Jacks of all Trades: Apply Within
As a Learning Experience Designer (LXD), part of my role is to package information in a way that engages a vast demographic of learners. I do this using a number of strategies, such as writing in plain English, breaking information into small chunks and using narrative and scenarios to convey information.
I spend a good chunk of my time writing, however, I’ve also found a great outlet for various other skills that I’ve acquired over my life. In fact, the longer I work in this dynamic, modern industry, the less relevant the idea of a ‘fixed’ discipline feels.
When I was young, I thought I’d find a skill that I enjoyed and hone it until I had it mastered. I’d focus on that skill, and only that skill. As it turned out, I enjoyed learning all types of things. I was a pretty precocious kid. In fifth grade, I decided I wanted to work in I.T, so I taught myself how to build computers and use various operating systems from scratch. I learnt as much as I could but never quite mastered the process. In high school, I wanted to be a rapper. Leveraging what I already understood about computers, I taught myself how to produce music, use digital audio workstations and the base concepts of sound mixing. Once again, I never quite mastered any one skill, but became competent and comfortable with all.
My main focus has always been writing. I studied it at University and always felt that it was my best outlet in terms of a profitable skillset.
Outside of writing, I never considered the knowledge I acquired in other areas as anything more than fun hobbies. I wasn’t a master, therefore, it was unlikely I’d use them in a practical or professional sense. However, I’ve come to find that by being passionate and vocal about secondary skills, I’ve been given the opportunity to leverage them alongside writing within my professional career. When I started at Croomo, I was vocal about my interest in Sound Design and music. I didn’t plan on using these skills within my role, but as it turned out, they needed somebody to mix audio for some online training. I continued to volunteer these skills and found that my workload shifted to a 70/30 split — 70% writing, 30% sound design.
One thing Croomo looks for when hiring new Crew members, is people who can wear many different hats. As well as my writing duties, being passionate and confident about sound design has afforded me the opportunity to work on high profile projects for the company. As a result, my work has been heard by people all over the world. I can now point to instances where my work has been professionally deployed and add this to my portfolio. In other words, it has become a professionally viable skillset. This wouldn’t have been possible had I not been hungry to explore multiple disciplines over my life.
So what’s my message here? It’s simple:
If you work in a creative field, don’t be afraid to mention any skills that fall outside of your discipline. I believe you should work really hard and try to become awesome at everything you endeavour to try. Don’t disregard your auxiliary skills because they’re not strictly part of your discipline or role description. It’s only through seeking opportunities that they come to you; and the more opportunities that come your way, the better you get at your various crafts.
Asking for a shot and backing myself has given me a much richer, robust experience within the Croomo offices and keeps me engaged and on my toes on a daily basis.
Be passionate, learn a lot and put it to use.
