With COVID-19, many of us were stuck at home for a long time. Not only that, but many college students were ripped away from their internship opportunities as well as jobs! This left a lot of students in distress which is completely understandable.
As some of us continue to quarantine (me included), we might find ourselves having some free time on our hands that we spend on TikTok or binge-watching Netflix. Personally, I like to keep myself busy because I am one to think that time is valuable so I have found some ways to do that for my benefit!
However, I completely understand that not everyone works the same way. So this is your reminder to not compare yourself and to not feel bad if you can’t really make yourself do much. Not everyone is in the same place. It is okay to be doing your own thing at your own pace. Always put yourself first!
With that being said, in today’s post, I will share with you guys some of the ways I have been staying active and building my resume from home. These resources and more will continuously be on my Resources page (which recently got a new look) so make sure to check it out here and there!
I hope you guys try some of these! There is a large range of courses and skills you can take so I am sure you will find something you will enjoy! If you guys want to discuss these or ask me about my experience with them, don't hesitate in reaching out to me! I’d love to chat and give you advise/recommendations!
Coursera
Coursera has always been something that has caught my attention even before all of this started! It amazed me how from your own phone, you could take classes from different universities around the world to improve your skills and increase your knowledge. Here, you will find courses, certifications, programs, and degrees from any university you can imagine. Coursera is also cool because they offer free, audit, and paid courses. The class itself can be of no cost for you, meaning you will get all the course work and assignments for free but not a certificate at the end. If you want to get a certificate to go with your accomplishment, you can buy them (many are $49 USD). They are not too pricey considering the schools you get them from but that will depend on your financial stance. You can also apply for financial aid if you would like the certificate but don't have the resources. I highly recommend you go and browse through all the courses they have because some are super amazing and useful. Adding these to your resume demonstrates that you like to continuously educate yourself.
*These courses start on different dates and last for different times
LinkedIn Learning and Lynda.com
These two services are very similar to each other. Now, I do not have much experience with these because I personally have not found topics there that really interests me, but its a great way to build other skills nonetheless. They both connect directly to you LinkedIn which is really nice. I have done research on them and found that like Coursera, these services have free courses for you. After I explored LinkedIn Learning for a while, I saw that their courses/ videos did not seem to be too difficult. I read on a Reddit thread that when you finish these courses, it automatically appears on your LinkedIn. You do not get a certificate but you do get the accomplishment badge for finishing from LinkedIn. These are probably a good alternative to Coursera courses since they appear to be a bit easier and light on work; however, not many of them, if not none, are from universities.
Ed2Go
As of today, I am taking two classes through this platform from Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Given COVID-19, they offered a few classes for free and I was able to get a slot in them. Although I am not sure if this promotion will come up again, this service is amazing! I think it is okay to say that it is almost the same, if not a bit better than Coursera. The two courses I got include certification as well. Unlike Coursera, you do have to pay for the courses to get the material needed. If you do not care about the certificate, then yeah, Coursera would be the way to go. However, what I really love about Ed2Go that almost makes it better than Coursera is that they have the option to make your class be at a self-pace. In other words, you can do it on your own time and own rhythm without the stress of hard-set deadlines. The entire program for these classes is SUPER EASY! Overall, I think they are amazing; however, they are a bit more limited as to what courses and skills they offer compared to Coursera. It really is up to you and what you are looking for!
*If the free promotion comes up again, I will make sure to post it on my IG and on my Resources page so stay updated.
Remote or Online Volunteering
With everything shut down, or almost everything, a lot of volunteering opportunities were also shut down. However, many orgs transferred their events online and created new virtual programs. Although it is not the same, orgs are always in need of help! Contact the ones you would have helped in person or the ones that you have always been interested in helping. Ask if they need help in anything or if they have rescheduled their events. Put yourself out there! Take the initiative and google these volunteering opportunities. I think that now, more than ever, they could use all the help they can get! Make sure you are there for them. As of now, I am doing research on potential orgs that I want to help. When found, I will list them on my Resources page but do help those orgs who are dear and near to your heart.
*Tiffany has some amazing ways you can still volunteer from home.
Workshops or Webinars
If you do not want to commit to the workload and time that it takes to complete a course, sign up for workshops and webinars! These are quick, easy, and an amazing way to network! Some of these normally last for an hour and are most likely free! Big companies and organizations have had to move their events online so many of them have made them super accessible by making them free. I have some listed on my Resources page but you can literally find webinars and workshops for everything. And if they already happened, there will most likely be a recording available on the site for free as well. Watching and participating in these is a great way to increase what you know and to network! It demonstrates that you like to stay informed and up to date!
Although this summer might have not gone as planned, I hope that these resources help you make up for some of the things you missed out on. Find motivation and pick up one of these and I can guarantee you, you will not regret it. Do them not only for your professional career but also do it to become a better and more educated person.
Like always, take care and stay safe.
Until next time,
Diana
Black Lives Matter Resources because they will still and always matter!
Also, please help out your International peers, they deserve to stay here as much as you do, please consider helping them out.
Courses I have taken in case you had any questions or were looking for a place to start:
Coursera:
An Introduction to American Law
COVID-19 Contact Tracing
Google:
Applied Digital Skills
Fundamentals of Digital Marketing