Transition from College Curriculum Support to eLearning Developer: The Journey of Gemma Nunn

Gemma Nunn

College Curriculum Support to eLearning Developer

Many of us in the instructional design and elearning industry just happen to stumble upon the profession or somehow find out about it accidentally and then realized we finally found “our thing.” Gemma’s journey is a perfect example of this. She also stresses the importance of reevaluating a job if you are unhappy or it is causing mental issues.

Q: How did you get into teaching?

“I kind of fell into the job, to be honest! I was working as Curriculum Support in the Media and Music department of one of our local colleges and it so happened that they needed someone to teach Dreamweaver and Photoshop. I had the skills but zero teaching experience, but I gave it my best shot. My first time in front of a class of learners was nerve-wracking, but I got through it!”

Q: What did you teach? What level?

“I mainly taught web design and development, but I was also called upon to teach sort courses in Photoshop, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver. My learners came from a variety of backgrounds and were studying different qualifications, ranging from National Diploma and A-Levels to full bachelor’s degrees.”

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

“I loved the actual teaching side of the job (the learners were great), but the amount of paperwork, bureaucracy, and push from the higher-ups to get good grades and more “bums on seats” was killing my love of the job. I found myself working long hours for no additional reward or recognition. I could have said “no” but then the work would not have been done. In the end, the job was having a negative effect on my mental health and I decided it was time to quit teaching.”

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

“Whilst I was still teaching, I did a brief secondment to the college’s eLearning department to produce some online learning materials based on the course I was teaching (web design and development). I found myself looking forward to going to work again as I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was a combination of teaching and web design and I felt my creative spark ignite again. It also inspired me to go back to university and study a master’s degree on the subject! I decided that should an opportunity to join the eLearning department should arise, I would apply for it. A couple of months after my secondment ended, a role for an eLearning Content Developer was advertised. I applied and got it. I’ve been working as an eLearning Developer ever since.”

Q: What are you doing now?

“I’m working as an eLearning Developer for 100% Effective Ltd, based in York, UK. We offer eLearning and traditional classroom training in business improvement and management, but we also take on bespoke eLearning projects.”

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

“Do some research into potential job roles that might be of interest. Consider any additional qualifications or training you might need to undertake in order to move into a new role. If your mental health has been affected because of the stress of the job, seek help and guidance.”

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

“If your role is demanding too much of you, then it’s time to take a step back and evaluate whether it is worth jeopardizing your mental health. If there are ways of minimizing or delegating some of the work, explore those options. Otherwise, consider looking elsewhere. Your mental health is worth more than your job.”

Subscribe to our newsletter

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.