Farewell, Summer.

I finally did it.

After a decade in the battlefields of high school, I actually switched careers. Don't worry, though, I'm not out of education entirely. In fact, quite the contrary. I'm now an instructional designer at Indiana State University! This means that I still get to apply all those great technologies and curricular innovations, but that it's not limited to the field of English.

What exactly does an instructional designer do? We're still defining that (since I'm the first IDer for the newly formed Distance Education department on campus), but essentially I assist faculty and instructors in designing their online courses. I make suggestions about their course organization, activities, assessments, wording, and modules. And I also evaluate the quality of their courses, ensuring that they are representative of all sound design and best practice. It's invigorating, really.

My days now consist of trudging through the mire of the web, researching Blackboard techniques, self-training in new computer programs (none of which were used at my old school), consulting with faculty, attending committee meetings, and consulting with other IDers across the country. It's my dream job.

When I first started contemplating a move from the "safe" job I had had for ten years, I wasn't sure what to do, but I clung to a casual comment I heard at one of the numerous conferences I attended, and my quest for instructional design began with a quick investigation into possible graduate programs. This didn't last long, once I recalled the insane amount of money it takes to "get learned". So instead, I applied for about thirty positions, focusing primarily on Indiana, my home state.

Most of the time I didn't hear anything back at all. Early in the process though, I made it through three stages of interviews at another university in the town where my husband and I lived, and I thought the job was a certainty for me, like everything was fitting so well, but as with all educational positions, it was shuffled due to budget cuts. <sigh> Fortunately, months later, ISU once again saw my potential without an official instructional design degree to my name; so here I am.

And now I work 37.5 hours a week, not 70. I leave at 4:30, and I actually have time (and energy) to make dinner and unpack a few boxes (gotta love moving). My weekends are no longer consumed by grading and planning and paperwork. My efforts are appreciated, and my expertise is utilized. I get to learn every single day; I go to campus conferences two or three times a month and as a result feel that rush of motivation and cheer constantly.

I still hope to update this blog. I might even post more frequently than every six months, now that researching and publishing are part of my job description! :)

So, farewell, Summer. I may miss the days of sunshine, but I think I'll be just fine here. Besides, whoever says teachers have their summers off are sadly mistaken. Teaching summer school, hosting technology workshops for teachers, planning for the upcoming school year, those are the ways I spent my "free time" in my past life. Now I gladly trade my summers for a little peace throughout the year. That an the fact that I get to play with really cool technology every day. How very cool.