Whether you’re trying to break into the field, land freelance clients, or secure a higher-paying job, a great portfolio will help you get there.
Instructional designers without strong portfolios often feel frustrated and overwhelmed when searching for jobs or clients. There's a lot of competition—and, without a strong portfolio, it's tough to set yourself apart from the crowd.
When you do have a great portfolio, you don't have to worry about finding opportunities. Landing interviews becomes the norm, and clients come to you to see if you're available for freelance work.
Better yet, a great portfolio establishes you in the field and builds your credibility. It shows off your skills and helps you get noticed. In short, it puts the instructional design job market on easy mode.
I joined Devlin’s Bootcamp because I wanted to seriously up my game and land my dream role in the eLearning industry. I felt this was the right move because I not only wanted to build a solid portfolio—I also wanted 1-on-1 support and good critical feedback on my work.
Devlin was instrumental in helping me develop a killer portfolio and giving the kind of feedback I was looking for to truly improve. In the end, I was able to garner an amazing E-Learning Developer position at Sephora, an international beauty brand that not only aligns strongly with my own values, but that I’m also a huge personal fan of. I couldn’t be happier with the way this all turned out, and I’m sure that I wouldn’t be where I am without Devlin’s guidance and coaching.
The bootcamp includes unlimited 1-on-1 meetings for you to get personalized feedback, coaching, and support. We'll help you achieve your goals faster and move past roadblocks in no time.
Network with an exclusive community of instructional designers that are driven to succeed. Inspire one another, get feedback, and build long-lasting professional relationships that will elevate your career.
It's nearly impossible to build your skills and create a great portfolio in a vacuum. Feedback and iteration are crucial for success.
The bootcamp is founded on unlimited, actionable feedback that helps you create professional-grade work and demand professional-grade salaries and rates.
Before joining the bootcamp, I was a full-time student in an instructional design certificate program. As I was trying to get my ducks in a row to land my first ID job upon graduation, I quickly realized that I would need some guidance to develop a professional portfolio; I wanted to create one that would make me a competitive candidate.
Devlin’s bootcamp provided just that—and more! Through the skills I developed in this bootcamp and the support I got from my cohort, I was able to confidently land my first freelance gig before even graduating!
University programs cover the theory, but how do you prepare yourself for the real tasks that instructional designers perform on a daily basis?
The bootcamp gives you hands-on experience with the most in-demand tools in the industry.
Rather than bombard you with hour-long lectures, the bootcamp includes bite-sized videos that give you exactly what you need to start building, iterating, and collecting feedback.
Many bootcampers land opportunities before even completing their portfolios due to the skills and process that they learn. That's the power of professional guidance and unlimited feedback.
Visual design can be difficult, especially if you're not graphically trained.
However, people make snap judgments based on how things look and feel. If your portfolio or projects are not up-to-par visually, then it can have a drastic impact on your search for new opportunities.
That's why we include unlimited visual design feedback in the bootcamp. If you didn't get it right the first time — no worries. We're here to give you actionable feedback and help you create professional, compelling projects.
Most instructional design projects are hidden behind NDAs, and if you're just getting started, then it's hard to come up with good project ideas.
The bootcamp will help you create a project that shows off the full range of your instructional design skillset and solves a real-world problem.
This project will show employers and clients that you know your stuff, and it will give you a strong framework that you can use to ace interviews and land work.
When the pandemic hit, I decided it was going to be my last year teaching in a public school. I was ready to change my career for something that offers more freedom and flexibility. I learned instructional design through an online Master’s program, but it wasn’t until joining Devlin’s bootcamp that I truly got my feet wet in the field.
Joining the bootcamp gave me the hands-on practice I needed to enhance my technical skills, do paid work, and ace interviews. Learning how to build a scenario-based project using the tools and the structure provided by the bootcamp helped me provide ample sample work that landed me a full-time opportunity, even before finishing my portfolio website.
I'm so happy to have successfully transitioned into this new career. I'm looking forward to making a real difference at my organization, all while earning a higher salary and enjoying better work-life balance. I couldn't have done it without the bootcamp!
If you want to stand out in the market and land great opportunities, then a certificate isn't going to do much for you.
Employers and potential clients care about your skillset and the quality of work that you can do. Nothing speaks to this better than a high-end portfolio.
That's why, in the bootcamp, we'll help you create a visually appealing portfolio full of projects that solve real problems. This puts you leagues ahead of the certificate-toting competition.
Once you've done the hard work and created your stand-out portfolio, we'll ensure that your LinkedIn looks great, your resume is up-to-par, and you're prepared for the interview. This will help you get noticed and get the job.
When it's time to land paid work, you can leverage our industry connections to get referrals to some of the world's top companies.
The growing bootcamp alumni network also comes to the bootcamp first when they're looking for their next hire. Put in the work, apply our feedback, and say hello to new opportunities.
I joined Devlin’s bootcamp at the end of 2020 when I was in a business development-related role at a college-prep company. Although I have a master’s degree in Education, I found it hard to land an instructional design-related role. I didn’t have the experience and I didn’t know what I should do to even pass the resume screening. However, joining Devlin's bootcamp and applying what I learned at my company helped me incredibly.
When I saw Devlin was opening a bootcamp in November 2020, I didn’t hesitate to join because I’m a longtime follower of his blogs and I knew the content would be great. In fact, the content exceeded my expectations! I learned how to hone my projects and put together a portfolio; I learned how to build a portfolio website and prepare for interviews; I got the best feedback from my peers and Devlin through live sessions and I am so grateful for all of this!
After 2 months of working with Devlin, I improved the training materials (my flagship project) for my previous employer and, eventually, they decided to publish the materials as their official documents. I built my portfolio website and crafted my resume with the guidance from the bootcamp content and my peers. In the end, I got 3 interview invitations from the first 10 applications I sent out.
Now I am working as a Content Designer at Reforge, a leading online professional education company based in SF. My work is more eLearning development-oriented than instructional design. It is exactly what I wanted and I couldn't have done this without Devlin, his bootcamp, and my peers. The best thing about this bootcamp is how closely it aligns with the industry requirements — what you learn and do will be most relevant to what employers are looking for.
If you’re looking to fast-track your ID journey and set yourself up for success, there are no better places to do so than Devlin’s content and the bootcamp.
When you join the bootcamp, you get access to our growing library of practical courses. They're all focused on helping you build your skills, land the best opportunities, and make a real impact in the ID roles that you land.
Our growing library of courses include:
The bootcamp gives you access to all of our current and future courses, and we are working around the clock to make sure that we're your one-stop shop for all things instructional design and eLearning development.
When I enrolled in Devlin’s ID Bootcamp, I had some knowledge of curriculum development through my teaching background, but a limited understanding of how to apply learning theory to adult learning in the workplace.
Through the ID bootcamp, I was able to interact with other instructional designers at many different levels, ask questions, receive valuable feedback, and observe a wide variety of creative learning projects. Although it was intimidating at first, I quickly became comfortable with the community of amazing professionals within the ID bootcamp and gained so much valuable knowledge from our interactions.
Devlin also provided an abundance of user-friendly content and instruction regarding the technological tools available and the design process, and he also provided personalized feedback on each step of my project development and visual design.
I have now fully transitioned from classroom teaching to a Learning and Development role, and I am thrilled to be able to use my knowledge and skills in this context. I am so grateful for the skills and confidence that I acquired in this course, and I look forward to continuing to interact with this community of instructional designers who have been so generous in sharing their expertise.
The bootcamp is for anyone who would like to upskill or land competitive opportunities in the instructional design and eLearning space. It's a particularly good fit for:
You will need to put in work to have the best experience. The bootcamp experience relies on iteration and participation. This is not a passive experience or a magic ticket to getting a job.
However, if you do the work, engage with the community, and apply feedback, then you will fast-track your success and land great opportunities.
When you join the bootcamp, you get a team of pros and a supportive community to help you thrive in your career. We'll help you with everything from landing your first job to building your business to making an impact on a global team.
Nobody wants to figure this stuff out on their own, and with the bootcamp, you don't have to.
The bootcamp pros helped shape the bootcamp into what it is today. They developed their skills, landed top corporate roles, built thriving freelance businesses, and brought the community up with them in the process.
When you join the bootcamp, you can meet with the pros whenever you need coaching, feedback, or support.
Robbie Christian
If you need help landing clients, designing great eLearning, or staying motivated, then Robbie is here for you.
Aleksandra Drobik
Aleks is the queen of color theory, and she's here to help you design visuals that stand out and demand attention.
Nicole Stephens
Nicole uses her mastery of the full ID process to help you develop projects that impress and inspire.
Joanna Cappuccilli
Need help getting great offers? Meet with Joanna to update your resume and ace the interview.
When I joined Devlin’s Bootcamp, I was in my 8th year of teaching and looking to transition out of the classroom and into corporate instructional design. I selected Devlin’s Bootcamp after seeing his contributions to the L&D community and his genuine desire to help others improve.
After joining, I felt encouraged and supported by Devlin and the bootcamp community as a whole. Their constructive, actionable feedback helped me create a flagship project, portfolio website, and supporting projects, and my skillset improved rapidly along the way.
My flagship project and portfolio website helped me land a remote instructional design job that doubled my salary. I’m excited for this new opportunity to create learning experiences for others that uses my new skills and my expertise as an educator. I’m proud of my hard work and thankful for Devlin’s support.
I started my freelance business as a master’s student, and by focusing on my portfolio and skills, I quickly began closing over six figures in sales per year. Using what I learned, I helped many of my friends and peers land high-paying corporate jobs and freelance clients.
After refining my approach to the ID market, I created the bootcamp to scale my help. I've helped hundreds of instructional designers upskill and land opportunities, and I've built a team of highly-skilled instructional designers to provide you the support and hand-holding that you need to succeed.
The bootcamp is a big investment. If you get accepted, you can enroll for either $9,999 per year or $999 per month (prices are in USD).
This price reflects the level of support that you'll receive to ensure that you achieve your goals, as well as the time that you'll save working with our practical, hands-on content.
Our commitment to you is that we'll save you (or make you) at least 2x the cost of the program per year. That's one good client or one good raise, and the bootcamp can definitely help you get there.
We also hope that the confidence you develop and the recognition you get from your peers, supervisors, and clients will be invaluable.
The bootcamp uses a subscription model so that we can provide you a premium experience with everything that we have to offer.
This includes all of our existing courses, early access to new courses as we build them, unlimited 1-on-1s, and as much feedback and support as you need.
Our goal is to build a program that provides so much value, you want to stay with us throughout your career. Instead of just leaning on our support until you land a new opportunity, we'll be here to help you exceed expectations after you get the job.
That's the power of the subscription model: your own personal instructional design team on speed dial.
To get the full bootcamp experience and get the most value from your time here, we strongly suggest joining the bootcamp for a minimum of 12 months.
If you're only joining the bootcamp to land a job as soon as possible, then it will likely be possible to accomplish that in less time.
However, if you're trying to rush through the bootcamp (or if you abandon all of our support as soon as you land the role), then you will not experience the full benefits of the experience.
That being said, please expect to commit to a full 12+ months in the bootcamp. Our goal is to provide so much value every step of the way that you'll want to stay with us throughout the duration of your ID career, but whether or not you do that is up to you.
Since our bootcamp pros devote so much time and effort to supporting you and giving you the best experience possible, our refund window is limited to 7 days after enrolling. During this time you can get a full refund for any reason.
To prevent anyone from taking advantage of the subscription model, you cannot reapply to the bootcamp after canceling your subscription. That being said, you will still be able to purchase courses à la carte if you choose to do so.
Since the bootcamp is such a big investment, we want to make sure that it's the perfect fit for everyone who joins.
The application consists of 15 questions. We expect that it will take you between 15 and 30 minutes to complete, and there are no application fees. We review applications on a first-come, first-served basis.
If it seems like you'd be a good fit, we follow up by scheduling an informal interview. This is where we make sure that the program is right for you, and you can ask questions to make sure that you know exactly what to expect.
If the bootcamp is indeed right for you, then we'll decide on a start date that works best for you, and we'll accept a down payment if the start date is more than 14 days away.
We plan to start working directly with companies so that they can provide their L&D teams full access to the bootcamp. This is still on the roadmap, but we expect to roll out our corporate offer in mid-to-late 2023.
That being said, if your employer offers you a professional development budget that covers the cost of the bootcamp, we are happy to provide the necessary documentation.
Yes, you can! The bootcamp includes access to our growing library of courses, many of which are devoted to helping you learn in-demand ID skills. They won't just help you get noticed on the job market...they'll also help you get noticed and make an impact on the job.
While the specific course library is constantly growing, the bootcamp aspires to be your one-stop-shop for professional development in the L&D space.
Our library includes, or will include, content that helps you learn in-demand software, apply instructional design theory and science, optimize your resume, prepare for interviews, build a freelance business, and so much more.
You can learn more about our specific offerings under the "Explore the bootcamp content" heading higher up on this page.
You do not need any background knowledge to enroll in the bootcamp. Most of our offerings are beginner-friendly, and you'll have unlimited 1-on-1 support to make sure that you can get up to speed quickly.
The bootcamp is for current and aspiring instructional designers, interpreted broadly. This includes eLearning designers and developers, learning experience designers, learning and development specialists, and anyone else looking to upskill or secure opportunities in the instructional design and eLearning space.
There are no hard requirements for how much time you must commit to the bootcamp. We design the program so that you can get value from the program even on the busiest of schedules.
You can access the content and schedule 1-on-1s on your terms.
That being said, most people commit between 5 and 20 hours per week.
Since everyone's time commitments and starting points vary, it depends on how much time you can commit to the program.
The average timeline is six months to upskill, create a flagship project, design a portfolio website, prepare application documents, prep for the interview, navigate the interview process, and accept an offer.
You can send any additional questions our way by emailing them to devlin@peck.consulting.
When I first met Devlin, I was a tenured professor at a research university and felt trapped in my job. I wanted to transition into corporate instructional design, but I lacked the concrete, nuts-and-bolts knowledge of how to fill in my skill gaps, build a portfolio, and pitch myself in a job application.
With Devlin’s 1-on-1 support and guidance, I went in six months from never having heard of instructional design to landing an ID role at Amazon Web Services. So many exciting doors have opened for me, including career progression, geographic mobility, healthier work-life balance, and better pay.
Bootcamp applications are currently closed to the general public. The next launch is this summer, and we can accept 50 people.
Applications will open to people in the Storyline Project Lab from May 9th-13th. If any seats remain, we will announce them to the rest of the community in June.
Enter your email address below to get updates when applications open.
After completing a master’s degree, I had plenty of technical papers highlighting my instructional design knowledge. However, I quickly realized that this isn’t what hiring managers were looking for. I needed a portfolio to show off the full range of my instructional design skills, and the idea of creating a wow-worthy portfolio overwhelmed me until I found Devlin’s ID Portfolio Bootcamp.
When I joined the bootcamp, I quickly connected with an amazing support system. Devlin’s feedback elevated my work to a higher level and I had the opportunity to learn from other industry professionals participating in the program. Giving feedback to my peers on the weekly workshops and small-group meetings also helped me sharpen my skills and focus on the design process from different perspectives.
In addition to guiding me through the portfolio process, Devlin mentored me as I launched my website and started my freelance business. His guidance gave me direction and confidence to pursue this career fully, and in the first month of freelancing I was fully booked and turning away work. My first freelance job paid more than I had made in a year's time as an educator, making the time I spent creating a quality portfolio in the bootcamp well worth the investment.
If you’re open to putting in the work and fully engaging with the bootcamp, then you’ll have the support and guidance that you need to bring your instructional design career to the next level.