RecordMove

Technical communicator to instructional designer

A technical communicator already meets 36% of what the instructional designer role asks for. The move turns on 20 required skills not yet in the profile.

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

From technical communicator

Distant match

To instructional designer

16 You already bring

20 Still to learn

59 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

72.8/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what an instructional designer is expected to do is already part of a technical communicator’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 instructional designer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An instructional designer role treats 16 of its required skills as things a technical communicator 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 20 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. An instructional designer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a technical communicator 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 create script for artistic production communication, collaboration and creativity

All 16 carried skills, including the 16 the instructional designer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 43 missing skills fall into 8 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 communication, collaboration and creativity 7 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn conduct educational activities required
still to learn teach writing required
still to learn apply teaching strategies required
still to learn design web-based courses required
still to learn develop digital educational materials required
still to learn proofread text required
still to learn use different communication channels required

optional, not held build business relationships optional
optional, not held develop creative ideas optional
optional, not held give live presentation optional

02 information and communication technologies (icts) 4 required, 16 supplementary

still to learn standards for web-based e-learning required
still to learn web programming required
still to learn authoring software required
still to learn task algorithmisation required

optional, not held AJAX optional
optional, not held Absorb (learning management systems) optional
optional, not held Brightspace (learning management systems) optional
optional, not held Canvas (learning management systems) optional
optional, not held Edmodo optional
optional, not held Engrade optional
optional, not held Grovo optional
optional, not held JavaScript optional
optional, not held LAMS optional
optional, not held Litmos optional
optional, not held Moodle optional
optional, not held Sakai optional
optional, not held Schoology optional
optional, not held Taleo optional
optional, not held WizIQ optional
optional, not held augmented reality optional

03 working with computers 3 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn translate requirement concepts into content required
still to learn use scripting programming required
still to learn develop digital content required

optional, not held perform ICT troubleshooting optional

04 management skills 2 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn create SCORM packages required
still to learn identify training needs required

optional, not held perform project management optional

05 education 2 required

still to learn instructional design models required
still to learn instructional strategies required

06 information skills 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn identify customer requirements required

optional, not held keep up-to-date with training subjects optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an instructional designer 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 create script for artistic production skill
already held identify ICT user needs skill
already held manage content development projects skill
already held manage content metadata skill
already held provide multimedia content skill
already held provide written content skill
already held publishing strategy knowledge
already held structure information skill
already held translate requirements into visual design skill
already held use markup languages skill

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 business, administration and law 1 required

still to learn learning management systems required

08 arts and humanities 1 supplementary

optional, not held interactive media optional

23 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held AJAX optional
optional, not held Absorb (learning management systems) optional
optional, not held Brightspace (learning management systems) optional
optional, not held Canvas (learning management systems) optional
optional, not held Edmodo optional
optional, not held Engrade optional
optional, not held Grovo optional
optional, not held JavaScript optional
optional, not held LAMS optional
optional, not held Litmos optional
optional, not held Moodle optional
optional, not held Sakai optional
optional, not held Schoology optional
optional, not held Taleo optional
optional, not held WizIQ optional
optional, not held keep up-to-date with training subjects optional
optional, not held augmented reality optional
optional, not held build business relationships optional
optional, not held develop creative ideas optional
optional, not held give live presentation optional
optional, not held interactive media optional
optional, not held perform ICT troubleshooting optional
optional, not held perform project management optional

30 held skills the instructional designer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role CSS knowledge
not needed by the target role ICT help platforms knowledge
not needed by the target role ICT software specifications knowledge
not needed by the target role JSSS knowledge
not needed by the target role LESS knowledge
not needed by the target role Sass knowledge
not needed by the target role application usability knowledge
not needed by the target role design graphics skill
not needed by the target role develop ICT safety information skill
not needed by the target role develop documentation in accordance with legal requirements skill
not needed by the target role documentation types knowledge
not needed by the target role gather technical information skill
not needed by the target role identify technological needs skill
not needed by the target role integrate and re-elaborate digital content skill
not needed by the target role integrate content into output media skill
not needed by the target role interpret technical texts skill
not needed by the target role knowledge base knowledge
not needed by the target role manage digital documents skill
not needed by the target role manage information sources skill
not needed by the target role manage localisation skill
not needed by the target role multimedia systems knowledge
not needed by the target role product usage risks analysis knowledge
not needed by the target role provide online help skill
not needed by the target role provide technical documentation skill
not needed by the target role style sheet languages knowledge
not needed by the target role use content management system software skill
not needed by the target role use presentation software skill
not needed by the target role use word processing software skill
not needed by the target role utilise content types skill
not needed by the target role visual presentation techniques knowledge

24 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 instructional design models required
still to learn instructional strategies required
still to learn standards for web-based e-learning required
still to learn web programming required
still to learn authoring software required
still to learn learning management systems required
still to learn task algorithmisation required
optional, not held AJAX optional
optional, not held Absorb (learning management systems) optional
optional, not held Brightspace (learning management systems) optional
optional, not held Canvas (learning management systems) optional
optional, not held Edmodo optional
optional, not held Engrade optional
optional, not held Grovo optional
optional, not held JavaScript optional
optional, not held LAMS optional
optional, not held Litmos optional
optional, not held Moodle optional
optional, not held Sakai optional
optional, not held Schoology optional
optional, not held Taleo optional
optional, not held WizIQ optional
optional, not held augmented reality optional
optional, not held interactive media optional

Index

Other moves recorded from technical communicator

Full index of moves from technical communicator

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a technical communicator become an instructional designer?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A technical communicator already covers 36% of what an instructional designer is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 16 of which the instructional designer role treats as required.

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

20 required skills are missing, plus 23 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is conduct educational activities.

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

Its learning distance is 72.8 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.