I have come to a crossroads in my career: do I stay in the classroom and k-12 or transition to industry. That is a tough question to answer. Before embarking on this program I began searching for a way to transition from the classroom and first began looking at a district position within k-12, but soon came to realize I would like to move beyond k-12. The problem I saw was that not everyone looks at teachers as professionals. Throughout my career, I have been designing instruction without formal training as an instructional designer. The first time I heard of ADDIE was just before applying to this program, but I laugh at this is the approach I followed when designing my courses, I just did not know it had a name. I just thought this is what everyone did. The decision to pursue this degree was to expand my skill set and make me more marketable. Now that the program is coming to completion, am I ready to leave k-12? The answer is yes.
I will miss interacting with students and helping them learn, but transitioning from k-12 does not mean that helping others learn is over, the role I will play will look different, but learning is still the goal. I am excited about the possibilities and what the future holds. This brings me to the present. I have trepidation at leaving k-12 more than ever now due to the current global situation. I should be excited as everyone is moving to eLearning and online training is in demand, which means that instructional designers are in demand. The only problem being how long will the demand last and are companies currently hiring during the economic downturn. I know that there will always be a need for teachers and in the current economic climate, maybe I stay put for another year and then restart the job hunt or do I take the plunge and go for it?
To be determined.
Thoughts on Instructional Design 