Ten Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Started Out in eLearning

This is graduation season, that time of year when commencement speakersshare wisdom and advice to all those who are about leave the relative safety ofschool to go forth on new life adventures. The speeches are typically based onthe premise that a commencement speaker, usually someone of prominence andachievement, will share insights earned through experience to inspire the waveof new graduates to persist toward his or her Next Big Thing:

• In order to strive for a remarkable life you needto decide that you want one.” (Debbie Millman, design industry leader.)

• “Make courageous choices, take bigger risks.” (DickCostolo, CEO of Twitter.)

• “Don’t believe them when they tellyou how bad you are and how terrible your ideas are.” (Michael Uslan, aproducer of the Batman movies.)

(All quotes are from WayMore Than Luck: Commencement Speeches on Living with Bravery, Empathy, andOther Existential Skills, Chronicle Books, 2015.)

From superlative to cheesy, sometimes moving, every so often a gift,these speeches and their sound bites of wisdom can be great catalysts for thinkingdifferently about chasing opportunities and facing challenges. Evennon-graduates benefit.

For those of us who DON’T have graduation parties in our immediatefuture, it raises the question of where we might turn to get inspired to takeon the “next big thing.” Where do you go for advice? What are some of the thingsthat you wish someone had told you before you started off on a new career or lifeadventure?

For eLearning professionals, the question comes up more often than just during“graduation season.” eLearning professionals share a common passion for using emergingtechnologies and new media to push the boundaries of creative expression, toproduce learning experiences that have never been experienced before.

In the midst of the passionate pursuit of our practice, one faces doubts.Fears. Questions. Where do we turn for advice? I saythis with love, and great affection for our community: eLearning people arerare and special. We care deeply aboutlearning—our learning, other people’s learning, workplace eLearning, immersivelearning, mobile learning, to name just a few of its many flavors. We BELIEVE in technologies. We believe thattechnologies allow us to engage and inspire learners in transformative ways.We believe it is up to us—asindividuals, as members of our communities of interest and practice—to changethe world, to make a difference. Wesee the world differently.

It’sexhausting.

Where do weturn for advice and inspiration? Where do we turn when we need someone to helpus figure out a new path? We could always try to Google the answer; we can seekinformation and share our feelings on social media, tweets, blog, vines, andvideo. Community events are a great place to gather with like-mindedprofessionals to learn more about new directions and professionalpossibilities. We certainly pay attention to our colleagues. If we are luckyand have planned ahead, we may have a mentoravailable to ask pointed questions. And of course we lean heavily on ourfriends, especially those who also work as eLearning professionals.

And so I asked some of my eLearning friends this very pointed question: “What is the one thing that you wish someone had told you before youstarted off on a new life adventure?” Here are a few of the answers I received in return:

• Tracy Hamilton Parish: The more you put in, the moreyou get back.
• Steven Howard: How rewarding it would be.
• Jane Bozarth: Make your own fun. Create the job youwant and, yes, you can do that and still work for the man.
• Trina Rimmer: You’re in charge of your professionaldevelopment. Not your manager, or your department or your company. Just you.
• David Holcombe: For every person who says that’s agood idea, you can do it, there will be 10 saying it can’t be done. Believe inyourself and just do it.
• Becky Smith: Find a mentor.
• Joe Ganci: Always be ready to help others. Smile—itcosts you nothing. Love yourself—but not too much. Never be afraid to makemistakes; it’s how we learn. Listen more than you speak. Everyone has somethingto teach you, whether it’s something to do or not to do. The more you keepquiet but attentive, the more people think you’re smart.
• Kelly Smith: It is better to ask for forgivenessthan permission.
• Nina Pasini Diebler: Be willing to “pay your dues.”Never think any task or project is beneath you—those are usually the ones whereyou learn the most.
• Darcy Walsh Hardy: Always stand up for what youbelieve, never sell out your integrity—but when the bad guys get so deep intoyour business, don’t poke at the sleeping bear, just get even by doing excellentwork.
• David Kelly: Find the opportunity in every challenge.
• Neil Lasher: How really great it was going to be.
• Suresh Susarla: Welcome the change with open armsand embrace it completely. Sooner you do it, the better.

I have had a number of very different careers at the intersection oflearning and technology, in a variety of market segments. One might think thatthe issues keeping one up at night in the various sectors would be verydifferent. It’s true that context does make a bit of difference. Some of theadvice might play out very differently in the sectors where eLearning is acommon mode for course and content delivery. But once I started to reflect on whatI really wish someone had told me before I got started in any one of the jobs I’veheld, I realized that the things I wish I’d known were more about ways of being than about things to do,or things to know:

• Theonly way to get really good at something is to learn the basics, practice, dothe work, learn more, practice, do the work.

• The more prepared you are, the luckier you will be.

• Never quit doing. Never stop trying. Never stoppracticing.

• A big idea is necessary but not sufficient for changingthe world. Just because you had it doesn’t mean you are done. Your idea mattersmost when it turns into something tangible and real that solves real problems.

• Metrics and measurement matter. Don’t fear numbers, focuson getting good at putting them to work.

• Keepfriends close, and competitors just as close.

• Cultivateyour network. Give it your considered time and attention. It comes back 100x,plus.

• Striveto be the one that people want on their team. Always remember the people whochose to be on yours.

• Alwaysstretch. Get out of your comfort zone or you will never get the new insightsyou need to keep growing. You will fall down. If you don’t fall down you are not trying hard enough. I know thatsounds cheesy but it’s true.

• Yourtime is short. Don’t waste it.

And onefinal bonus thing I wish I’d known…

• Always try to be the personthat your dog thinks you are.

From the Editor

One of the things that many instructional designers wish someone had told them about is how to create learning interactions for eLearning. The Guild Academy has you covered with a live mini-course in our virtual classroom: Sketching & Prototyping Design for Instructional Designers. Ethan Edwards, chief instructional strategist for Allen Interactions, will lead this two-session course, June 15 and 19.

Read about and register for the course here, but don’t delay—the class size is intentionally small, so space is limited.