Sony Johny

Working as a Learning Technology designer for Virgin Media, Manchester, UK. It was a role which covered the whole spectrum of managerial as well as developmental responsibilities – right from meeting the stakeholders to identify the trainings needs for their department to designing, developing and deploying in various formats like classroom trainings, web-based trainings and video-based trainings and also get hands-on experience at using and training for the company's LMS. It's here where I also got the opportunity to develop social learning based content for the apprentices of Virgin Media and deploy it on the in-house social network.

I also designed various 'train the trainers' courses and classroom trainings for various departments which gave me the opportunity to impart why certain treatment of content is crucial based on various educational psychological theories.

I spend most of the day researching for the content for a potential course as well as updating myself with the latest trends in the field of educational technology.

With the internet being an ocean of information today, the course creators owe it to the learners/course-users to present curated and credible content that caters to their motivation and objectives for themselves. Otherwise, it's easy for them to get lost in this ocean with no goals achieved.

As the generation becomes more and more technology-savvy by each day, learners don't have to be tied at a desk for accessing content and learning. Learning should be woven into their daily schedule. It's crucial that as course creators we keep ourselves updated on the ever-changing technology and identify its various applications that we can leverage to create a well-rounded content that's relatable and accessible to the learners.

The best part is the accountability the company bestows on you as a course creator. GetAConnect appreciates the time put on "behind the scenes" for creating a course as it's equally important to research the content before we start creating a course. And while uploading the course content on the platform, there's always guidance provided so that you don't feel lost and are not left to figure it out on your own. It's a wonderful feeling to be acknowledged of your experience and merits in the field of educational technology/instructional designing.

In my opinion, the most important skills I use in my daily job are:
> A thorough knowledge of learning and teaching theories based on educational psychology
> Figuring out the latest trends in technology and software that can be leveraged and applied in the field of education
> Applying theories that help in structure objectives for a course
> Analysing the flow of content
> Identifying the treatment methods for each piece of content so that it's engaging and interesting for the learners
> My communication skills (writing as well as spoken) as various forms of courses demands various tones. For example, a very formal course for the banking employees requires the content to be communicated in a very formal tone whereas to write for a casual course where it's important to set a relaxed environment for the learners, the content needs to be communicated in a casual, conversational tone.

I have always yearned to work in a visually creative medium and I loved writing a lot. So it was inevitable that I choose a career that caters to my interests.

I couldn't have asked for a better career path that gives me the opportunity that challenges me to write and communicate in the more effective way for the learners.

Also, it gives me the opportunity to work with several graphics and authoring tool to support the content visually that satisfies my visual creative itch.

Sometimes, we get so caught up in the fun of creating, developing and deploying the content, that we forget to see the bigger picture. It's important to see the bigger picture in terms of understanding the stakeholders as well as the target audience. Because all our hard work in creating the content would mean something only if it addresses the 'what's in it for me' question' and also is relatable to the end consumer.

The best pieces of advice I have ever received is 'Take one day at a time'.

Sometimes, it can be very overwhelming when we flood ourselves with future plans/thoughts/ideas in terms of career or life in general, that we forget to look at what we have at hands today and make small, manageable and smart decisions.

Taking one day at a time is like focusing on placing one foot in front of the other and before you know it, you have covered a long journey without really getting overwhelmed by the distance.

Education is a never-dying field and so is technology. They only keep evolving. As mankind approaches 2050, there will be more advancements in the field of technology that can be leveraged in the field of education. Thereby, making education available to more and more people and formulating opportunities and ways to accommodate and integrate education as part of everyday lives.

However, technology can never overtake education and vice versa as one of the crucial factors in education is also about the emotional connection we inculcate in learners and mould out a desirable behaviour out of a student.

I would highly recommend the movie 'The pursuit of happyness'(Yes, happiness is spelled with a 'y').

It's a story that encourages and inspires us to work hard, work smart, learn from failures and bad decisions, and teaches us how our failures never define who we are. It teaches us to identify opportunities and be resilient no matter how many times you fall. And it's based on the true story of Chris Gardner, which makes us believe that these qualities are not fictitious and totally be worked towards.

One thing I wish I knew when I chose my career was that it's teamwork with many people working with different ideas. And since it's a creative field, there are going to be a lot of clashes of ideas in your team as everybody perceives situations differently. It is important that you are a team player and work towards what's best for the end consumer.

My only career advice to you would be to be nice and never stop learning.
In today's age, it's somehow become ok to not be nice to people who work for you or be selectively nice to people when you want to get your work done from someone. This attitude never takes you far – both emotionally or career-wise.

Also, it's never ok to finish your learning once you get the degree in your hands. Always keep updating your knowledge with what's trending in the market and latest in your field to give yourself an edge over others.