Economic Times – Impact on Distance Learning
Has the economic struggle had a positive or negative impact on online learning?
This question has been posed a lot on the e-learning blogs, for example.
The Boston Globe just published an article titled Where the Jobs are in Anxious Times. Distance learning and a few related fields are noted as being areas where there are jobs
Here are quotes from the article that pertain to distance learning, social media, cloud computing, and mobile technology.
Government stimulus funding has been creating new opportunities in education and energy, says Clark Waterfall, a partner at Boston Search Group. “We’re seeing activity in for-profit education companies, and companies geared to distance learning and corporate learning,”
A new role at many companies is a social media expert, who can help the company communicate with customers and prospects using new channels like Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. “Sometimes that job is called ‘community manager’ or ‘community rep,’ ” says Tom Summit of Rowley-based Catalyst Recruiting Corp. “But the people who can get hired are the ones who can relate online activities to quantifiable metrics. What are you doing for the company, aside from just starting a blog?”
Cloud computing – technology services that can be accessed over the Internet – is another area of increasing activity. “I also see a lot of interest in search engine marketing” – making websites more prominent in search results – “and engineers who know how to design websites with that in mind,” Summit says.
Keith Cline of Dissero LLC says one position that can be hard to fill at the moment is a mobile application developer. “If a company is trying to build an app for the iPhone, there aren’t a lot of people who have that experience,” he says.
Where the jobs are in anxious times
By Scott Kirsner
Globe Columnist / June 14, 2009
It is good to hear that there are opportunities out there in the fore-mentioned fields and probably more to come. From my own glances at job boards it appears companies are still hiring people in the distance learning field.
The Big Question
February’s Big Question on the Learning Circuits blog is “What is the impact of the economy on you and your organization? What are you doing as a result?” Here is my response:
I am an e-Learning designer at a bank that is currently being acquired by another larger bank (this is how the economy affected my organization). The acquisition will be complete by June, at which time I will be facing a lay-off. There is a small chance I will be offered a position, but at this time I can only speculate on that possibility. So, What am I doing?
Professional development has always been a priority of mine. This is not optional in the ever changing e-learning world. In the last year I have delved into web 2.0, which I believe has made me far more marketable. With re-entering the job market I have also begun familiarizing myself with the e-learning tools and learning management systems out there that are not part of my current tool set. My past positions have always allowed me to choose my software (Flash, Dreamweaver, Captivate, etc.), but I want to be prepared to develop in other tools. I am very grateful to 30-day demos. And of course I must adjust to whatever LMS they already have, which I have done several times before.
Here’s the rub. I am thinking seriously about doing freelance work. Although I am actively looking for a position, I have thought about options if I do not find “the right” position for me. My alternate plan will be freelance e-learning. Not having the stability of a regular paycheck and no benefits is intimidating, but here are a few things that attract me to it.
- Flexibility – I currently telecommute from my home office several days a week, which works really well for me. Barring any on-site needs from a client , setting my own hours and working from home is very attractive.
- Diversity of work experience – My experience has been in both the non-profit and corporate world, but freelancing can increase the diversity of my experience and my portfolio.
- Work will not be monotonous – New clients, new audience, new industries and types of content, different LMS’s to curse, etc.
- Earning potential – There will not be any limit to earnings. With a lot of ambition, a little bit of luck and long hours, I can potentially earn more than I would in a corporate training department.
One thing that confuses me is will the economic downturn be a possible boon to e-learning? I am hearing that with tightening budgets many will turn to e-learning, but I have also heard the opposite. I guess time will tell. If you are a freelance e-learning designer/developer, I would definitely appreciate your advice on considerations I should make prior to entering the market, pros and cons, or if I should run as far as I can away from the idea. I have some time to further explore this option. My exploration will include speaking to some local independent e-learning professionals here in the Maryland area and looking closely at the freelance opportunities that are currently available. In the meantime, I will also continue looking for full-time e-learning positions.
e-Learning Job Search – Online Resources
With turbulent times, shrinking training budgets, and a level of uncertainty, more e-learning professionals are searching for new opportunities. So, what are the best sites to search for an e-learning job? Here are the sites I have found most helpful:
e-Learning Guild - You can search jobs posted on their site and you can post your resume there too. You do need to be a member, but the associate level membership is free.
ASTD – You can search jobs posted on their site and post your resume.
Dice – This site focuses on tech jobs, and e-learning jobs are included. This is definitely a good site to search if your focus is on the development end.
Linked In – Great site for professional networking, but you can also search for a job within the Linked In interface. You can either find positions posted by members or search positions posted on Internet job search engines. The results also include who in your network may be employed by the companies listed.
Indeed – I like this site because it pulls results for many different job search sites, it’s easy to add filters and to create job alerts.
SHRP – The Society for HR Professionals is not my first choice, but worth visiting. Many training departments fall under HR and they post e-learning position on SHRP. You may also post your resume on their site.
Also check you local college ISD programs. Some include job listings on their sites. They may also host networking events or career fairs.
Aside from the above, always network. Networking is the most effective way to find the next opportunity that is right for you. If you know of any other great resources for finding e-learning positions please add it to the comments section. Thanks!
