Sunday, March 18, 2012

Straddling the Introvert-Extrovert Line

I am both, but most people know me as "The Extrovert"
As I have transitioned from "flight attending-teaching-librarianship" to training and development, I have struggled to decide where my skill set fits the best. The T & D field is diverse, and I enjoy so many facets of it, that making a decision about what to pursue is difficult. The introvert in me loves new technologies, instructional design, and the A.D.D.I.E. structure. The extrovert in me loves team building, facilitating learning, and connecting people to resources. It should be a benefit to enjoy both dynamics, but it makes career decisions a bit more complicated. I thought that going through the Workplace Learning and Performance Institute through CCASTD would clarify my decision, but instead, it has only succeeded in exciting me about the possibilities within the field. 
I had decided to continue my education by pursuing a Credential in Instructional Design at Roosevelt University. I enrolled to obtain a solid foundation in adult learning design, but I have to admit, I am tempted to take one more class to pursue a Credential in Training and Development. To make a decision to focus on Instructional Design almost feels like cheating on the extrovert in me. I am curious if anyone else has struggled with this issue?
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 27, 2012 at 9:12 AM

    I'm certainly farther on the introvert end of the scale than extrovert. That's part of why ID is a better fit for me than stand-up training. I enjoy being in front of a classroom, but it's draining to do it every day.

    IDs do work with people quite a bit too though. You need to know how to get information out of a SMEs head and into a format other people can learn from. You need to know how to listen to people's problems to find the right technology solution, and how to recommend that solution in a way that will actually be accepted. There's opportunities for online community development and other interaction if you're working with social media.

    If you're more extroverted, you may want to choose to focus more on the design end of things than the development end. That will give you more interaction with people.

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  2. Juliette L. SwettMarch 28, 2012 at 2:59 PM

    Thanks, Christy, for your insight! It's really helpful to think about it that way.

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