We were lucky to catch up with Samuel Apata recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Samuel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

It all began when I joined T-Mobile as an intern immediately after college. Although my background was in Animation, I felt ill-prepared to pursue my dream of working in advertising due to the rapid changes in technology. It was during another internship that I discovered instructional design, and I couldn’t resist an opportunity to help learners enhance their learning experiences. Interestingly, many instructional designers stumbled upon this career path by chance.

In 2014, I took a chance and relocated from Baltimore to Seattle for my internship. It was there that I fell in love with instructional design. After three months, I was offered a permanent role, indicating that I adapted well. Recognizing the need for continuous learning, I enrolled in an online Masters program in Instructional Systems Design. This experience allowed me to delve into the intricacies of learning and development, and I graduated in 2016. At some point, I had the urge to return home. Although my intention was to return to Baltimore, my journey led me to Texas, where I joined American Airlines in 2016. Since then, I have had the opportunity to work with organizations such as Dex YP, GM Financial, and Fossil.

Currently, I am serving as a senior eLearning developer at Starbucks. I take great satisfaction in giving back to the community by organizing workshops to support new instructional designers. My career has been a worthwhile progression from being an intern to becoming an experienced instructional designer and eLearning developer.

Samuel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

With nine years of experience in learning and development, I have noticed that organizations struggle with creating effective learning due to evolving modalities. I have successfully built scalable training programs and trained thousands of employees along the way.

My passion lies in designing online courses. I lead a monthly workshop on Learning Technologies and volunteer as Past President at ATD Fort Worth Mid-Cities. As a regular contributor to the Articulate E-Learning Community, my projects have been featured multiple times. I also host free workshops which aspiring or seasoned instructional designers can register for. Registration is available via a link on my website www.samuelapata.com.

I actively look for speaking opportunities and have presented at a few learning conferences including DevLearn, ALC, ACE, and Cultivate.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I grew up in Nigeria before moving to the United States in 2010. Adjusting to life in a new country required adaptation, and I recognized that furthering my education would be the most effective way to navigate this transition. Initially, I had concerns about my accent and felt self-conscious about it for a long time. To actively contribute to conversations, I dedicated myself to listening and learning. My strong desire to help others learn served as a constant motivation.

A wise individual once shared that continuously engaging in conversation is the best way to learn how to speak. Over time, my comfort level in sharing my thoughts has increased as I have actively worked on improving my speaking skills. Toastmasters and other speaking opportunities have played a crucial role in this journey. I am grateful for the unique experiences I have had along the way, and I consider them a privilege that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I received invaluable support throughout my journey, especially from mentors at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC). Their guidance and encouragement led me to pursue a STEM major, and they even assisted me in securing scholarships that allowed me to prioritize my education. In response, I maintained a strong academic record.

I have a genuine passion for connecting with people, which is evident in my active presence on social media. My network consists of individuals I have either attended school with or worked alongside in various capacities. I am always happy to learn about the success of others.

To build my instructional design portfolio, I actively participate in Articulate’s weekly E-Learning Heroes Challenges. Over the course of five years, I have contributed almost 200 projects to the community. These projects are readily available for free download on my website. I regularly share my work to inspire fellow designers and the feedback has been very encouraging.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://samuelapata.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelapata
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfroSTEM