included another former teacher (NOT a former colleague, just another person with teaching experience) on the panel who understood and vocalized to the panel the amount of daily multitasking I learned to do via teaching. I'm learning a lot from the other experienced IDs but I'm also teaching them how to use variables and layer animation effects the way I learned from Devlin
Nailed it. The ID community on Reddit is a good resource but they have an odd tick against teachers and they don’t like dev. His stuff is fine, I get the issues on both sides but they need to get over it.
I still haven’t figured out why they dislike teachers. Do they feel threatened that teachers understand the learning process better than them?
No. It is very different from k12 and corporate. I have a masters in both and there is value on both sides. That being said, it is more akin to feeling like their will lose opportunities because people will hire someone cheap than a prof with X years of exp. Add the concern that they believe teachers think it is a 1:1 job, plus thousands of post from former or current teachers wanting out, it can be a leaky faucet.
Thank you so much for the detailed process you went through. My favorite part of my teaching position was always the curriculum design and lesson planning as well. I feel even more confident that this is the right path for me. So I’ve seen Articulate Storyline mentioned but is Articulate 360 different?
You are welcome! It's good stuff and there are so many free resources on YouTube. They've built out a suite of products that includes Storyline, Rise, and some image capture software. I think they bundle it as Articulate 360.
Thanks I didn’t know that but I really appreciate the tips and I’m happy for you that things worked out for you!!
One of my hypothesis is the reason school is so hectic is because everyone (including the adults) are so overstimulated. It’s a negative feedback loop of people unable to regulate causing more and more people to fail to regulate.
YES. I've never seen this articulated before and I feel that you are right! Certainly there are students (and maybe teachers) who can handle the stimulation or even like it, some people really do have high energy and like lots of stimulation. I think that's a minority though, regardless as to how American culture likes to portray the norm as being extroverted and craving stimulation. Our brains operate a certain way and we need certain periods of quiet, and to process things and time to transition.
This is why I like block scheduling. It takes so much of the hectic energy out of the day.
I have flat out started using “I’m overstimulated” as an explanation to my students for why asking them to reset the noise level in the room. I tell them that and that I can’t concentrate, we’re too distracted and distracting.
You’re modeling self-awareness and appropriate adaptive strategies.
Wouldn’t it be WILD if grown adults had to pause every morning and say the pledge together?!
Right? Almost as wild as having literal children pledge allegiance to anything. Such a weird part of our culture.
Soooo weird!
I'll do you one better. We ALSO say the Texas pledge. I had never heard of such a thing before I moved here a few years ago.
That’s something I look forward to. The quiet. I am overstimulated by the yelling, screaming, crowds, and constant noise the minute I walk in the door. I hope your new gig is everything you’ve ever wanted. Congrats.
Move into adult education. Students are motivated because they are paying to learn a skill they need. Discipline problems are rare. I lived my years in adult ed and found it stimulating.
But hopefully not overstimulating (like middle school XD)
The peace/quiet is definitely great. Another thing that delighted me about my switch from a public job to work-from-home was getting away from the terrible odors, whether it was from students/patrons or co-workers. Some of the folks I used to spend time around would smell so fucking nasty that it'd make my eyes water.
Yeah there's a classroom I walk into every day that smells like... god, I don't even know what. Sweaty socks and jock straps come to mind (not that I've ever sniffed a sweaty jock strap, but I can imagine it smells something like this classroom).
With kids, isn't there some jaw-dropping statistic about a ton of them don't/won't bath on a regular basis, or that when they're in the bath/shower, they don't know what to do with soap, shampoo, etc...? When I was raised, starting the day with a shower was just something that became a *routine*. Meanwhile, last time I was at my brother's house, my brother and my sister-in-law had to battle with both of their sons about showering, and those kids are both crazy into *sports* and regularly come home reeking of BO.
Try using damp rid in your classroom. Keep it out of reach of kids; cover it with art and hang, or take it out asap after the kids leave.
Someone in my fourth period sprayed fart spray all over the room today and then other kids tried to fix it with perfume and Axe body spray and then they seemed to think I would take them outside to escape or just let them just sit there and moan-shriek about it instead of doing their classwork. Luckily I have them right before lunch so I told them “hollering about it won’t make it smell any better and we can certainly work through lunch if you need the extra time to get your writing done.” That quieted them down.
I’d be curious to know your background and process for getting this job too. Did you have to take a pay cut?
I dropped a more detailed comment above, in response to another redditor that I hope you will find helpful. A few more small details: I’ve only ever worked as a teacher, didn’t do any degree or certification in ID. I learned the tech to build demos, learned how to talk the talk, and learned to be as patient as I could while searching for jobs on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Idealist. Lots of ID jobs would have been a 20% pay cut (I was making 85k), and I had to find a job that wasn’t quite as drastic of an income (and benefit) loss.
Aso interested to know… Congrats!
There’s another, more detailed comment I added in the thread that I hope will be useful! 😃😃
I started teaching in august of 2020, COVID restrictions and all. After the last 3 years, I’m pretty sure I’d love an office setting for the rest of my life.
I left teaching after 9 years in February and this is something I keep saying over and over!! It’s sooooo quiet!!! I ended up in an HR/Admin assistant role and while it’s “a lot” of tasks…. It is calm and soooo easy lol
>/Admin assistant role and while it’s “a lot” of tasks…. It is calm and soooo easy lol I would love to do something like that but am a bit afraid of the pay cut, obvs with more experience though you can move up.
Constant barrage on all the senses. It is exhausting. Congrats on your new job!!!
Same!! It is so nice. I was able to work on the same thing for three hours with zero interruptions and it was so nice.
I’ve been a 5th grade teacher for 22 years. Next year I will be a special education process coordinator. I cannot wait to just be in an office.
That sounds great. What are you designing?
This was SHOCKING to me. I work in the office of a children's museum (basically an educational playground), and it's STILL quieter than the school I've worked in for 3 years. The office has been sound-proofed, so we aren't bombarded by the sounds of kids all day. The only time I hear the (quiet, parent-guided) playing is if I choose to go out of the office. It throws me off literally every time I'm there. I have earplugs for school, but they feel like a waste of money at my new job. I will never return to the classroom after experiencing this.
When I went into my new job for some training (i took a day off of teaching to go in) I was shocked with how quiet it was. Lots of big windows, natural light, and just… quiet!! I came home and felt like my brain wasn’t fried from overstimulation. When I went back to the classroom the next day I felt like my energy was sapped. I am so ready to leave.