What do you do if you want to move up the ladder in the e-learning industry?

Continually invest in developing your technical, instructional design and multimedia proficiencies through formal courses, online learning and hands-on projects. Pursue respected certificates like CPLP, CTT+, SCORM that demonstrate mastery. Learn coding, graphics tools, and the latest LMS platforms. Subscribe to skill-building newsletters.

Consider attending conferences, webinars, and industry events to connect with other professionals and learn from their experiences. Collaborating on projects can also provide valuable insights and help build your network.

One avenue for advancement is generalization, but another is specialization. If you excel with Learning Management Systems, you may want to concentrate on complementary skills (data or statistical analysis, User Interface design, web accessibility standards, etc.), or you may want to be a jack-of-all-trades and have some experience in a wide variety of tools. However, be cautious, as the positions that tend to look for multi-functional workers may be offloading the work of 2-3 separate jobs onto a single person.

Introduce yourself meaningfully at industry conferences. Follow up by connecting on LinkedIn and offering to introduce contacts. Look for volunteer roles that enable collaborating with leaders. Ask experienced connections for informational interviews to learn from their career paths. Offer to share relevant content through your network.

If you want to move up in the e-learning industry, the first and foremost step you must take is to up your skills. Learn new skills that are in trend with the current changes. Sometimes you might have to unlearn some things, take that bold step. Another good move is to follow up on the trends and get expert advice too.

equest semi-regular check-ins from managers to discuss performance and growth areas. Distribute surveys to learners and instructors for anonymous feedback on course quality. Reflect on feedback and outline an action plan for improvements. Highlight successes from prior feedback implementation when checking in.

One important consideration is that you can't simply spend all your time learning new tools. e-learning is an extremely fast-paced environment, and the shiny new tool today will be dropped by next week. The best way to filter through is to make a rubric for your considerations and what level of engagement to give a trending tool (reading about it/watching a video, creating an account for a free trial, and finally learning the tool). An important consideration is whether or not it is web-based, which tend to be both difficult to move for clients (can't provide a design file) and require you to maintain an active subscription to be able to access it. Conversely, a Storyline or Camtasia file can be downloaded, saved, sent, and edited.

If you attended an educational program, the school will almost certainly welcome you as a mentor. This is an excellent starting point into advising others, establishing your influence, and also keeping up with current events in e-learning-- as much as they learn from you, you can also learn just as much from your mentees. Are they teaching AI tools in certificate programs or Master's level tracks? Are Master's degrees in Instructional Design getting phased out in favor of certifications? What new certifications are being offered, and what are in high demand?

- Consider additional responsibilities Volunteer to represent your team on special committees. Take ownership of additional job roles outside core responsibilities for short-term projects. Highlight your flexibility and commitment to the organization's success. - Earn credentials Obtain new certifications tied to leadership, business analysis or programming to showcase well-rounded expertise. Attend webinars from HRDA, ATD to stay on top of supplementary designations. - Publish articles/present Write thought-leadership articles for industry pubs on best practices and lessons learned. Deliver presentations at user group events detailing innovative work. Promote insights through your networks and company blog.