Jacqueline LeFevre

I attribute much of my success to perseverance, adaptability, and the relationships I’ve built through continuous networking and collaboration. Even while working on contracts, I stay actively engaged in the field by connecting with professionals, exploring emerging trends, and learning how organizations’ needs are evolving. Instructional design is constantly changing alongside technology, accessibility standards, and learner expectations, so I believe it’s important to remain curious, open to growth, and willing to continuously refine your skills. That mindset has helped me stay current, build meaningful opportunities, and continue growing throughout my career.

One of the best pieces of career advice I’ve received came from my mom, who encouraged me to explore instructional design as a career path and recognize how my strengths in education, creativity, and communication could translate into the field. That advice pushed me to invest time into self-research, skill development, and discovering what kind of work felt meaningful to me long-term. It ultimately taught me the importance of being open to new directions, trusting your ability to grow, and actively shaping a career around both your strengths and your interests.

My biggest advice would be to stay committed early on and recognize how broad and opportunity-filled this field really is. Instructional design and related industries offer many different career paths, but they’re also highly competitive, which makes consistency, networking, and continuous learning incredibly important. Don’t wait until after you apply for jobs to start building professional relationships — connect with people in the industry, engage with their work, and stay involved in professional communities as early as possible.

I also believe it’s important to create projects you’re genuinely passionate about, not just projects you think employers want to see. The work you choose to build often shapes the opportunities you attract in the future. When you create learning experiences around topics you truly care about, your passion and authenticity naturally come through, and that can help set you apart in a meaningful way.

Most importantly, stay adaptable and continue growing your skills. Technology, learner expectations, and workplace needs are constantly evolving, so being open to change and willing to learn over time is one of the most valuable things you can do for your career.

One of the biggest challenges in the instructional design field right now is that many organizations still don’t fully understand the scope of the role or the range of skills it requires. Instructional designers often work across learning strategy, multimedia development, accessibility, technology, communication, and user experience, so the position can vary significantly from one company to another. In many cases, professionals entering a new organization are not only building learning solutions, but also helping define what effective instructional design looks like within that company.

At the same time, I think there are also tremendous opportunities within the field. As technology, AI-supported workflows, and digital learning continue to evolve, organizations are increasingly recognizing the importance of creating engaging, accessible, and effective training experiences. The demand for professionals who can combine creativity, communication, strategy, and technical skills continues to grow across industries like healthcare, emergency management, corporate training, and education.

Another challenge is the competitiveness of today’s job market. Many professionals spend months navigating applications, interviews, and contract opportunities before finding the right fit. Because of that, I believe it’s especially important to be intentional about networking, building meaningful portfolio projects, and tailoring your work toward the industries and audiences you genuinely want to support.

The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are perseverance, continuous learning, and building meaningful relationships through collaboration and networking. I believe growth comes from staying curious, adapting to new challenges, and remaining open to learning from both experiences and the people around you. I also value creating work that is thoughtful, accessible, and genuinely helpful to others, while maintaining strong professional connections built on trust, communication, and mutual support.