From High School Language Arts Teacher to Instructional Design Turned Entrepreneur: The Journey of Chris Straley

Chris Straley

High School Language Arts Teacher to Instructional Design Entrepreneur

Chris taught high school language arts then ended up working as an instructional designer. Eventually, he had a vision to go out on his own and start his own company, and he did just that! His company now works on instructional design projects with clients predominantly in the corporate adult learning space.

Q: How did you get into teaching?

I initially moved into teaching due to my love of all things English literature, and because I enjoy helping others learn. It seemed like a natural fit for both my interests and skillset.

(I completed my undergraduate degree in English literature at the University of Illinois and an MS in Education at the University of Dayton.)

Q: What did you teach? What level?

I taught a variety of high school language arts classes over a span of six years including Freshmen English, Senior English, Speech Communications, Journalism, and Creative Writing.

Q: What made you want to leave teaching or why did you decide to leave?

While I loved the kids, I started to burn out from teaching the same classes over and over. Specifically, during my final three years, I drew fifteen sessions of Freshmen English which translates to reading and saying the same things an inordinate number of times. Of course, I could branch out a little with my one honors class each year, but it still didn’t offer the degree of variety I craved.

Q: What steps did you take to prepare to leave the classroom/teaching?

I gained experience working in corporate education throughout college, for a year between undergrad and grad school, and finally, during summers to supplement my killer teacher income. I knew that I wanted to continue working in education and my experiences as an instructional designer gave me insight into one potential option outside the classroom.

Q: What advice would you recommend to current teachers who want to leave the classroom?

Think about why you want to leave and if you can identify an alternative that will make you happier. People spend too much of their lives at work to not enjoy what they do so I recommend establishing a plan before just calling it a day. Ask yourself, “With what aspect of traditional teaching am I no longer enamored?” Is it the pay, classroom management struggles, the political firestorm surrounding education as a profession, challenges specific to the district in which you currently work, etc.? How you answer these questions should influence your next steps.

Q: What are you doing now?

I currently own and operate Instructional Design Genius, a learning technology company, that focuses on providing project management and business intelligence to corporate learning professionals. We work with both in-house teams at large organizations and consulting firms who serve these same companies.

I moved into this space after first spending time working as an instructional designer, facilitator, measurement specialist, training manager, and talent management professional for multiple Fortune 1000 companies. In fact, my vision for Instructional Design Genius grew out of a perpetual need/challenge I encountered in adult learning regardless of the organization.

Q: Anything else you think that may help current teachers who are in the shoes that you were once in.

Read about alternate careers, and better yet, reach out to folks who work in them. Meet for coffee and discuss both the rewarding aspects and the pitfalls. Take advantage of free resources like Coursera which can help you build basic skills across a variety of areas.

Good luck and best wishes!

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