Why I love my e-learning Job
I
hereby confirm that this post was not written under any duress. In fact, I came up with the title and idea myself. Why? I just want to show that yes, it is possible to enjoy your job. We see these optimistic statements like “love what you do”, “if you love what you do you never have to work a day in your life” and so on, but many people shrug these off as just unrealistic. Let me show you why it is realistic…
FROM THE BEGINNING
I was born to an immigrant family and was an only child for a good 8 years- and yes when I said from the beginning, I meant beginning of beginnings, but I promise it’s relevant so hang in there. Since my parents were immigrants, I didn’t have any cousins around either. So, no siblings and no cousins, what about friends? You see, we moved around very often so I was continuously the new kid that had to adapt and make new friends constantly. Long story short, I was alone a lot;, so, my mom would buy educational game Jumpstart CD ROMs for me to play while also learning, sneaky, sneaky from my mom because I didn’t even realize at the time that I was learning. To me when I got to play these games it was the highlight of my day and just playing, not learning…or so I thought.
FINDING THE RIGHT JOB
So, that kid that loved those eLearning games grew up, graduated from university and started working, jumping from one job to the next: from video editing, to journalism, then marketing, and HR. There was one thing in common with these jobs, they all made me miserable, which makes me appreciate my current job that much more. After the first few jobs I gave up and thought that’s just what work is, it isn’t something fun, it’s work. Then I decided to pursue a master’s degree in educational technology, as a last attempt, I thought to myself. To my surprise, I finally found what I was looking for; shout out to my favorite professor, Dr. Guenia who showed me what an awesome learning experience looks like! I interned at Kashida during my master’s program to get real-life experience of the job and I just loved it that much more. Not to say that other jobs are necessarily bad, it’s just everyone has a passion, even if they don’t know it yet, and those who get to pursue their passion are lucky; and I consider myself lucky.
THE EPIPHANY
I was recently having nostalgic childhood memories about these games when I realized that those were eLearning games, and there was a whole team behind these games who worked with subject matter experts, designed the learning experience and developed them. I realized that my job title now is what would have created those games that I loved so much, and which helped me excel and learn without even knowing it. That is what learning experience design is all about, creating learning experiences that make the learner WANT to learn instead of HAVE to learn as if it’s a burden. You see, sometimes a kid might love a subject because of the way their teacher taught it, likewise, a kid might dislike a subject because the learning experience is not learner-centric and engaging.
THE BENEFITS
Typically, when we say work benefits, many think of things like healthcare, monetary benefits, pension. While yes these are important, if you ask me about the top 5 benefits I value in my job, they would be the priceless ones which include:
- Compatible values: I believe in the same values Kashida believes in, which include equality, honesty, taking initiative, supporting others, making learning inclusive (learn more about Making Elearning More Accessible), creating enjoyable learning experiences for others, problem solving, and creating tailored learning solutions. Most importantly, valuing employees as humans that have families which they need to put first. You should not feel like a burden for being pregnant or being a mom, nor should it get in the way of work. It is a beautiful part of life that should be embraced. For example, I can work with my baby by my side whether in the office or at home without worrying about my baby all day.
- Trust: I hate being micromanaged, so what I love about my job is the opportunity to organize my own tasks and time, doing things my way. Read more about How To Organize Your Time While Working Remotely. Of course, mistakes will happen, we are humans who make mistakes, but we take responsibility for these mistakes, and learn and grow from them. Many companies have the idea that remote employees may be sitting around not working, which makes them feel anxious since they can’t see them and micromanage them. Read more about Positive Effects of Adopting Flexibility at Work.
- Freedom: The opportunity to think outside-the-box and creatively. At Kashida, our job is to create tailored solutions depending on client needs. So, one size definitely does not fit all. More often than not, we need to find workaround solutions to different types of constraints. This makes every project unique and requires creativity and problem-solving skills.
- Diversity: my global and diverse colleagues! We spend a good chunk of time with our colleagues, so if it is not enjoyable it will take away from the overall positive work experience. Usually, a company hires talents within their geographical area or would require the talent to move to their area , but Why would a company limit their talent pool to a geographic area when they can hire anyone anywhere, expanding their options to find the right fit? While the main Kashida office is in Lebanon, I work remotely from a different country and many members of the team live abroad such as Egypt, Turkey, Canada, France and Germany. It’s a win-win situation for both the company and the team.
- Routine or absence of: As mentioned, every project is unique with a tailored solution as per the learner and client needs. Also, every project is completely different in terms of the material and subject matter. Working with different subject matter experts on a wide range of topics each time ensures things are never boring. AAs learning experience designers, we learn a lot on every project we undertake, because we need to understand the topic first before we can deliver it to the learner in a simplified and engaging way. As a result, we get the chance to engage with a wide range of subject matter experts and therefore become knowledgeable on a wide range of topics!
THE TAKEAWAYS
Now you are going to tell me, wow Sharin, that sounds too good to be true, is it really euphoria over there? Yes, I love my job and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It goes without saying that it isn’t always rainbows and butterflies, misunderstandings are bound to happen, and there are challenges we face daily, but what is life without a challenge? “We don’t grow when things are easy; we grow when we face challenges” – anonymous. It makes the win that much more worthwhile. Read more about Happiness in the workplace – stimulating productivity.
CREDITS
I want to give credit to those who supported me during my journey in chronological order:
- My mom: getting me into eLearning without even knowing it through eLearning games.
- My dad: supported and encouraged me to get a master’s in educational technology.
- Dr. Guenia: created an enjoyable learning experience throughout the master’s program.
- My Husband: drove me to my internship interview at Kashida and rooted for me since.
- Ruba: LXD director at Kashida who supported me during my internship and to this day.
- Raneem: Managing director at Kashida who always encourages me to think outside the box and take ownership.
- The Kashida team: This includes
- The Kashida partners: Hassan, Ruba and Raneem for standing by my side like family during some of my most difficult times.
- Colleagues: for providing a supportive, non-toxic and enjoyable work experience.
- My Baby: for literally always being by my side, my cute little work companion.
A proud Learning Experience Designer at Kashida
