Every year, the ELearning Guild releases an elearning industry salary report. They collect the data through an association-wide survey and through the membership data.

While there is a respectable variety in the report, it’s important to remember that the sample-size is limited to the ELearning Guild members and doesn’t include other associations and non-associated professionals.

First, it has to be said that while the snapshot of this year’s elearning salary report is encouraging, there is one very evident blemish: women are still reporting earning less than men for doing the same work. It’s discouraging that we are still battling this unfortunate reality.

It’s my sincere hope that next year we see more equality across the board, and not just in Canada – and keep trending that direction until this old-world thinking is made right.

By in large, the people who earned the most had a higher education degree, and those who were managing a team. This isn’t all that surprising as most salary reports tend to reflect this. If you’re wondering how you can earn more in your career, then these are two areas you should investigate further.

Sure, you can’t decide that you now manage a team, but you can possibly find ways to take on more responsibility for a project. As you begin to prove yourself, you will be better positioned to manage components of the project, and ultimately the workload of others.

A great way to speed up this process is to become involved with the project planning (that is, timelines and various expectations). Even if you are just helping in some capacity, project planners usually work their way into management and leadership positions due to the relevant resource planning skills they acquire over time.

The full report is available for download at the ELearning Guild website. Below is an infographic they released that summarizes the key points.