The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone and provided more down time/spare time for us all in one way or another:

Using this time to your advantage by learning or upskilling will only advantage you in the long run. There are many ways in which you can learn and upskill. A few are listed below.

Stay occupied by doing an online course

There are many free online courses being offered at the moment by different organisations. These are a great to develop your skillset in specific areas that may be relevant to your current job, a role you are applying for or just a general interest to you. It is a new qualification you can add to your CV and something else to help you stand out from the crowd!

Research

Set aside some time to research something of interest to you. Brush up on new or old facts, stay up to date with news and what else is happening in the world other than the COVID-19 Pandemic. Become a specialist in your field and learn as much as you can about whatever you can. Not only will this assist you in having a deep understanding of the topic of interest to you, it’s a conversation starter. A new way to network, to be able to discuss what you have learnt and share your knowledge to others around you!

Try something new – it doesn’t have to be work related

Learning a new skill or hobby. When we are stuck inside and spend our weekend thinking “I might walk to the kitchen and see what’s in the fridge for the 5th time”, we should try something new! For me, it’s been baking sweets, it’s safe to say it’s not the healthiest choice but it has been the tastiest choice! Restrictions are easing and we can get out and about more and enjoy life outside of our home, but whatever you decide to try it is something new that you couldn’t do before the pandemic!