When thinking about instructional design and education technology, you may think it is a brand-new field full of young, recent graduates just starting out in their careers. It may surprise you to note that the field of instructional design actually dates back to World War II when large numbers of soldiers needed to be trained quickly before being deployed. Instructional design has come a long way since then, adapting and advancing alongside trends in technology and pedagogy.
Not only is the field itself well established, but IDs themselves are often seasoned professionals. In today’s EdTech world, the average age for instructional designers is actually around 43 years old. In fact, many instructional designers have joined the field as a second career, moving from careers in education, art, or even administration.
Instructional designers can work in many different industries, including education, healthcare, business, government, and the military. They can also work as independent freelancers.
Where Can IDs Work?
Here are some places where instructional designers work:
- Educational institutions: Instructional designers can work in educational institutions from daycare to doctoral programs. They leverage online course design to help instructors create quality, engaging curricula for students.
- Healthcare: Instructional designers can work in healthcare organizations to analyze and implement training needs. They use instructional design methodologies to ensure the training aligns with the organizational goals and objectives.
- Businesses: Instructional designers can work for companies that provide training programs, such as in healthcare, finance, and manufacturing. They can create learning resources for employees and those the company serves.
- Government agencies: Instructional designers can work for government agencies, creating training materials and programs for a wide variety of government sectors.
- eLearning / EdTech companies: Instructional designers can work in the eLearning and Educational Technology industry, which provides educational courses and training programs virtually for students of all ages.
- EdTech Software Developers: Instructional designers can work for companies that design and develop educational software that is used in the classroom to improve learning experiences for students.
- AI Companies: Instructional designers are at the cutting edge of AI, with an understanding of its limitations and possibilities. Instructional designers can work at AI corporations to help design, train, and leverage AI in the classroom and beyond.
- As independent freelancers: Instructional designers can be their own company and help others with instructional design work.
Because of the wide range of jobs available to instructional designers, IDs also have the opportunity to easily change industries without changing professions. Your years of experience within the field can seamlessly transfer to a new sector. For example, an ID may start out working in a university to help create online courses but then later move on to a large corporate law firm to help with employee training. This allows for career flexibility and a wide variety of employment options.
Conclusion
You can take the next steps in your career with LAPU’s Masters of Science in Instructional Design and Technology (MSIDT). A huge advantage of LAPU’s Master’s degree in Instructional Design program is that it is not just an education degree with an emphasis on Instructional Design, but rather, it is a program dedicated to the specific skills of instructional design and technology. We are also specially designed for working adults, so we understand your unique learning needs. Ready to apply? We can’t wait to share in your journey.