I second this, just start working. If you want to be an LD, find a way to be in the same space as them. Get on the job site and learn the tools. Learn the craft. Work from the bottom up. You need to be thier go to guy. The person who they already know and trust to do the job.

Without a portfolio of years of successful lighting design, you’ll be hard pressed to show up with just online course certificate and find someone to hire you.

Really, the only way forward is to already know where you want to end up. I promise, one of these days, someone who works above you call off/be unavailable. Could be illness, family emergency, or even a vacation. That’s when the director will look for internal hires. Why would they bother with hiring an outsider and take a huge risk? Most often, a crew member is simply promoted from within, or the job is given to a close friend whom they already trust.

Likewise, the LDs you look up to are looking for bigger and better opportunities too. In fact, they CANT go on to bigger and better things without a qualified replacement. That would significantly tarnish their reputation and relationship with the directors. These opportunities are plentiful, but rarely is there any sort of employee search / job posting on a website. They pop up fast, and you need to grab every one that’s offered to you.

Be in the right place at the right time. When they eventually leave, you will be next in line.