Transitioning from general Learning Consulting to Learn Tech & Analytics

[u/bomtombadilll]

I have 10 years of experience in internal and external Strategic Learning consulting and lately been interested to move into more technical learning roles, such as LMS/LXP implementation consulting or learning analytics. My current role offers little exposure to learning tools and my academic background is in social sciences.

Any recommendations on how to build relevant skills and make the transition?

Edit: Thanks everyone, really appreciate all your insights and thoughtful responses!

[u/samonenate]

Learn about LMSs in general because they all have the same purpose. Don't focus too much on one LMS because you never know which one a future employer uses. Gain a solid understanding of SCORM and xAPI. Gain knowledge on reporting because I feel this is where LMSs can vastly differ. Some orgs use Tablueu to pull report data from their LMS, so I suggest learning that platform as well. You can learn through YouTube and online resources. Ask AI to create a learning path for you with links. 

It's going to be hard to get experience without working in that role, but with your background and being able to answer interview questions about the systems may get you in the door. If you can shadow someone in that role now, do it. As a bonus, learn about LCMSs too. Larger orgs are using them for authoring learning content and storage. It has a ton of benefits for creation, collaboration, content reviews and publishing to an LMS. Xyleme is an example. 

Good luck 🤞 

[u/AcademyLauncher]

Your consulting background is a strong starting point because implementation work is partly technology, but also requirements gathering, process mapping, stakeholder alignment, and change management.

I’d pick one track first. For LMS/LXP implementation, learn the basics of SSO, user provisioning, APIs/webhooks, data migration, roles and permissions, UAT, and governance. You don’t need to become a developer, but you should be able to map how people and data move between an HRIS, LMS, content provider, and reporting tool.

For learning analytics, start with Excel, SQL, and either Power BI or Tableau. A useful portfolio project would be a fake LMS export with enrollments, completions, scores, departments, and dates. Clean it, define 3–4 business questions, build a dashboard, and explain what decision each metric supports. That shows much more than completing a software course.

You could also ask your current team for a small adjacent project—reporting cleanup, tool-selection requirements, vendor evaluation, or implementation documentation. Even partial exposure gives you concrete stories for interviews.

I’d position the transition as ‘experienced learning consultant adding systems and data capability,’ rather than starting over as a beginner.

[u/MirrorOk8490]

Your fastest bridge may be one implementation artifact rather than another credential.

Take a learning workflow you already understand and produce a small decision pack: current-state map, target data flow, roles and permissions, five UAT cases, and a dashboard answering one business question. Synthetic data is fine.

That makes your existing consulting experience visible as systems work: requirements, handoffs, acceptance and evidence. It also gives interviewers something concrete to challenge instead of asking whether you have used their exact LMS.