The Show Notes
Could you imagine feeling confident that you could do any job for the rest of your career? Is that even a possibility? Believe it or not, today’s guest says instructional design has absolutely been a dream come true.
In this episode, Felicia Greenberg is sharing how she took her love of the learning process from the classroom to landing a remote position as an instructional designer. Felicia shares how she followed the itch for more opportunity and quit her teaching job with no job lined up!
Felicia started her teaching journey in a 5th-grade classroom in East Harlem, New York. It was a difficult first few years as she spent a lot of her day devoted to behavior management rather than teaching.
She was very encouraged when the school started moving to a departmentalized format of instruction where she could focus exclusively on reading and writing. It was such a great use of Felicia’s degree in journalism!
And yet something about the job was still not 100% fulfilling. Felicia was working so hard, and somehow she was still broke. This was a good job, but certainly not something she could do forever. And so at the end of the school year, she made the decision. She would not be back to teach in the fall.
Where the Rubber Meets the Road
It’s pretty easy to find other teachers who are burnt out or craving new opportunities beyond the classroom. Sometimes it just feels good to be able to vent to other people that really understand the complex challenges of teaching.
But there are far fewer teachers who are actually doing something to take that frustration to fuel their next move. Felicia was tired of venting and ready to see what was possible.
She decided summer would be dedicated to the job search. Exploring possibilities beyond the classroom requires some real attention. Felicia had a lot of work to do in updating her resume, creating a Linkedin profile, and discovering the keywords that were most helpful in a job search.
Teachers Are Real Live Superheroes
Felicia’s passion for her work in instructional design is so inspiring and encouraging! She is confident that teachers are some of the most talented individuals she knows. It can be easy to feel like you are “just” a teacher, but it’s important to take a step back and make a list of all the different roles, strengths, and abilities you use as a teacher.
The first job Felicia landed was as a trainer for an instructional design company. As she dove into the materials she was required to use, she quickly identified ways she could take that content to the next level. She had tricks for how to turn those bored, sleepy adults into active and engaged learners.
Felicia brought these suggestions to her company and in doing so, she created a job for herself. She was simply putting her teaching strengths to work!
Just Keep Your Favorite Parts of the Job
As an instructional designer, Felicia is consistently drawing upon her expertise in things like learning objectives, Bloom’s Taxonomy, and engagement strategies. She gets to have a serious impact on the learning experience of students without report cards-or recess duty in the snow.
Instructional design is a great fit for Felicia because she is a life-long learner. She loves the work that she does, but if she ever gets bored with the content-no problem! She can easily pivot and find new content to create.
Key Takeaways for Teachers Who Want to Work in Instructional Design
Are you ready to follow a path like Felicia’s? Here’s what she would love for you to know about making a teaching transition.
1. If you’re not happy, that feeling is not going to magically disappear. Find ways to follow your curiosity. Your instincts are good and so is your desire to grow.
2. Don’t be afraid of making the leap! Felicia wanted to leave teaching in year 5 but held on for four more years. That slowed down the trajectory of my career and pay – all because she was scared to make the change!
Did anything Felicia shared make you curious about pursuing instructional design? If you’re ready to explore the possibility of pursuing a career in instructional designer or EdTech, I want to hear from you! What questions do you have? And how can I support you?
If you’re ready to dive in, be sure to grab the course using the coupon on the checkout page before it disappears! And don’t wait, because the price of the course will be going up soon!
Ready to Become an Instructional Designer Too?
If you enjoyed this episode I invite you to take a screenshot and tag me on your Instagram stories @teachertransition and tell me your biggest takeaway!
Want to know if you would enjoy being an instructional designer? Click here to take the quiz to find out!
A Breakdown of This Episode:
- [5:05] Hear about what made Felicia's first year of teaching so intense.
- [13:17] Find out about how nerve-racking it was for Felicia to give her notice.
- [20:01] Find out how Felicia's broke into the corporate world as a trainer.
- [24:51] These are some of biggest perks of working in instructional design.
- [31:58] Why Felicia is confident she's found her "forever" career.
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Resources Mentioned in the Show
Ready to dive into YOUR career in instructional design? Click HERE to enroll in the course- From Teacher to Instructional Designer today!
