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A Comprehensive Guide to Starting a Career in the ELearning Field

Last Updated 8 Oct, 2020
Ilona Hetsevich
ELearning - E-learning Trends to Watch Out for in 2018

A technology advert is a double-edged sword: on one side, it considerably simplifies our lives, on the other one – cuts short the number of available jobs, and thereby sets off a so-called “technological unemployment”.

While some people give up because of this, others, in their turn, retrain and go all the way with their heads held high. If you are more of a second type, I prepared a guide to the e-Learning job market for you, where the number of jobs with the rise of technology has only increased.

eLearning (also called online education, distance education) is a field where education is conducted with the help of electronic devices.

Since distance education is more affordable, readily available, and is more flexible in terms of schedule, more and more people around the world prefer it to the traditional, classroom-based education, which, in its turn, sets off the need in the e-Learning industry professionals.

The e-Learning job market is quite wide and to find a job that is interesting and at the same time corresponds with the expertise you possess might require some time and effort, particularly when there is no experience or skills required for the desired job position.

But who told that’s going to be easy?

1. Market Research

The first step is to do market research.

There are several ways to enter the e-Learning industry field:

1. By becoming an online educator or instructor.  If you have a blog or teaching experience you can monetize the knowledge by applying for a job of an online instructor or by opening your own online training school.

2. By reselling the educational software like Learning Management Systems* (LMS) and Authoring Tools**.

*A Learning Management System (also called LMS) is software used to create, manage and deliver online learning materials.

**An authoring tool is software used to create an S CORM*** compliant content that can be later uploaded to an LMS.

***S CORM is a collection of standards ensuring content compatibility with any S CORM compliant LMS (instead of remaking the content you can reuse it many times).

If you ever get lost among the unknown e-Learning terms, feel free to browse the list of the Most Known E-Learning Terms.

3. By consulting people on e-Learning software. There are over 700 Learning Management Systems vendors and around 50 e-Learning Authoring Tool providers. It is not surprising that instead of looking for the right software themselves people prefer to hire e-Learning consultants to give them technical advice.

4. By administering an LMS. Learning Management Systems can be free and commercial, hosted in the Cloud, and installed on the client’s website. If an LMS is free or there is a need for an LMS to be installed on the client’s website (installed LMS solutions meet the security requirements of governmental organizations and can be customized to distinguish the project from the competitors), there might be a need for hiring an LMS administrator with technical skills.

5. By designing and creating courses with the help of Authoring Tools. As I have already mentioned, e-Learning authoring tools are used to create S CORM compliant e-Learning content. To make an e-Learning course effective, well designed and engaging, an instructional designer, content developer, course developer, and audio engineer are usually hired.

6. By promoting and advertising e-Learning projects and websites. Like any other market, the market for online courses is highly competitive. Well-designed and engaging courses need to be marketed and promoted to find their potential clients. If you have a marketing background all doors are open!

Below you will find a table with the e-Learning job functions, a list of the duties carried, and the skills required for the position.

Think of what you have a way with and choose 1-2 related functions you might be interested in.

E-Learning job function
Carried duties
Skills required
Instructional Designer An instructional designer designs online courses with the help of authoring tools. The knowledge of industry trends, learning techniques, graphic design.
E-Learning Consultant An e-Learning consultant helps clients to choose educational software to meet the project needs and specifics. eLearning and EdTech market knowledge, good communication and analytic skills, critical thinking, problem-solving.
Content Developer A content developer is in charge of writing content, creating videos and building presentations to be used in online courses. Good writing and editorial skills, attention to detail, copywriting experience.
Course Developer A course developer structures online courses to maximize their efficiency for a company or an institution.  Writing and communication skills, field knowledge, creativity, strong research, and analytic skills.
LMS Administrator An LMS administrator is in charge of LMS installation, management, customization, integrations, troubleshooting, and maintenance. Technical background, coding, and data management knowledge.
Learning and Development Specialist A learning and development specialist plans to conduct and administers eLearning programs. Analytical and interpersonal skills, written, verbal and presentation skills, decision-making.
E-Learning Marketing Specialist An eLearning marketing specialist promotes, markets, and advertises an eLearning project to get more exposure. Creativity, written, interpersonal, analytical, and coding skills (HTML, CSS), critical thinking.
Subject Matter Expert A subject matter expert is an industry professional who defines the learning objects and gives feedback on how the courses are being developed. Excellent communication skills, analytical and critical thinking.

2. Gain the Knowledge / Experience

The second step is to gain the knowledge or experience necessary for being hired for the desired position.

There are a number of “online” and “offline” ways to do so:

  • To attend a school training;
  • To take online courses. The online services like Capterra and Udemy provide dozens of courses for eLearning industry professionals free of charge (the certificates are paid, however);
  • To read books, blogs, online journals, industry reports, and statistics;

There are a few I like most of all:

Join groups on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ where people share valuable insights or answer each others’ questions:

LinkedIn ELearning and EdTech Groups:

 Google Plus E-Learning and EdTech Communities:

Facebook E-Learning and EdTech Public Groups:

3. Start Looking for Jobs

The third step is to look for vacant positions.

There are a number of places to find a job as a full-time specialist or a freelancer.

Here is a list of places where you can start your search:

As you can see, there are a number of options to set foot in the eLearning job market. If you know more places to look for an eLearning field job, please share in the comments below!

 

Category: Career in Education CAREER PATHS E-Learning LEARNING & EDUCATION LISTS RESOURCES

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Written By
Ilona Hetsevich
Ilona Hetsevich works for a project, devoted to eLearning software development, and writes based on the company’s experience in the eLearning field. More information about available LMS features can be found at the JoomlaLMS website or social media platforms. You can connect with her company on Facebook or LinkedIn.

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