The COVID-19 pandemic brought about lasting changes to our world—especially when it comes to how we work. For instance, full-time remote work used to be a rare perk of start-ups and small companies. But now it’s the norm for companies of every size.
Beyond the shift to remote work, the pandemic pushed people into new roles. Folks whose jobs used to involve in-person classroom training have suddenly found themselves scrambling to learn how to create e-learning.
If you’re one of the many who’ve faced this abrupt transition from classroom training to e-learning, you may have spent the past few months being too overwhelmed to consider the future of your career. But when the dust settles on the pandemic and we all head into the new normal, I think the world of e-learning is actually a great place to be! The following are three big reasons why I think you should embrace your role as an e-learning developer and make it your forever career.
1. E-Learning and Remote Work Are a Perfect Pairing
If the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that a lot of jobs that used to involve commuting to an office and spending the day in face-to-face meetings can actually be done just as effectively—if not more—virtually. For the most part, e-learning development is one of those jobs.
If you’re in love with the flexibility of remote work life, a career as an e-learning developer could help you make this a permanent arrangement. In my experience, fully remote jobs have always been more plentiful for e-learning developers—even before the pandemic made it the norm. That means there will always be plenty of places offering remote e-learning development opportunities—long after it’s safe for everyone to be in an office.
2. E-Learning Is Recession-Proof
Each day more companies are announcing permanent fully remote work arrangements or taking a “virtual first” approach. Twitter, Facebook, Shopify, and Dropbox are just a few of the big names who’ve announced their plans to embrace remote work as the default, even after COVID-19.
This means instructor-led classroom training is less likely to be the go-to strategy for training workers—and e-learning is primed to take its place. And that’s not too surprising if you stop and think about it. After all, e-learning gives companies a consistent, cost-effective, and easily distributed training solution that works for employees across the globe. That means, whether we’re in an economic boom or bust, companies will always need to train their workers with e-learning—and talented e-learning professionals will always be in demand.
3. E-Learning Pros Get to Learn on the Job
Every job involves some continuous learning, but the great thing about the e-learning industry is that on-the-job training goes with the turf. From emerging tech to evolving insights into adult learning, to be an e-learning professional is to be someone who’s constantly expanding their knowledge on the job—challenging themselves to stay curious, learn the latest lingo, and master the most modern tech.
Even better, many successful e-learning professionals are not formally trained or educated. While having a formal education does help open the doors to career advancement, it’s not necessarily a requirement for long-term career success. How many jobs can you say that about?
More Resources
Regardless of your training or educational background, you’re always more likely to reach your professional development goals by being thoughtful, disciplined, and proactive. That includes doing things like:
- Participating in industry events to stay abreast of the latest technology, trends, and research
- Connecting with other e-learning professionals to build your network and boost your skills
- Sharing your work in communities like E-Learning Heroes, in blogs, or in online portfolios
- Building an inspiring personal brand
For even more helpful career tips, e-learning industry insights, and professional development advice, don’t miss the following articles:
- 10 Tips for Becoming a Better Designer
- 5 Ways to Kickstart Your E-Learning Career
- 5 Habits of Effective Instructional Designers
Have some e-learning career pointers to share? There are plenty of folks who’d love to hear from you! Strike up a conversation in the Building Better Courses forum, or add your two cents with a comment, below.
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Published 5 years ago
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