From Accidental to Intentional: Building a Career in Learning and Development

Like many in Learning and Development (L&D), I did not set out to build a career in this field.

I started in operations as a server. Over time, I was asked to step into an in-store trainer role, supporting new hires and helping them get up to speed in a fast-paced environment. That experience eventually led to opportunities as a new-store-opening trainer and, later, a transition into a corporate role focused on New Store Openings.

At that point, I still did not think of myself as someone building a career in L&D. I saw myself as someone who understood the operation and had been allowed to help others succeed within it.

That perspective began to change when I started creating training programs from the ground up. For the first time, I was not just delivering training. I was responsible for designing it, shaping it, and thinking about its impact on the business.

That is when it clicked.

I realized this was more than something I had fallen into. It was work I was genuinely passionate about and something I wanted to develop into a long-term career.

That realization was exciting, but it also came with a new challenge. I began to recognize how much I did not know.

When Passion Meets Reality

That realization led to a natural question: What does it actually take to be effective in Learning and Development?

Early in my L&D career, I struggled with imposter syndrome. I knew the operation. I understood the business’s pace and the realities of the frontline. But creating engaging, effective training was a different skill set.

It became clear that passion alone was not enough. Learning and Development requires intentional skill-building, just as any other discipline does.

At the same time, I had to learn an equally important lesson. L&D is not always the top priority for operations. Leaders in the field are balancing staffing, guest experience, performance metrics, and constant operational pressure. Even when training is important, it is competing with everything else happening in the business.

That tension defines the role of L&D more than many people realize.

Over time, I realized that what I was experiencing was not unique. Many L&D professionals who come from operations face a similar transition.

What Accidental L&D Professionals Often Miss

That transition highlights a few areas where accidental L&D professionals often need to grow.

Many of the strongest L&D professionals I know started in operations. That background is a strength, but it can also create blind spots if we do not continue to develop intentionally.

Understanding operations is not enough. You have to translate it.
Knowing the business is critical, but the real value comes from turning that knowledge into relevant, practical development. Training has to reflect how work actually gets done, not how we wish it worked.

Instructional design is a skill, not an instinct.
Creating engaging training requires more than subject matter expertise. It requires structure, clarity, and an understanding of how people learn. Without that foundation, training can feel disconnected or ineffective.

Measuring impact goes beyond completion.
It is easy to track participation and completion rates. It is much harder, and more important, to understand whether behavior is changing and performance is improving. Strong L&D professionals learn to connect their work to real business outcomes.

Recognizing these gaps is important, but growth in L&D also requires a shift in how we approach our role.

Moving From Order-taker to Partner

As I continued to grow in my career and eventually stepped into a leadership role in Learning and Development, that shift in perspective became even more important.

Early on, when a leader asked for training, I focused on delivering what was requested. Over time, I realized that the better question was not “What training should we build?” but “What problem are we trying to solve?”

That shift changes the conversation. It creates space to explore whether training is the right solution and positions L&D as a business partner rather than a service function.

This is where an operations-first mindset becomes an advantage. When you understand the pressures leaders are facing, you can have more meaningful conversations about what will actually help them succeed.

That shift in mindset is where development in L&D truly begins, but it still requires intentional effort to build the right skills and perspective.

Becoming Intentional About Growth

Falling into L&D is common. Staying in it and growing within it requires intention.

For those earlier in their L&D journey, a few steps can accelerate development.

Learn the business deeply.
Spend time with operations. Observe what leaders deal with during a shift. The more context you have, the more relevant your work will be.

Build your L&D skill set intentionally.
Instructional design, facilitation, and measurement are all skills that can be learned. Investing time in developing these capabilities will improve the quality and impact of your work.

Seek out mentorship and community.
Organizations such as CHART, ATD (Association for Talent Development), and The Learning Guild offer opportunities to learn from peers in the field. Connecting with peers who have faced similar challenges can significantly accelerate your growth.

Develop your point of view.
Strong L&D leaders do not just deliver programs. They have a perspective on how learning supports the business. That perspective develops over time through experience, reflection, and continuous learning.

Along the way, I found that a few key resources helped accelerate my development and shape how I approached the work.

Resources That Can Support Your Growth

• Map It by Cathy Moore offers a practical approach to focusing on performance rather than content and helps shift thinking beyond simply building training.
• Design for How People Learn by Julie Dirksen provides a strong foundation in instructional design and how to create engaging, effective learning experiences.
• The Accidental Instructional Designer by Cammy Bean is especially helpful for those who have found their way into L&D and want to build their skills more intentionally.
• Telling Ain’t Training by Harold Stolovitch and Erica Keeps reinforces the idea that learning must drive performance, not just deliver information.

Those resources helped guide my development, but the most important shift was a change in mindset.

From Accidental to Intentional

Looking back, I did not plan a career in Learning and Development. But over time, I chose to invest in it. Many L&D professionals start the same way. They step into a training role and begin building experience as they go.

That starting point is not a limitation. In many ways, it is an advantage.

But growth does not happen by accident. At some point, the shift has to happen from simply doing the work to developing the capability to do it well.

You may have fallen into a Learning and Development role. But becoming effective and eventually leading in this field is a choice.