What to upskill as a learning designer

Vocational recommendator

Find an area to upskill in Learning and Development

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Walking we make our way

I never heard any of my collogues say they born Instructional Designers. Instead, I’m always surprised by how crazy their stories are. Learning professionals usually come from very diverse atmospheres, like Pedagogy, Psychology and Education, Change Management, Experience Design, Marketing, Animation and more.

Differences can define us and give us unique perspectives and skillsets. The way in which we approach a project and how we add value can differ significantly, but we also have plenty in common, like a vibrant, constant desire to learn and keep improving ourselves.

Being the biggest advocates for self-development, we know how important it’s to remain active, current, to be driven by curiosity and to maintain a lifelong learner attitude that allow us to take on new challenges. As Albert Einstein said, ‘once you stop learning, you start dying’.

What to upskill as a Learning Designer

But what should the focus be? As we know, time is limited and our learning potential is boundless. My thoughts are that life is too short to focus on the wrong thing.

The best topic to learn is the one that:

Awakes interest in you
It’s aligned with your capability and interests
Has real-life applications
Will help you develop your career in a direction that is strategic for you

Finding a strategic development area can be challenging. That’s why this micro vocational quiz could be a relaxed way to start questioning your beliefs and devising your future professional pathways.

In just ten questions you will have the chance to answer what you like, value and are excited about. And to receive a compatibility score for 5 hot areas in Learning and Development, alongside keywords and free resources to have an initial look at these topics.

Of course, these five selected areas are by no means a comprehensive learning landscape, but one of them could be an interesting starting point to get excited and start your research.

Take the quiz and after you get your recommendation, feel free to come back to this list to start your new learning journey. Bear in mind that resources may change from time to time, so several of them could stop being free or available. I’ll do my best to keep the list updated as I find relevant resources.

Five areas to upskill as a Learning Designer

DIGITAL ART

Beginners’ Guide to Digital Art
Film Education, A users guide
Digital Illustrations, Using your imagination to create
Beginners’ Guide to Become a Digital Artist, Youtube
Color Theory for Designers – A Crash Course, Toptal