From Tim's Desk: Your 2025 Instructional Design Career Pep Talk
It’s 2025, ya’ll…and somehow, it’s already the second half of January! Ya know, over the last few years, I’ve made it my tradition to kick off the new year by sharing some big ideas and deep, food-for-thought questions to help you focus your efforts, build your skills, and navigate your instructional design and eLearning development career.
Now, if you’ve been following me for any amount of time, then you know how much I don't care for career or professional development advice that falls into the category of “magical thinking.” And if you don’t know what I mean, I define this as advice, marketing, or social media content that often sounds too good to be true. And let’s be honest; it usually comes from those who don’t have any real-world experience in the things they’re talking about.
And so, I’ve made it my mission to provide advice that’s based on my 15+ years of earned insights—advice that unapologetically recognizes that quick fixes, hacks, and silver bullets don’t actually deliver the results we’re seeking to achieve. And if they did, we’d all still be drinking two SlimFasts shakes per day + a sensible dinner to achieve our summer-ready beach bods! 🙃
My point is, the advice I’m seeking to share is intentionally designed not to exclude the fact that achieving your goals requires hard work, determination, persistence, participation, and sometimes a little failure along the way.
How to Become an Instructional Designer in 2025 is More than a Checklist of Tasks to Complete
Ya know, as I was thinking about what advice I wanted to share with you for the new year, I debated several ideas for almost the entire second half of 2024.
At first, I thought about putting together a checklist or free video course on “How to Become an Instructional Designer in 2025.” But the more I thought about it, the more it just didn’t sit right with me. And as both @Kathleen Volk and @Sarah Samuelson (two of the amazing folks who help me run this community) know all too well, I usually have to explore all sides of an idea before making a decision. And sometimes, I’ll even walk right to the edge of implementing an idea before I can determine if it aligns with my goals and vision.
So, I eventually asked myself,
“Do I even believe that the process and journey of becoming an instructional designer or eLearning developer can be reduced down to a one-page checklist about what skills to learn or what to include in your portfolio?”
And the answer was a very loud and very clear: F*ck no! Because here’s what I know to be true: Regardless of your background, regardless of where you started—whether you used to catch shoplifters for a living, taught in the classroom, or spent five years as a catholic priest—everyone's journey into this industry is different and unique.
Each person working (or trying to work) in this industry faces different challenges. They have different talents, they have different motivations, and they are seeking different things. And we should be embracing those differences in the advice we share, rather than trying to fit everyone into a single box.
What Do People Really Need Right Now?
So, after I decided that creating a watered-down checklist wasn’t the right answer for what I wanted to share in the new year, I started asking myself what I thought people really needed during this time.
Well, I’ll be the first to admit that the world feels like a crazy place right now! Things are on fire (both literally and figuratively), people are uncertain about the future, the industry feels endlessly saturated, and you can’t go on LinkedIn without seeing another rando FURU with zero experience tell you that you need to learn this skill or that skill, else you’ll get “left behind.” 😵💫
Trust me, I’ve seen and felt it all as well, and I know you have, too. It’s exhausting.
And that’s when I realized it: What people really need right now is a good, old-fashioned pep talk. A pep talk to help you gain perspective on what’s actually important for your professional development in 2025, and a pep talk to help you get a grip on the one and only thing you have control over: Yourself.
So, let’s get to it!
Your 2025 Instructional Design Career Pep Talk
Intentionality: Align Your Actions with Your Purpose
Early in my career, when I first fell into Corporate America, I remember having my very first end-of-year performance review. I sat there while my manager at the time listed all of the things I had accomplished during the past year, along with all of the things I was doing well. I was applauded for my creativity, the quality of my work, and how well I made the transition from catching shoplifters to learning and development. I was feeling great, but that’s when we got to my manager’s list of things I need to work on and improve. As they went through their feedback, they proceeded to tell me that if I wanted to move up the corporate ladder, I needed to work on my business acumen and understanding of company financials and similar topics. At one point, they even suggested that I take a class on Microsoft Excel!
Now, don’t get me wrong. I totally understood the need for me to have a better understanding of the business, as it directly related to how we evaluated our efforts as a learning and development team. However, I wasn’t too thrilled that they wanted me to spend time learning Excel, but I proceeded forward nonetheless.
After several months of taking classes, watching online tutorials, and asking a ton of questions, I found myself unhappy and dejected. I had no interest in this skill, and I didn’t plan on using it in the short term or long term, but I was doing it anyway because I felt like it was a critical step toward my career growth.
Eventually, I gave up on learning Excel, not because it was hard but because it wasn’t a skill I was genuinely interested in. And as I reflect on that experience, I’ve come to realize that too often, we focus on professional development, not on the areas we’re truly interested in, but on the things other people tell us we ought to do.
I share all of that to emphasize that intentionality has to be the driving force behind the actions you take. Whether you’re just getting started in instructional design or trying to make the leap into it for the first time, if you don’t know the “why” behind your goals and actions, then you’re likely leading yourself down the wrong path.
Every day, I receive messages and see folks post questions about whether they should be learning this skill or that skill. I see folks ask if they should put this thing or that thing in their portfolios. And every time I see one of these questions, the thought that goes through my mind is, “Well, are those skills ones that you’re actually interested in? Does putting that thing in your portfolio reflect the type of work you want to be doing?”
The truth is, I don’t know the answer to those questions for you or anyone else. But do you?
Here’s the thing: Regardless of your goals, you need to know “the why” behind the actions you’re taking. And sometimes what you think is “the why” isn’t actually “the why” I’m talking about here.
For example, if I ask, “Why do you want to learn how to use Articulate Storyline?” The answer might seem clear on the surface: Because that’s what people say is a necessary skill to work as an instructional designer or eLearning developer. But that’s not really the truth. That answer only tells us why you feel like you should be learning Articulate Storyline (or any other skill), not why you want to learn Articulate Storyline.
And so, as you head into 2025, I challenge you to be more intentional about your efforts so that you can align them with your true purpose. That might mean taking a close look at why you’re learning a particular skill set, why you’re following and connecting with certain individuals, or why you are or aren’t taking any specific actions.
So, how can you act more intentionally in 2025 for your instructional design career? Ask yourself these questions:
When you think about your professional development efforts, can you clearly articulate the “why” behind each action you’re taking? If not, how can you dig deeper into your motivations?
Are your goals and efforts driven by intrinsic passion or external pressure? How can you refocus on what truly excites you about instructional design or eLearning?
Are the skills you’re learning and the projects you’re building aligned with the type of instructional design work you actually want to do in the future?
If you stopped doing a specific professional development activity today, would it impact your long-term goals? Why or why not?
How can you differentiate between doing what “everyone else is doing” versus what’s right for your unique career path?
Urgency: Action is the Only Way Forward
Ya know, it’s easy to put off the things you need to do for yourself. After all, there’s always tomorrow, am I right?
Need to start going to the gym? Well, it’ll be there tomorrow!
Need to start paying off debt? Well, it’ll take years to pay off. What’s one more month?
Need to update your resume? Well, my job isn’t that bad.
Need to start learning that new skill? What’s the point? The industry is saturated.
Here’s the thing: There’s always a million reasons not to do something! But too often, we find ourselves sitting around waiting for the “right time” or waiting for someone else to come in and give us the permission, the validation, or the motivation to start making progress on our goals.
The thing you need to know is that you’re never going to wake up one day and feel like doing the hard work. In fact, more often than not, it’s going to require you to drag your ass to the gym, make sacrifices to pay off debts, get outside your comfort zone to update your resume and apply for new jobs, make time to learn that new skill, or do anything else that that’s not fun in order to achieve your goals.
It’s kinda like instructional design. We all know that just because our learners know things, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to do things. Well, the same is true for you and the actions you need to take to make your goals happen—knowing them and acting on them are two separate things.
Let me tell a story to illustrate my point. I started freelancing during my nights and weekends way back in 2013. At the time, I was working as a Senior eLearning Project Manager for the State of Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections. And to be honest, I had no plans of getting into freelancing, but the project fell in my lap from a random connection I had made on LinkedIn.
I was hired by the L&D team from PetSmart to work on a course that had previously been built in Adobe Captivate and rebuild it in Articulate Storyline. Articulate Storyline had just come out a year prior, so I was excited to do the work. Anyhow, after the project came to an end, I remember getting my very first check as a freelancer, which totaled $4,046.25. I was so excited I had my partner take a picture of me holding the check.
And let me tell you: I remember thinking that I had gotten away with murder! I simply couldn’t believe that anyone was willing to pay my $50 per hour to have fun in Articulate Storyline. I was 28 at the time, so this was a huge deal. And I remember for a split second thinking how cool it would be if I could quit my regular job (which I hated) and do this freelance work full-time. But, I brushed it off as a crazy idea, thinking I had no business running a business.
To make a long story short, I kept brushing off the idea of freelancing full-time for the next six years, waiting for the right time when I would be “good enough” to make the leap. Yes, I had debts to pay off and money I needed to save, but the thing that was in my way wasn’t the money aspect of freelancing; it was the things I was telling myself in my own head.
It wasn’t until 2019, after I moved up the corporate ladder, finding myself in a miserable role at a miserable company, that I finally made the leap.
I share that story because you’re always going to find a reason why now isn’t the right time. Instead, you need to have urgency with the goals you want to accomplish. Why is that? Because the clock is ticking! And the thing you need to understand is that your goals and dreams die between the little bit of space that exists between knowing the action you need to take and actually taking them!
So, how can you act with more urgency in 2025 for your instructional design career? Ask yourself these questions:
What’s one career goal or skill you’ve been putting off, waiting for the “right time” to start? What’s stopping you from starting now?
If you knew you had only 12 months to achieve your biggest career goal, how would you prioritize your actions differently?
What are the “small spaces” in your day where you could turn procrastination into productivity? How can you use those to take even small steps toward your goals?
Are you treating your goals with the same urgency as your day-to-day responsibilities? Why or why not?
How can you create a sense of urgency to act on your goals today instead of waiting for a future that might never feel perfect?
Accountability: You Own the Your Outcomes
When we talk about professional development, regardless of your goals or background, it’s easy to outsource your idea of who’s responsible for achieving your goals. Ya know, the two stories I just shared with you about how I learned to have intentionality and urgency in my own professional development shared a common thread:
They required me to take action to make the outcomes I was seeking to achieve.
This was a lesson I learned from one of my very first mentors and former bosses. At the time, I was still catching shoplifters for a living, and this was before I made the leap into instructional design and eLearning development. Anyhow, when I first interviewed with him for a job, I remember he spent some time explaining his philosophy on professional development. I’ll never forget what he said…
“As your manager and leader, it’s my job to give you feedback and guidance. It’s my job to point you in the right direction and remove roadblocks. It’s my job to encourage you and cheer you on. All of those things are my job as your leader. However, it’s your job to do the work. I can’t care about your goals more than you care about them yourself, and I can’t give more to your success than the action than you’re willing to take—you own the outcomes of your efforts and you are accountable for your own success.”
That’s when I truly realized that my dreams and goals are my own to make a reality or to let die. And yes, while I may have people on the sidelines cheering me on and pointing me in the right direction, no one was coming to make me do the work, and no one was coming to hold me accountable. And why is that? Well, because all of those people are busy making their goals and dreams happen for themselves.
I shared with you earlier that your goals die in the space between knowing what you need to do and actually doing those things. Well, that’s only half of the equation. Once you start taking action on your goals, it’s your job to finish them! And the funny thing is, the skills necessary to start making progress toward your goals are totally different from what’s necessary to finish them.
Getting started on your goals requires action, intentionality, and urgency. But finishing and accomplishing your goals takes time, patience, persistence, and hard f*cking work. And that requires you to own the outcomes of your actions (or inaction).
So, how can you act with more self-accountability in 2025 for your instructional design career? Ask yourself these questions:
Are you waiting for someone else—like a boss, mentor, or hiring manager—to initiate your professional development? How can you shift that responsibility to yourself?
Think about a project or goal you’ve started but haven’t finished. What’s holding you back from completing it, and how can you push through those barriers?
How often do you rely on external motivators (like praise or validation) to stay accountable? How can you build more internal accountability?
What would it look like to give yourself permission to start—or finish—something you’ve been dreaming about but haven’t acted on?
When you look at your professional development, are you truly putting in the persistence, patience, and passion it takes to see your goals through? Where can you improve?
The Bottom Line
I know I’ve thrown a lot in this article and the stories I’ve shared. And I don’t expect you to internalize it all at once. But, as you dive into 2025, I want you to take stock of the things you’re doing and not doing. I want you to challenge your internal dialog and reexamine the things you think are standing in your way. I want you to spend less time worrying about what others think and focus more on what you can control.
And if you’re not sure what to do, what to say, what to build, or what you share, I want you to close your eyes and envision the most capable, confident, and idealist version of yourself. Imagine for a moment what that person would do, say, build, or share…and just do that sh!t!
As long as you move forward with intentionality, urgency, and self-accountability, you can make your goals happen! Yes, it’s easy to look around and compare yourself to others and think they’re so “lucky” for being further along the journey or more successful than you are. But when you’re feeling that way, here’s the final thing I want you to remember:
Hard work, persistence, dedication, and passion create events and outcomes that other people call luck. You don’t need to wait for luck to strike—you need to start taking action.
Let me know what you think down in the comments! How do you plan to act with intentionality, urgency, and accountability towards your goals in the new year?
Here’s to a great 2025! 👋
Tim
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