How to Get Started in Instructional Design and Become an Instructional Designer: AKA How I Did Something With My Liberal Arts Degree

How to Get Started in Instructional Design and Become an Instructional Designer: AKA How I Did Something With My Liberal Arts Degree

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Training

I’ve recently begun a new chapter as a Trailhead Editor at Salesforce (yay me!), thereby completing an 18-year detour to Trainingland where I fell in love with instructional design. I thought I’d capture the handoff here to commemorate the new chapter and maybe inspire some budding design talent.

I started this segment of my career as a technical writer until one day my manager approached me with a box of software, Adobe Captivate 3, and asked, “Hey, we’ve got this elearning thing and an LMS, but no one knows how to use it. You’re good with computers, do you think you can figure this out?”

“Sure!”

Keep reading…

Why I Breathe

Why I Breathe

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The Why I... Series, Zen, Meditation

OK, let’s dive into breath work and the art of breathing. If you missed my entry on meditation, you might pair that piece with this entry.

Now you might be wondering: Art? Why you breathe? Don’t we sorta have to?

Of course! It’s true—breathing occurs automatically. Still, you can take over that system.

Breathing techniques are ancient tools our ancestors used to invite calm, regulate, and heal. We’ve seemed to have forgotten their power. As you explore the pantheon of options out there, try to find a few methods that you can vibe with. Experience what these tools can do for you. You might need them someday.

I’ve gravitated toward the following methods, which this post focuses on:

  • Counting methods

  • The Wim Hof method

  • Zazen

Keep reading…

Why I Wrote Down the Rabbit Hole

Why I Wrote Down the Rabbit Hole

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The Why I... Series, Down the Rabbit Hole

If you're a fan of this blog, you no doubt are familiar with my first non-fiction book, Down the Rabbit Hole: Your Guide to Crypto Literacy in the Digital Age. In this entry to my Why I… series, I want to share some casual thoughts about why I wrote this book.

I explained this a little bit in the book to help explain why I am interested in the space.

I explained why a bit in the opening chapter:

“As I fell down the crypto rabbit hole in early 2021, I discovered a calling. It was to help onboard the average person to this new digital frontier. I’m compelled to equip as many people as possible with the foundational knowledge, skills, and behaviors that will become increasingly necessary to be digitally literate. I’ve built a career helping people succeed as their work underwent a digital transformation and overcome technical challenges inherent in working with computers, complicated software, and complex networks. When I ask myself, “What do I want to build in this industry?” the answer is a learning program and community to help teach how to use this technology properly.

My first step toward that goal is The Guide.”

Thank You from the Bottom of My Heart: Ozzy’s Last Show

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Music

As a lifelong metal fan, I had caught wind of the show: Back to the Beginning, a one-day music festival in Birmingham, England—the home of Black Sabbath—intended to be Ozzy Osbourne’s final performance both as a solo artist and Black Sabbath’s final performance with the full band: Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, and Geezer Butler. But I forgot about it until the week of, when I happened across a message online that reminded me it was going to be streaming. At first, it was just another streaming concert in my mind, but I kept thinking about it. The lineup was sick, the biggest metal bands on earth. I wondered what covers everyone would play leading up to the final show. Pantera certainly would surely play Planet Caravan, a personal favorite from Far Beyond Driven (1994). It was the Fourth of July weekend and I was going to be home all day anyway smoking a brisket, so why not?

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