What would you say if I told you that all the bad news you hear on YouTube or cable news is full of it—and that your dreams are still very much alive, just waiting on you to stop making excuses? Here’s me saying goodbye to my old job. 2 years of growing the club, growing myself and my skills, and becoming a full-fledged trainer. The goal I set my mind to over 2 years ago before I enrolled at Purdue (where astronauts have gone more than any other school).
There was a wake-up call I got after 20 years of selling going from “Hero to Zero” each month selling everything from ski lessons and lawncare to office space, condos in high-rises, Ford trucks, wheels, legal cannabis extracts, and full windows/siding/roofing jobs. Heck, I even sold the dream of sailing to people who were trying to get away from all this grinding for cash. Eventually, I realized I was the one who needed a new direction. The sales cycle had become a hamster wheel, and I was turning into my first pet, Junior the Gerbil—may he rest in peace, head stuck outside the bars of his favorite toy. Even though I was a sales trainer, I always had a manager breathing down my neck for more money, more profits, more time away from my family.
Eventually, I realized I was the one who needed a new direction.
So I took a leap. After 20 years from when I got my BA in Theater from a small college in Colorado, Western State Mountaineers lets goooo! I went back to school THIS TIME WITH A PLAN and in the middle of the AI revolution—20 months of intense study to earn a Master’s in Learning Design & Technology. I chose a field I could pour myself into, one where I could learn how people learn and teach in borderline magic ways. With ChatGPT as my Johnny Five sidekick (yeah, that robot from the ’80s), I didn’t just write papers—I built worlds, designed modules, and created pathways that made sense to learners of every stripe.
And the best part, one semester left of my Master’s in Learning Design and Technology at Purdue, and over 200 applications sent, and 10 interviews later? Now, here I am. An ERP trainer for working at a high-powered Change Management Consulting Firm, working with state government liquor stores, training folks aged 20 to 80, many with very low technical knowledge. You want to talk about nuance? Try teaching someone who’s never used a dropdown menu how to manage a complex procurement system in Dynamics 365. That’s instructional design, baby.
And yet, it’s a beautiful thing. Because real learning happens when you’re patient, clear, and make it fun. I get to demystify technology for people who never thought they could master it. Every pen stroke on a created job aid, or idea for an Elearning module through Articulate, or Virtual Instructor Led training session becomes an invitation: “Hey, let me show you how you can do this. How you can become more efficient and use technology to your advantage to stay more organized so you can spend more time doing the things you love. Not getting lost in Legacy Systems and Excel Spreadsheets!”
I get to demystify technology for people who never thought they could master it.
The world of AI right now is CRAZY. Each week 20 more tools come out. WOW, right?? Sure, I miss Googling answers to questions and feeling like I had a 50/50 shot at being right in an argument with my wife (we met looking for roommates on Craigslist, by the way). But now I have GPT-5 (Even thought I miss ol’ 4.1 so much!) whispering facts in my ear like a superpowered co-pilot. And the way I figure: if AI is going to be listening to me all the time, it might as well be working for me, too.
This is a celebratory post and I am stoked on my new job as “Training Developer” after 2 weeks at the job! I never imagined I’d be the guy building job aids, writing microlearning modules, or designing enterprise training dashboards. No kid grows up saying they want to be an “Instructional Designer.” But here I am. And I’m damn proud of the journey.
I wrote personalized cover letters. I built a portfolio. I passed the background checks. I showed up early, sent post-interview plans, and landed a role where I get to help people learn. Real people. Not ideal learners on a flowchart, but hard-working adults doing their best every day.
No kid grows up saying they want to be an “Instructional Designer.” But here I am. And I’m damn proud of the journey.
Sliding down mountains and sailing into sunsets is still part of who I am. But this chapter? This is the adult dream. The kind where you make an impact, contribute to something bigger, and watch learners light up when they finally “get it.”
And if you ask me? That’s better than any sales commission I’ve ever cashed.
Want to see the instructional magic? Check out my portfolio of modules, tools, and performance solutions at blueedgewater.com.
P.S.- I love my first role being able to work Hybrid/Remote and spend more time with this goofball. Cheers and happy Friday for whoever has been following along in this journey.
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