Before You Leap: 6 Critical, Little-Known Downsides of Life as a Corporate Instructional Designer
If you’re reading this article, you’re likely exploring a career as a corporate instructional designer. In recent years, this profession has gained visibility, with companies increasing hires during the pandemic to support digital learning initiatives. Many K12 teachers are transitioning from teaching to instructional design by promises of “easy six figures”, “great work-life balance”, and “plenty of remote opportunities”.
While there’s some truth to these promises, the reality is not always so rosy. After five years in this industry—and with plans to continue for the foreseeable future—I’d like to share a few insights you may want to consider before diving in. This isn’t to discourage you, but to offer a balanced perspective.
Myth 1. Corporate IDs land six-figure jobs easily
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, if you’re based in the US, the annual mean wage is $82,680. According to Glassdoor, the top 10% of highest-earning instructional designers in Portland, Oregon (one of the top 15 most expensive cities in the U.S.) earn around $96,000. Certain industries—such as tech, finance, and pharmaceuticals—may pay more generously, but this isn’t generally an easy path to six-figure earnings, especially when you’re just starting.
Myth 2. All instructional designer titles are created equal
Instructional design is truly an umbrella term. While many industries hire instructional designers (IDs), each organization often defines the role slightly differently.
In the corporate world, there are two main types of training: internal and external. Internal training typically falls under the Learning and Development (L&D) department, which often collaborates closely with HR or talent teams. Nearly all Fortune 500 companies have an internal L&D team, as investing in employee growth is essential for large organizations. Some companies also focus on external training, especially in SaaS and tech industries, where educating customers, users, and distribution partners is critical. Instructional designers in these roles are usually part of the customer experience or customer success teams, creating handbooks, job aids, video tutorials, and learning paths to help users effectively understand and use tech products.
Another career path for instructional designers involves working for agencies or freelancing. There are generally two types of agencies: staffing agencies and specialty vendors. Staffing agencies provide companies with temporary IDs to support surges in learning projects or fulfill short-term needs. I’ve received outreach from recruiters for contract roles with companies like Apple, Google, Facebook, Accenture, and Nike. Specialty vendors, however, focus on specific training solutions, such as developing business simulations using proprietary software to model complex scenarios, or designing components that facilitate behavioral changes. Freelancing can also be an appealing option, offering the flexibility to choose and manage projects independently. However, freelancers must be skilled in project management and comfortable with project uncertainty.
Government agencies and nonprofits also hire instructional designers. For instance, the state of California hires IDs to develop e-learning modules on safety and health topics. Outside the corporate sector, many instructional designers work in higher education. Almost all U.S. universities employ teaching and learning specialists or instructional designers who work closely with faculty, particularly during the academic year, to enhance instructional strategies and course materials.
Truth 1. You could burn out as a corporate instructional designer as well—if that’s what you’re running away from
One of the key reasons teachers are transitioning from the classroom to a corporate instructional design career is that they’re burnt out by the increasing amount of responsibilities and low pay.
While corporate roles generally offer better pay, burnout and feeling like just another ‘cog in the machine’ are still common. Many projects come with tight deadlines, leaving instructional designers little time for thorough needs analysis and thoughtful design. You’re often juggling multiple tasks at once—some projects may be in the early stages of interviewing subject matter experts, while others are in the hectic phase of outlining and asset development. As soon as one project wraps up, another quickly takes its place.
Truth 2. You work solo and likely be in silo for most of the time
In most companies, you’re likely one of only a few instructional designers—sometimes even the only one. With many roles now being remote, it can be challenging for junior designers to shadow senior colleagues or for ID colleagues to connect, share insights, and discuss their approaches to instructional design.
Truth 3. Instructional design is inherently a support function, which means it can not offer a fast, exciting career growth
Instructional design rarely offers the rapid, clearly tiered advancement you see in fields like engineering or sales. A software engineer, for instance, can move from junior to senior to staff engineer—or pivot into higher-paying roles such as engineering or product manager—within five to seven years. In fast-growing companies, a sales development rep might become an account executive and double their compensation every few years.
By contrast, the typical ID path is flatter: junior designer → senior designer, with some eventually stepping into learning-manager roles. Promotion depends less on personal readiness and more on whether the organization can justify a new senior or managerial position within its budget. Salary bumps are modest, with little or no incentives tied to performance.
Unless you’re in a revenue-generating education business—an EdTech company, a publishing house, or a customer-education team that sells certifications—ID roles are seldom deemed as “business-critical.” When budgets tighten, they could be among the first to be trimmed.
Truth 4. You miss some human interaction parts you usually get when teaching
One thing transitioning teachers might miss in their new instructional design roles is the human interaction they enjoyed in the classroom—meeting students and colleagues regularly. Most corporate instructional design jobs are behind-the-scenes, where you still interact with people, such as your project team, clients, and subject matter experts, but you often work heads-down for long periods — There are days in my week when I don’t have any calls and spend the entire time writing content or producing graphics for my projects.
Truth 5. Two clouds on the horizon of instructional design—AI and outsourcing
With the rise of generative AI, the instructional design industry is experiencing notable changes. More people are turning to AI for brainstorming, scenario creation, editing, and proofreading. AI-generated voiceovers for video demos and e-learning are also becoming increasingly common.
While I don’t believe AI will replace instructional designers, outsourcing is another growing trend to be aware of. The experience of managing remote or offshore teams during COVID proved that it can be done effectively. There’s an ongoing trend toward hiring contractors for specific project needs and moving full-time positions offshore to lower-cost countries like India, Colombia, and Eastern European countries.
Truth 6. Breaking into a new industry as an ID isn’t easy, even when you have rich ID experience
Instructional design roles are often highly industry-specific, with companies favoring candidates who have experience within their sector. For example, healthcare organizations tend to prioritize designers with a background in medical training, while financial institutions prefer candidates who have worked in regulated industries. This hiring bias can make it challenging for instructional designers to transition between sectors, as each industry values its unique regulatory knowledge, audience familiarity, and content expertise. However, understanding these preferences and aligning one’s portfolio and skills to industry expectations can help instructional designers overcome this barrier and expand their career opportunities across fields.
Concluding remarks
This article isn’t here to steer you away from instructional design. Many professionals I know find the work deeply rewarding. Instead, my goal is to offer an unvarnished look at what the job really entails so you can decide whether it aligns with your career goals. Thinking about making the leap? Continue to read this: 9 great instructional design portfolio examples.
References:
- Payscale: instructional designer salary https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Instructional_Designer/Salary
- BLS: instructional designer salary https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/instructional-coordinators.htm
- Glassdoor: instructional designer salary https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/instructional-designer-salary-SRCH_KO0,22.htm
- Reddit: After over a decade in L&D I am out https://www.reddit.com/r/instructionaldesign/comments/1eflvyg/over_a_decade_in_ld_and_im_out/
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