Inspiration Post #6
Tim Slade has been such an amazing force in my life recently, after many recommendations I joined his eLearning Designers Academy. As someone who started out “just working at a department store,” he has become a leader in the ID community and his book was one of my first purchases when I became serious about leaving the classroom. After much discussion with my Husband, research, and referrals from others I decided to sign up for his Academy. Recently we had a 1:1 coaching session and it felt SO natural, I was able to discuss a lot of things and there weren’t any weird power dynamics at play.
As I am moving through 3 summer courses, I often jump into his academy training to find areas that correlate with what I am learning in OPWL. His video explanations have helped me wrap my mind around some major concepts, and his workbooks have allowed me to clearly define my ideas for school projects. On top of that, the free eLearning Academy Community he has built has everyone from seasoned veterans to newbies like me. In the community we share resumes, portfolios and get quick feedback from everyone, including Tim. Tim has even created themes like Question of the Week or Feedback Fridays!
During our recent meeting, Tim helped me see the inside of the corporate world, guiding me to brand myself and keep pushing. We discussed how unhappy I am in teaching, how broken the system is, and how hard interviewing as a teacher is. He gently encouraged me to see that while it’s tough, it’s clear I need to move on from teaching. It’s something I have felt inside for a long time, and it’s still scary to talk about. Even writing this I feel overcome with sadness to leave a profession filled with children who need me. I remeber a teacher saying recently, we aren’t leaving them, we are picking ourselves and our families. Tim’s confidence in me was genuine and I am so grateful to have such a gentle force in my life, helping me with this pivot.
If you are in the market for an eLearning Academy that is filled with positivity, resources, daily posts, and constant FANTASTIC feedback, please check out Tim Slade’s eLearning Designer’s Academy. If you’re looking for a great book to read to see if ID is for you, I would also recommend Tim Slade’s The eLearning Designer’s Handbook: A Practical Guide to the eLearning Development Process for New eLearning Designers. While some things are right out of a teacher’s manual, he frames in the corporate world, allowing me to take that into interviews, my resume, and practice.
