9 Instructional Design Career Opportunities, Roles, and Positions

The field of eLearning and instructional design has exploded over the past few decades. Since 2004, demand has been on the rise -- up by more than 20 percent nationwide.

Even before the catastrophic event of COVID-19, there was still a rapidly growing demand.

While unemployment has been on the rise, postings of new advertisements for instructional designers, learning designers, and instructional technologists have been skyrocketing.

In addition, for those universities that choose not to build but to buy this capability, there is the option to turn to companies that offer course development and instructional design support.

There is a multitude of facets that make up an "instructional designer" which the everyday person may not be aware of.

The titles cover overlapping features of the same process of eLearning course design that schools and companies know will be essential to their future success.

It is kind of like saying all “doctors” are the same. Doctor is the category, but there are many sub-niches within.

I will discuss 9 positions in the field of eLearning and instructional design.

1. Instructional Designer - Designs online courses with the help of authoring tools. Some instructional designers specialize in designing for one particular format, such as eLearning.
   
   
2. eLearning Consultant - Helps clients to choose educational software to meet the project needs and specifics.
   
   
3. Content Developer - In charge of writing content, creating videos and building presentations to be used in eLearning courses.
   
   
4. Curriculum Designer - Analyzes the standards, goals and purpose of a curriculum and devises high-level learning strategies to meet these goals.
   
   
5. Course Developer - Structures eLearning courses to maximize their efficiency for a company or an institution.
   
   
6. Media Specialist - Performs tasks such as audio and video production and editing, as well as graphic production.
   
   
7. Learning Management System Administrator or Manager - Ensures the system is running smoothly, trains others in its use, creates standards for the many detailed issues that arise, and troubleshoots technical problems.
   
   
8. Learning and Development Specialist - Plans to conduct and administer eLearning programs.
   
   
9. Subject Matter Expert or Content Specialist - An industry professional who defines the learning objects and gives feedback on how the courses are being developed.
   
   Instructional designers are usually content-neutral and focus on a variety of different subjects depending on the project they're working on, but some concentrate on one field. If you have a specific subject that interests you this path might be the best for you!

The most important thing is that you gain the knowledge or experience necessary for being hired for the desired position. That is what the eLearning and Instructional Design for Beginners Community. It will fill in all of the gaps for you. Start your career in Instructional Design (ID) and eLearning. Build from scratch and finish with mastery.

Whatever you need help with, the community is there to help you master your skills. Interested in joining the community? Click here to get started.