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Three ways into ID. Here's how they compare.

Teach yourself, get a master's, or join the Applied Instructional Design Academy (AIDA). All three can get you there. They cost very different things, in money and in time.

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Money and time
Teach yourselfFree. Can take 2+ years. A master'sOften $16,000 to $31,000. Can take 2+ years. AIDA$5,997. About 6 months through AIDA, then about 4 months to get hired once you start applying.
On your own vs. AIDA

Doing it on your own, or joining a program.

You can learn a lot on your own, and some people pull it off. Here's what changes when you join a program.

Your first draft is never your best work.

You do as much as you can on your own, and if you could have done more, you would have. You hit your limit, and that's what a first draft is. To get past it, you need feedback.

If you're a teacher, you have your students write more than one draft. If you write a book, it goes to an editor. It's very hard to iterate on your own work without feedback, because you only know what you don't know.

When you apply for jobs, employers don't give you that feedback. You get "thanks, but no thanks," or nothing at all, and you don't know what to improve. In a program, you get the feedback early, while you're still building.

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I could have figured out some things on my own, but I would have never been able to guide myself through the structure this program provided. It was scaffolded perfectly to push... then move small steps forward.
Michelle PuryearMichelle PuryearElementary Library Media Specialist → Instructional Designer, Flourish Research
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I got two interviews over the course of a year and a half, neither of which led any further. And so I was kind of desperate.
Laura HallLaura HallTeacher → Instructional Designer, NearmapAfter a year and a half of applying on her own
On your own
AIDA
The path
On your ownYou piece it together from YouTube, free templates and Facebook groups, and try to figure out what to learn first. You get everything at once, it's overwhelming, and it's hard to build one skill on top of the last.
AIDAA step-by-step path. You learn, then you do, then you learn the next piece, so it builds on itself without the overwhelm.
Feedback
On your ownMaybe a friend or a Facebook group glances at it. Nobody who hires IDs tells you whether it's good enough, so you guess.
AIDAExperienced instructional designers review every sample until it's approved.
When you find out what to fix
On your ownIn the job search. You send out applications and get "thanks, but no thanks," or nothing at all, and nobody tells you why or what to improve.
AIDAWhile you're building, before a hiring manager ever sees it.
Getting to expert level
On your ownCan take years of trial and error, because you only know what you don't know.
AIDAA short period of time, because the Skill Ladder is scaffolded on purpose.
Your portfolio
On your ownYou decide on your own whether it reads as professional work or beginner work. The newbie mistakes you can't see in your own work are the ones a hiring manager spots first.
AIDAProfessionally reviewed, so there are no newbie mistakes, with samples that look like the work you'll do on the job.
AI
On your ownWhatever you happen to pick up from videos and posts, with no one checking how you use it and nothing to show for it in an interview.
AIDAThe LEAD AI Framework, AI on your samples, and an AI Log you can talk about in interviews.
The job search
On your ownYou apply, wait and hear nothing back. You don't know whether it's your resume, your portfolio or your interviews, so you keep sending the same thing. No referrals, no one in your corner.
AIDAYour resume, LinkedIn and portfolio are reviewed before you apply, so you know they're ready. Then Job Search HQ, mock interviews, career services, and referrals to companies that are hiring IDs.
Who's with you
On your ownJust you, at your kitchen table at 10pm, trying to decide if it's good enough.
AIDAMentors, live calls every week, Ada and a community making the same move.
Money and time
On your ownFree. Can take 2+ years, because you're figuring out on your own what isn't working.
AIDA$5,997, or 12 payments of $547. About 6 months through AIDA, then about 4 months to get hired once you start applying.
A master's vs. AIDA

A master's and AIDA, side by side.

A master's can make a real difference if you want to work in higher ed. For corporate jobs, hiring managers want to see what you can do on day one, and your portfolio is how they check.

Master's in ID
AIDA
Best fit for
Master'sHigher ed roles, research, and teaching at a university
AIDACorporate instructional design roles
What you learn
Master'sLearning theory, design models and research
AIDAA step-by-step path through ID fundamentals, the corporate ID process, the authoring tools and AI
Authoring tools
Master'sVaries by program. Many skip Storyline and Rise.
AIDAStoryline and Rise, built up step by step
AI
Master'sVaries by program
AIDAAI fluency with the LEAD AI Framework, plus the AI skills IDs use to build training, on your portfolio projects
Portfolio
Master'sOften coursework that reads like school, or no portfolio at all, so you still have to build corporate samples on your own after you graduate
AIDAA portfolio website with corporate-style samples on it: eLearning, a design document, a storyboard and a job aid
Feedback
Master'sUsually a grade per assignment, then you move on to the next class
AIDAEvery piece reviewed by experienced instructional designers until it's approved
Job search help
Master'sVaries by school, and it's usually general career services, not help built for instructional design
AIDACareer services built for instructional design: resumes, LinkedIn, interview questions and the application process, tools built to help IDs make the move, calls and support, and connections to employers that hire IDs
Pace
Master'sUsually 30 to 36 credit hours, on the school's calendar
AIDADesigned to be about 6 months, but you can take up to 12, self-paced
Cost
Master'sOften $16,000 to $31,000 for a 30-credit program
AIDA$5,997 in full, or 12 payments of $547
What you walk away with
Master'sA graduate degree
AIDAA certification and a portfolio closely aligned with what employers want to see

Some grads do both. Elyse finished her ID master's first, then came to AIDA for the tools, the samples and the job search. Looking back, she said, “I would save the money on a master's degree and just go with the Academy.”

I looked at doing a master’s, and I just thought, “I don’t know if I have it in me to do a master’s,” because I was working so full time. And now I look back and I’m like, “Thank God I didn’t try to do a master’s,” because I don’t need it.

Carol BeachAccount Executive in Fashion → Lead Instructional Designer, Experian

I did not get a master’s degree in instructional design. I know many people that went into instructional design without a master’s degree. And the thing with a master’s degree is they’re going to teach you information about the theories behind everything. You’re not going to get the hands on skills development like you do through the Applied Instructional Design Academy. They’re not going to have you create a portfolio. You’re not going to learn the different kinds of softwares.

Taylor SakinskyTeacher → Senior Instructional Designer, I-CAR

I had narrowed my search down to 2 Master’s programs, and was planning to enroll even though I wasn’t sure where the tuition money would come from. […] The idea of becoming an ID went from being a “someday goal” to a “I could do this within 9 months!” goal. It changed EVERYTHING for me.

Susan OgilvieTeacher → Sales Enablement Program Manager, Trimble

More on master's degrees in instructional design →

Questions before you join?

Email info@learningstrategyanddesign.com and our team replies within one business day. Refund within 3 days of purchase, minus a $300 processing fee, and you can pause your enrollment for up to 3 months. Read the terms.

Jill Davidian

Jill Davidian is the founder of Learning Strategy & Design and creator of the Applied ID Portfolio Method. 20+ years in instructional design, including time as a hiring manager. 1,200+ AIDA graduates. More about Jill
Last updated: November 2026

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The November cohort's enrollment closes Tuesday, November 17 at 11:59pm CT, and we start Wednesday, November 18. See the price and what's included on the AIDA overview.

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