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Leaving the Classroom Episode 3: 5 Things You Need to Know About Corporate

Leaving the Classroom: A Transitioning Teacher Podcast

5 Thing You Need to Know About Corporate

Today I am talking about one of the biggest fears I had when I began to consider leaving the classroom. Starting over.

According to a National Education Association survey in 2021, 37% of educators are considering leaving the classroom earlier than they had planned. That went up six months later to 55%. Teachers are leaving the profession and starting over. And if you are considering leaving the classroom and entering the corporate world, there are some things you need to know.

Listen to the episode here: 

 Connect with Kristi on LinkedIn 

Enjoy the podcast transcription:  

Hello, welcome to leaving the classroom. I'm Kristi Oliva. Today I'm talking about one of the biggest fears I had when I began to consider leaving the classroom starting over.  Now, according to a National Education Association survey in August of 2021 37% of educators are...

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Leaving the Classroom Episode 2: The Myths of Summers Off

Leaving the Classroom: A Transitioning Teacher Podcast

The Myths of Summers Off Episode 2 

Most teachers feel summers off is one of the best perks of teaching and can’t imagine giving it up. It is also quite nice to have the same schedule as your kids to be able to take family vacations together. This was one of my biggest worries too when I thought about leaving the classroom. In this episode, I talk about why I don’t miss summers off, or any other teacher ‘perk.’

 Connect with Kristi on LinkedIn 

Enjoy the podcast transcription:  

Hello, everyone. Welcome to leaving the classroom. I'm Kristi Oliva. Today I'm answering one of the top questions I get about leaving the classroom. Don't you miss having summers off?

Now, I don't know about you. But when I was teaching, I would literally have a countdown on my whiteboard stating how many days were left until the next holiday or even the next three day weekend. In fact, most...

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Become an IDOL 75: Accessibility in eLearning with Samuel Apata

Guest: Samuel Apata, Senior eLearning Developer | Starbucks

In this episode, I will be chatting with Samuel Apata, currently a Senior eLearning Developer for Starbucks. He has over 8 years of experience developing and retaining talent for organizations like T-Mobile, American Airlines and GM Financial. Listen in to here us chat about accessibility! You'll want to know the accessibility minimums to  incorporate into course building, the guidelines you'll want to pay attention to on federal and state levels and finding the balance to not stifle your creativity! 

Listen to this episode below: 

Subscribe to Become an IDOL Podcast: Apple Podcast | Spotify | Google Podcast

Here's a little bit about Samuel: 

Samuel Apata is a dedicated instructional designer with over 8 years of experience developing and retaining talent for organizations like T-Mobile, American Airlines, GM Financial, and currently Starbucks. He holds a graduate degree in...

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Leaving the Classroom Episode 1: Top 5 Reasons for Leaving the Classroom

Leaving the Classroom: A Transitioning Teacher Podcast

Top 5 Reasons for Leaving the Classroom Episode 1 

In this episode, meet me, Kristi Oliva, former teacher turned instructional designer. Learn how I left the classroom and pursued a corporate career. I have now worked for three Fortune 10 companies including CVS, Google, and now Amazon. I left the classroom for so many reasons, and in this episode I take you through the top 5 reasons I knew I didn’t want to be a teacher anymore.

Enjoy the podcast transcription:  

Welcome to leaving the classroom. This is a podcast for teachers who are ready to transition out of the classroom and into a new career. Each week, I'll share stories about what I've learned moving from education to the corporate world. I'll answer the most common questions and share my best tips to help you get started. If you are considering leaving the classroom, this show is for you.

Welcome everyone to the very first episode of the leaving the...

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Become an IDOL 74: Abundance in Instruction Design with Kim Tuohy

Guest: Kim Tuohy, Instructional Designer | Belvista Studios

In this episode, I will be chatting with Kim Tuohy, an Instructional Design and founding Director of Belvista Studios. You don't want to miss this episode of abundance in the way Kim lives her life. Through traveling Australia in a van with solar powered panels to running her own business, she gives great tips on the balance of it all. She seeks to live a life of joy everyday!

Listen to this episode below:



Subscribe to Become an IDOL Podcast: Apple Podcast | Spotify | Google Podcast

Let me tell you a little bit about Kim:

Kim decided that the corporate world was not for her as she wanted to live a life of freedom. She started Belvista Studios and within the first year was able to hire on! She loves what she does as an Instructional Designer and believes in human centered design. She has been traveling through Australia and living a life of abundance. Keep reading to get Kim's unfiltered...

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Applying Film Theory to eLearning

We as instructional designers and eLearning developers wear many hats. Consider one more!

When we create instructional materials, we have to think very carefully not just about the content, but also about the visual design. Everything should have a purpose and be tied to the learning objectives. Visuals should always reinforce the content. If a picture or illustration does not have a very clear purpose and connection to the content, then it actually can take away from the learning experience. (Think of extraneous cognitive load.)

This idea brings me back to film school. One of my majors for my undergraduate degree was Film and Media Studies. Because it focused heavily on film theory, I learned how to critically analyze the media I consumed. The foundation of critical analysis and film theory is film history; I’ve linked the textbook that got me started.

One of the things you learn about in film theory is that early cinema took direct cues from theater. In theater,...

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Become an IDOL 73: Success Story with Marilyn Day former Career Coach

Guest: Marilyn Day,  Instructional Designer | Google

In this episode, I will be chatting with Marilyn Day, an IDOL courses Academy member who transitioned into an Instructional Designer in about 6 months landing an ID role with IDOL Talent first and then Google shortly after. She worked previously as a career coach. The search of creating something to present instead of continuously verbally repeating the same information piqued her interest in the field of Instructional Design. Hear her story of how she was able to successfully transition into this field and also serve as a coach within IDOL courses Academy. 

Listen to this episode below:

Subscribe to Become an IDOL Podcast: Apple Podcast | Spotify | Google Podcast

Let me tell you a little bit about Marilyn:

Marilyn joined IDOL courses Academy in Fall of 2021. She worked full time with 2U where she helped students as a career coach. She learned about Instructional Design and was able to go...

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A Guide to Planning and Goal Setting as an IDOL Academy Student

A Guide to Planning and Goal Setting as an IDOL Academy Student

You are looking for a career in instructional design. You look for ways to break into this industry. You look for ways to establish credibility as an instructional designer, and you come across IDOL Courses Academy. You take the leap of faith and enroll. You log into IDOL Courses that first day and you see the format of the #DoItMessy challenge. 

For those of you new to IDOL Courses Academy, #DoItMessy is the first section of the academy. It is a 14-step program in which you dedicate one day to a particular asset of your portfolio. You can choose to complete the program in exactly 14 days to correspond with the number of steps, or you can pace it in a way that works for your schedule. This can be completed at a slow or accelerated rate. The way you choose to pace your #DoItMessy experience, or any of your IDOL courses is up to you. Remember, there is no such thing as behind in the academy!

Realistically, IDOL...

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Become an IDOL 63: Success Story with Former Teacher Kim Limon

Guest: Kim Limon,  Learning and Development Design Specialist

In this episode, I'm chatting with Kim Limon with 10 years experience in Education and English writing.  She was wanting more with flexibility. When she found IDOL courses Academy she knew it was the clear bridge to help her cross over into corporate. 

Hear how much time she put in and how she went through IDOL courses Academy while working a full time job. After 2 months she built a portfolio, revamped her resume and LinkedIn account with recruiters contacting her. She has great tips for navigating the next steps! 

Listen to this episode below:

Subscribe to Become an IDOL Podcast: Apple Podcast | Spotify | Google Podcast

Let me tell you a little bit about Kim:

Kim Limon is a 10-year educator/ instructor with a varied education background instructing learners from pre-K to middle school 10th, grade, GED, all subjects as well as English language learners, and...

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The First Career Performance Plan

“It’s like I’ve landed on the moon and you’re asking where I want to go next,” I said to my manager. It was the first month into my first remote ID role, and she wanted to know my career goals. Several cohorts later, I now have hired mentees reaching out to ask me for help with the same thing. “How the heck am I supposed to develop my annual goals or write a professional development plan!? I know what I want to do. But no idea how to make it ‘corporate enough.’” For all those on the Moon, here’s what I have figured out so far (plus some resources).

That First Career Performance Plan 

“It’s like I’ve landed on the moon and you’re asking where I want to go next,” I said to my manager. It was the first month into my first remote ID role, and she wanted to know my career goals. “Truthfully, I have so much healing to do. I want this first year to be all about renewing my relationship with...

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