Find a Niche in L&D
It’s good to have a wide range of skills in Learning and Development. It’s also good to have a specialty, or something you are known for.
I’m a go-to person on my team for project management and rapid on-demand course development. We have people who are great at LMS administration, and people who are talented at recording instruction on camera.
One year when I was choosing the type of professional development to engage in, I was stumped and asked my senior manager for guidance. He mentioned data analytics would be hugely beneficial to teams in our field. I felt like I still wanted to work on the basics of instructional design before going too deep down that rabbit hole, though.
There are so many different areas of focus for learning and development folks. Here are some suggestions for an L&D niche:
Data Analytics
Performance Consulting
Project Management
eLearning Development
IT Infrastructure
Leadership Development
Specializing in one of these areas and building expertise can future proof your career in a way, as your team members begin to lean on you for that particular skillset. Sarah Cannistra has a lot to say on this topic, so if you are interested, I suggest reading some of her posts here on LinkedIn.
Becoming known for a niche and building it into your personal brand online has many benefits to both your career, and to your clients. You can seek projects that are a perfect fit for your expertise, and excel!
