Table 1Transition record

technical communicatortoinstructional 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.

From technical communicator

36%

Overlap1

To instructional designer

16 Skills carried over

20 Required, not held

72.8 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 72.8

This move: 72.8 of 100 · substantial

1 Share of the instructional designer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the technical communicator profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

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 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 would need to learn

The 43 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 communication, collaboration and creativity 7 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held conduct educational activities required
required, not held teach writing required
required, not held apply teaching strategies required
required, not held design web-based courses required
required, not held develop digital educational materials required
required, not held proofread text required
required, not held 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

required, not held standards for web-based e-learning required
required, not held web programming required
required, not held authoring software required
required, not held 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

required, not held translate requirement concepts into content required
required, not held use scripting programming required
required, not held develop digital content required

optional, not held perform ICT troubleshooting optional

04 management skills 2 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held create SCORM packages required
required, not held identify training needs required

optional, not held perform project management optional

05 education 2 required

required, not held instructional design models required
required, not held instructional strategies required

06 information skills 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held 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 a 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 acquire Tier

07 business, administration and law 1 required

required, not held 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 acquire 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 acquire Tier

required, not held instructional design models required
required, not held instructional strategies required
required, not held standards for web-based e-learning required
required, not held web programming required
required, not held authoring software required
required, not held learning management systems required
required, not held 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

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.