If you do want to forego a formal education, here are a few tips to help you get started:
- Read books and apply what you learn to your projects. If you can’t apply them to real projects, create little mini modules where you practice different techniques. Add them to your portfolio with an explanation of what you did and why.
- Connect with others so you’re always exposed to new ideas and challenged in your thinking. One of the great things about social media is the access you have to all sorts of expertise. Be prepared to connect in a genuine way. People will tune you out if all you do is take.
- Develop a portfolio that demonstrates your understanding of instructional design. I also recommend combining your portfolio with a blog. The portfolio could be the formal environment to display your work. Whereas the blog is like the sandbox where you can flesh out ideas.
You DO Need an Instructional Design Degree
The reality is that many employers require an advance instructional design degree. If all things are equal, the person with the degree will probably always be considered first.
Whether you like it or not, you’re competing in the marketplace with other qualified instructional designers. So you want to make sure that your skills and qualifications are equitable. That means if you don’t have a degree you might never be considered for different jobs.
via www.articulate.com
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