Where to look for instructional design jobs?

November 22, 2007 1:05 PM

Looking for help finding work as an instructional designer in social services fields in the American Southwest.

I’m asking this for a friend of mine who is looking for a specific type of work in the Southwest. Here’s her question:

I am an instructional designer interested in developing curriculum and training materials in the law and social services field, specifically in the area of behavioral health, cultural competency, juvenile justice, adult corrections or border protection. I am looking for companies or government agencies in Arizona, Nevada (Las Vegas), or California (San Francisco, Silicon Valley or San Diego) that might hire instructional designers in this area. I'm not sure where to begin my research in order to find these career opportunities. Any ideas, suggestions or leads would be greatly appreciated.

posted by Jupiter Jones to Work & Money (2 answers total)

I really don't know the answer, but I thought that since it's been a while since it's been posted and no one has ventured to answer, my lame answer might be better than no answer at all. So here it goes.

Most companies/agencies bring in outside consultants to do this kind of work that your friend is describing, so she should look for consulting firms that do this kind of work.

If she'd rather work for herself, she'll probably have to network like crazy to get her name out there. It's one of those fields where your contacts and connections, as well as referrals from clients are most important, because you don't exactly have credentials and a national licensing board behind you to certify that you are any good. So network like crazy, join any relevant organizations, and go ahead and design couple of training materials and send it to relevant organizations. Offer to do some training sessions pro bono, and develop materials pro bono. If she's any good, the word will get around.
posted by jujube at 1:39 PM on November 26, 2007

I'd use Google Reader or another RSS reader to follow "instructional designer" on Indeed.com or another job board search engine. Also check out relevant professional organization job boards (ASTD, ISPI). Find the closest instructional design programs in your region and check out the suggestions listed on the department pages.
posted by ejaned8 at 3:05 PM on November 26, 2007