Teaching with Purpose: Navigating the Learning and Development Career
If you love to learn and make an impact, this might be your path…
Making a career transition has been top of my mind lately. I currently work as a business development representative. I have no complaints about my job but in my idle times, I can’t help but daydream about a career shift.
I’ve explored a couple of options. From UX, writing, marketing and customer service. I wanted a career that ticks the boxes of
- Being creative
- Making an impact
- Brainstorming/problem solving
- Working with reputable organizations
- Great work life balance
To my surprise, I found a career that ticks all the boxes. It’s called L&D (learning and development). In this post, I’ll be sharing what the career entails, if I’ll be exploring it further and some tips and tricks I learned to transition.
Learning & Development
Making a transition can be a heavy move. Sometimes a career path might seem fancy but when you get there, you realize it’s not what you expect. Working in marketing/sales has taught me a lot of hard and soft skills I can use to make a smooth transition. The learning and development career path is not straight. Anyone can transition from any industry.
It exists in the human resources department. Companies are realizing the value of retaining existing employees and training them to become the best they can be. As an example, I work at a company that follows a similar approach. They occasionally send out learning materials for upskilling and learning new hard and soft skills.
There’s someone in charge of that department. It’s crucial because it’s much better to invest some time and money in coaching your existing employees than it is to employ new ones. Hiring new employees can be time-consuming. Not only this, you’re involved in a lot of salary negotiations and if you’re unlucky you’ll have to train new hires from scratch to get them familiar with your company’s policy and framework.
This is why L&D is in demand right now.
According to recent statistics, 64% of companies have increased employee development. For good reason, I bet.
And I’d love to explore the industry. Which brings about the question. How to get into it? How can you tap into this new thriving industry?
What existing skills can you transfer to the industry?
Like any industry, you need to figure out how to stand out. It’s not rocket science either. You’ve just got to figure out what existing skills you have and how they can easily be transferred to the role.
In my case, throughout my tenure in marketing. I’ve managed to improve my writing skills, empathy, problem-solving and analytical skills. I’ve also done a little bit of data analysis and design work in the past. But I’m willing to transfer my writing, empathy and analysis skills to the field. There are a few aspects I’m looking to develop also. My presentation skill is one aspect.
I’m working on building up my confidence to teach and inspire others. Taking little steps and doing what I can in the format that comes naturally to me. Writing. I tend to get some imposter syndrome once in a while. But little steps do compound.
One advice I’d give you is to start refining the existing skills you have. Find what excites you. Whether it’s design, coding, people management or teaching. All these skills can be transferrable to L&D or any related field. Like consulting or product management.
I used to make the mistake of looking at the big picture and learning various theories rather than focusing on the practical aspect (actually improving my hard and soft skills). In your free time, pick up a practical course to refine and improve your skills. It’s gonna be worth it in the end.
It doesn’t hurt to pick up a new skill you think you’d enjoy that fits into the description of an L&D. But I try to limit them before it gets overwhelming. You don’t have to learn everything, you just need to learn the important things. Companies have different employees that can take care of aspects you’re not so good at.
The job market
Finding a job in L&D can be tough. But it’s possible. With some intentional networking. I find that it’s way more effective to network with people with similar roles working in organizations you’d love to work at. Rather than applying to a variety of jobs in the hopes of landing one somehow.
Networking can be tough but it’s not impossible. Here are some factors to consider when networking.
- Location - Where in the world would you love to work? Which city or country?
- Role — Find and document L&D roles or similar roles in the industry like consultant, talent development manager, program manager, training specialist, etc
- Goals — What do you hope to achieve with networking? Understand what a role entails, connect with hiring managers, understand the industry, etc.
- Networking approach — I find that virtual coffee calls work best. Try to set up a few to get familiar with how the calls run and the L&D industry.
Be patient
If you currently have a job, you can spend your free time networking virtually and exposing yourself to hiring managers. You might take a few certifications to understand what you’re getting into. Also, spend time refining and improving your existing skills. They could be transferrable later.
