First off, Happy New Year from the DishingDuo! We were temporarily out of commission getting our new technology in order! Now that we are back we wanted to reflect on a common theme we always pick up from new and old instructional designers alike, “I didn’t know I wanted to be an ID, I just didn’t know what I wanted to be.” Perhaps some set out to be an instructional designer but as we think about our classmates (from science teachers to actors, to physical therapists) as we obtained our degree, the colleagues we have encountered and now the students we teach, it is evident that we are a unique breed of individual. A student put it aptly by saying: I was good at many things but not great in any and often felt lost for my calling. Instructional design helps bring out what I am naturally built to do: adapt.”
Being a jack of all trades and a master of none should be an ID slogan. We think in our realm it is revered and welcomed as it allows us to do the most with our craft. Whether our ID kitchen is small, large, or make-shift we can adapt. We were given a great set of skills that allow us to expand and contract with the needs of our client. What is even more unique is that ID tends not to be a calling but an attraction that we gravitate towards as it feeds all of our senses for what we want to do and be professionally.
What are your thoughts? Are you an ID that fell into the profession or did you set out to be in this field? What do you think makes our profession unique and rewarding?
