Section 6: Getting an IDT Position and Succeeding at It

Begin your post for this week with some background: what is your current job, what program are you enrolled in, what brings you to that program, and what do you expect when you graduate (change jobs? obtain a promotion?). My current job is a benefits specialist in the insurance industry. I come from an educational background in early childhood, biology, and accounting. The program that I am enrolled in is the training and development curriculum, and the global e-learning aspect of the program is what interested me in pursuing my master’s degree. When I graduate I hope to use my skills in the non-profit sector or to advance in my current position.

Next, describe the kind of work that you want to do and the type of organization or institution in which you want to work. Use the WorkMatrix^TM in the chapter titled “Getting a Job in Business and Industry” to help organize your thoughts. Do you most desire first, second, third, or fourth level service? Or would you rather design or develop instruction? What features of work are important to you? What economic sector do you want to work in? Personally, I would like to use my expertise in the non- profit sector to help people in low socioeconomic situations, elderly, and foster children. My first desire is helping others, second is building relationships, third is giving back to the community, and fourth is empowering others. The features of work that are important to me are the portions that deal with the client base or patrons. Military and the consulting sector are areas that I would also like to work in, but as a contractor.

Based on these intentions, explain what you need to learn. What skills and qualifications do you need? Will you obtain the skills you need in the required courses in your program? What electives might you need to take to help you develop skills specific to your aspirations? To be successful in any of these fields I will need to sharpen my interpersonal skills, technical skills, management and leadership effectiveness training. Many of the skills that I need I can learn different aspects of them in my program, but most of them are things that will be a personal challenge. The electives that I need will have to include leadership, foreign languages, and organization based courses to succeed.

Finally, what organizations would best support your continued learning after you graduate? Do you think you would benefit from joining those organizations before graduating? Explain why or why not? The organizations that I think would help me after I graduate are The United Way, Red Cross, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. I think an internship would be very helpful before I graduated so that I may have the chance to see the demand for the responsibilities needed to perform the job.