New to Instructional Design - Advice Appreciated!

Hey Antonia — welcome! Maureen covered the theory side well, so I'll take the builder side.

1. Build something tiny, now. Pick one tool — Storyline if you want interactivity, Rise if you want speed — and make a real 5-minute module on anything you know well. Theory sticks when it's attached to something you actually shipped.

2. Do the weekly E-Learning Challenges. They're small, constrained, and the feedback culture here is genuinely kind. You'll build a portfolio without even trying.

3. Learn to take feedback early. Post drafts in this community before they're polished. Your first three builds will be clunky — that's the tuition.

4. Read Tom Kuhlmann's Rapid E-Learning blog. Years of practical building tips, zero fluff.

Theory tells you what good looks like; reps are what make you good. Start the reps this week.

Hi Maureen,

I hope that your are well!

Thank you for the advice! I will most definitely put this into practice! Would you also be willing to share with me how you yourself got involved in this industry? If so, I would love to know if you pursued a degree or not. I have read and heard many different opinions on what employers are wanting from instructional designers that they prefer to hire. Some require a degree, while others accept equivalent experience, or even simply hire based on the quality of the portfolio.  

Start with ADDIE to learn the high-level project roadmap—especially the Analysis phase so you solve the right business problem. Then pair it with Gagné’s 9 Events when you're actually sitting down in Storyline to map out the step-by-step flow of your lesson!