Surviving To Thriving After COVID-19 With Tech
You reading this article, I’m sure you have been surviving the effects of the pandemic that has caused respiratory illnesses in almost every country and now, your main focus should be about successfully thriving after the pandemic. People out there are losing their job and companies are cutting pay scales. As governments continue to ease lockdowns, you should also be ready to vigorously flourish when it is finally over.
After World War 2, the Coronavirus has had the most severe crisis since then. From cities under lockdown to our local communities, no one will tell their jobs wasn’t affected by the pandemic in one way or the other. Out of 5 people, 3 have been laid-off from their workplaces due to the lockdown. Only people that work remotely were quite safe during this period.
Late American poet Maya Angelou quoted
"The best part of life is not just about surviving, but thriving with passion and compassion and humor and style and generosity and kindness.”
I understand how you feel bad about the effects of the pandemic. Either you’re in the working class or a student, I’m going to share with you a couple of useful tips you should work on so you can thrive excessively with tech.
Dreams don't come true except they're worked on. The secret of getting ahead is getting started.
Take Online Courses — Learn Something New
While doing little or nothing at home, your major interest should be about improving yourself so you can get new opportunities and advance your career. There are tones of online courses at a mouse-click distance which you can take advantage of. All you need is a desk and a nice, comfortable chair.
As little as $5 (N1950), you can study a flexible online course from world-class universities that will suit your learning pace. You can also access numerous free courses online too.
Recently, there has been a 200% increase in the number of people taking online courses. Online courses are the future of learning. So what is stopping you from following the trend?
Manage your time wisely and start taking online courses today. The best platforms you can have online courses are Udemy, Treehouse, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, Udacity, Thinkific, Digital Chalk, and Edx. On these platforms, you get to take tests and get recognized certifications after Finishing a course.
As a college student, you can opt-in for a course related or similar to your major. This will help you have a broader understanding about your field much more than your peers.
If you're in the working class, you can take courses on self-development, financial planning, project management, Artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, communication skills, etc. Students can also take courses like this to boost their confidence in the nearest future. Take an online course today.
Read, Read, and Read!
It is often said that readers are leaders. In its truer sense, we know readers aren't really leaders in today's world, but never underestimate the power of reading. Online reading helps you to research a subject from a wide range of sources like articles and blog posts.
Reading improves your analytical thinking and helps your general knowledge about things. You can read a 1000+ words article within 5 minutes. Equivalently, you can read a whole ebook in 30 minutes depending on how long it is.
You can read books on platforms like Amazon Kindle, Goodreads, Google Books, Wattpad, Open library, Bookboon, LibreVox and Bookbub. Also, subscribe to articles from trusted blogs to keep you updated on certain topics from time to time.
On the long-run, a continuous habit of reading helps you become a better writer. There is an old saying, "The pen is mightier than the sword". Ideas written down have changed the destiny of men and nations for better.
Apply for remote jobs
Remote jobs refer to full-time jobs done away from the office. Remote jobs allow you to have a fulfilling career, while also offering you the chance to do your job from wherever you want.
Remote jobs are the new normal and they are rarely affected by any kind of global crisis. Imagine having a job whereby don't have to wake up very early in the morning to beat the traffic.
Apply for a freelance job
Freelance jobs are usually part-time jobs with easier flexibility. Freelancers work for themselves rather than a company or organization. When you freelance, you’re in the pilot’s seat.
This kind of job is very much similar to remote jobs, the only difference is that a freelance job is based on contract rather than full-time. Freelance jobs are also rarely affected by global crisis because of its mobility and flexibility. You can apply for freelance jobs on recommended websites like gowork.ng, upwork.com, fiverr.com and guru.com.
Learn a new skill
Today’s world has proven to us in so many circumstances that skill is more important than a degree. Nowadays, people feed off from their skill rather than "Suit & Tie" jobs. Skill driven jobs are more flexible and rarely get affected by the global crisis too.
When picking a skill to learn, make sure it is a skill that will have a rapid effect on your life and career, and a skill you can learn fast at the comfort of your home. Learning a new skill shouldn’t be that stressful.
Learning new skills is rewarding, challenging and it feels amazing when you push through something that you’re bad at. You can learn skills online like -
- Learning a language (Duolingo.com)
- Learning to code (codeacademy.com)
- Learning to write (expresswriter.com)
- Learning to cook (delish.com)
- Learning photography (alison.com)
- Learning to draw or paint (art-class.net)
- Learning to do makeup (onlinemakeupacademy.com)
- Learning arts and crafts (creativelive.com)
- Learning to play musical instruments (yousitian.com)
Update Your CV — Make use of LinkedIn
A regularly updated CV tends to impress a recruiter. CVs are valuable and important because they are your first and perhaps the only direct communication with a potential employer. The phrase "Curriculum Vitae’ is Latin for" the story of your life". Now, you see how important it is for you to get a new job.
Take your time to regularly update your CV with recent accomplishments and newly learnt skills. These are one of the key things that attract employers. Use websites like onlinecv.me and resume.io to create and update your CV.
Most job recruiters and managers are on LinkedIn, so you see why it is necessary to optimize your profile and use LinkedIn proactively to ensure that you are sourcing opportunities effectively.
Having a LinkedIn account also means that you can use the site to find companies, interviewers, recruiters, and hiring managers, which is helpful before submitting job applications and showing up for interviews.
My Final Take
The backbone of thriving excessively is a concrete financial stability. Build your financial plan and invest more in yourself because you are your biggest asset. You can’t afford to let your career diminish alongside with the pandemic.
If unfortunately, you lost your job, I’ll advise you to take professional courses because it enhances your creativity and your potential to attract job recruiters and also sets you apart from others. In today’s competitive market, employers look for people who have a distinct quality to offer to their business.
If you still have your job, I also advise you to take these tips seriously so there are no nasty surprises.
