RecordMove

Instructional designer to technical communicator

An instructional designer already meets 40% of what the technical communicator role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From instructional designer

Partial match

To technical communicator

16 You already bring

13 Still to learn

46 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

65.6/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a technical communicator is expected to do is already part of an instructional designer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the technical communicator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A technical communicator role treats 11 of its required skills as things an instructional designer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

apply ICT terminology
apply tools for content development
cognitive psychology
compile content
conduct content quality assurance
content development processes

What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A technical communicator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an instructional designer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held apply ICT terminology communication, collaboration and creativity
already held apply tools for content development working with computers
already held publishing strategy arts and humanities
already held compile content information skills
already held conduct content quality assurance working with computers
already held manage content metadata information skills

All 16 carried skills, including the 11 the technical communicator role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 30 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 information skills 3 required

still to learn interpret technical texts required
still to learn gather technical information required
still to learn manage information sources required

02 information and communication technologies (icts) 2 required, 7 supplementary

still to learn ICT software specifications required
still to learn knowledge base required

optional, not held CSS optional
optional, not held ICT help platforms optional
optional, not held JSSS optional
optional, not held LESS optional
optional, not held Sass optional
optional, not held application usability optional
optional, not held style sheet languages optional

03 working with computers 2 required, 6 supplementary

still to learn develop ICT safety information required
still to learn integrate content into output media required

optional, not held integrate and re-elaborate digital content optional
optional, not held manage digital documents optional
optional, not held use content management system software optional
optional, not held use presentation software optional
optional, not held use word processing software optional
optional, not held utilise content types optional

04 arts and humanities 2 required

still to learn visual presentation techniques required
still to learn multimedia systems required

05 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn develop documentation in accordance with legal requirements required

optional, not held design graphics optional
optional, not held identify technological needs optional
optional, not held manage localisation optional

06 management skills 1 required

still to learn provide technical documentation required

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a technical communicator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 16 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held apply ICT terminology skill
already held apply tools for content development skill
already held cognitive psychology knowledge
already held compile content skill
already held conduct content quality assurance skill
already held content development processes knowledge
already held identify ICT user needs skill
already held manage content metadata skill
already held provide written content skill
already held publishing strategy knowledge
already held structure information skill
already held create script for artistic production skill
already held manage content development projects skill
already held provide multimedia content skill
already held translate requirements into visual design skill
already held use markup languages skill

The 3 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 services 1 required

still to learn product usage risks analysis required

08 social sciences, journalism and information 1 required

still to learn documentation types required

09 assisting and caring 1 supplementary

optional, not held provide online help optional

17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held provide online help optional
optional, not held CSS optional
optional, not held ICT help platforms optional
optional, not held JSSS optional
optional, not held LESS optional
optional, not held Sass optional
optional, not held application usability optional
optional, not held design graphics optional
optional, not held identify technological needs optional
optional, not held integrate and re-elaborate digital content optional
optional, not held manage digital documents optional
optional, not held manage localisation optional
optional, not held style sheet languages optional
optional, not held use content management system software optional
optional, not held use presentation software optional
optional, not held use word processing software optional
optional, not held utilise content types optional

43 held skills the technical communicator role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role AJAX knowledge
not needed by the target role Absorb (learning management systems) knowledge
not needed by the target role Brightspace (learning management systems) knowledge
not needed by the target role Canvas (learning management systems) knowledge
not needed by the target role Edmodo knowledge
not needed by the target role Engrade knowledge
not needed by the target role Grovo knowledge
not needed by the target role JavaScript knowledge
not needed by the target role LAMS knowledge
not needed by the target role Litmos knowledge
not needed by the target role Moodle knowledge
not needed by the target role Sakai knowledge
not needed by the target role Schoology knowledge
not needed by the target role Taleo knowledge
not needed by the target role WizIQ knowledge
not needed by the target role apply teaching strategies skill
not needed by the target role augmented reality knowledge
not needed by the target role authoring software knowledge
not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
not needed by the target role conduct educational activities skill
not needed by the target role create SCORM packages skill
not needed by the target role design web-based courses skill
not needed by the target role develop creative ideas skill
not needed by the target role develop digital content skill
not needed by the target role develop digital educational materials skill
not needed by the target role give live presentation skill
not needed by the target role identify customer requirements skill
not needed by the target role identify training needs skill
not needed by the target role instructional design models knowledge
not needed by the target role instructional strategies knowledge
not needed by the target role interactive media knowledge
not needed by the target role keep up-to-date with training subjects skill
not needed by the target role learning management systems knowledge
not needed by the target role perform ICT troubleshooting skill
not needed by the target role perform project management skill
not needed by the target role proofread text skill
not needed by the target role standards for web-based e-learning knowledge
not needed by the target role task algorithmisation knowledge
not needed by the target role teach writing skill
not needed by the target role translate requirement concepts into content skill

3 further entries not listed here

13 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier

still to learn ICT software specifications required
still to learn documentation types required
still to learn visual presentation techniques required
still to learn knowledge base required
still to learn multimedia systems required
still to learn product usage risks analysis required
optional, not held CSS optional
optional, not held ICT help platforms optional
optional, not held JSSS optional
optional, not held LESS optional
optional, not held Sass optional
optional, not held application usability optional
optional, not held style sheet languages optional

Index

Other moves recorded from instructional designer

Full index of moves from instructional designer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can an instructional designer become a technical communicator?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. An instructional designer already covers 40% of what a technical communicator is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 11 of which the technical communicator role treats as required.

What skills does an instructional designer need to become a technical communicator?

13 required skills are missing, plus 17 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is develop ICT safety information.

How hard is the move from instructional designer to technical communicator?

Its learning distance is 65.6 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.