In this coronavirus season, we’ve all been awakened to the fragility of the marketplace. Unfortunately, we all know people who have been made redundant, furloughed or laid off. While businesses are doing what they can to survive and to protect themselves, many workers have been neglected in the process, which is very unfortunate. On the positive side, there are ways that we can help ourselves during this time.
Establish and develop your career interests
I know- I understand, sometimes basing our careers around our interests can be unstable, especially for those of us who have many interests. Therefore, the following exercise and questions will be imperative in helping you narrow down your scope of ideas.
- What am I good at or willing to be good at?
- Is this interest transferable to other sectors? Or does this interest limit me in any way?
- Will this interest help other people?
Additionally, there are certain traits that we see in other people that they sometimes don’t see in themselves; whether we see their design skills as useful or networking skills as admirable, discussing your skills and talents with other people might also prove to be helpful.
Once you know what you want to do, utilise all the free courses and opportunities
This next stage is critical. We might’ve all wished that learning stopped after graduation, however, the digital industry has immensely changed our world, unfortunately, the education system has failed to catch up with the current changes. Therefore, we have to take it upon ourselves to ensure that self learning is on-going.
Fortunately, there are some big companies that are trying to bridge the gap between the increasingly unskilled workforce and the skilled workforce. Companies like Google and many others have made it possible to up-skill and to gain certifications for free and all from the comfort of your home.
Check out the following links and see all of the available resources and courses:
Build your portfolio
In this stage, it’s time to put the theory into action and ideally, you should document your journey. Freelancing is a great way to start building your work experience. This will allow you to build your portfolio from the convenience of your home, while you also earn money.
There are many tools that can help you document your work, one of my favourites is QuickTime Player, which allows me to record my screen while I’m working on a project. Later, to showcase your work online, you can create a website, a blog, a youtube channel or even use any of the social media platforms.
Keep improving and diversifying your craft
There will be some setbacks and at times you might start in one area of work but you might find that you’re suited to another field of work, which is all fine and normal. This process is all about learning, experimenting and adapting to the changes; it’s the only way you’ll develop and see what works and what doesn’t work.
Additionally, as soon as you know that something isn’t working, redirect your plan to the next strategy that you see fit. For as long as you do this, you’ll get closer to your ideals and goals. And hopefully, you’ll end up creating a future proof solution that works for you.
Final thoughts..
In an ideal world, businesses would’ve equipped their staff with the right tools to continuously meet the changing requirements of the marketplace. However, we’re living in a time where workers rights are increasingly dwindling and being blurred. This is why it is imperative that we protect ourselves by maximising our own skill sets, one of the ways that we can do this is by utilising every free opportunity that is available. It’s not ideal, but somehow, like the phoenixes that we are, we will make it work.
GLocalFeed 