10 Skills to Learn While You Are Stuck at Home
While the entire world is taking a break because of the pandemic, most of us are stuck at home trying to stay strong to survive this global fiasco. We have spent a lot of time, cleaning, watching TV series and reading books. But staying at home for so long can daunt and exhaust you. This quarantine period has messed up with our psyche and has really affected our mental health.
That is why it is important for us to feel preoccupied, and one of the best ways to do that is by learning a new skill. This is the perfect opportunity to step up your skills and elevate your career. Who knows? This new quarantine skill is the key to your long-awaited promotion or career shift?
To help you become productive in these trying times, here are some skills that you can easily pick up at home, whether through online class or reading expert blogs.
Photography
Ready your cameras because this is the right time to learn photography. It may sound counter intuitive, but you can always go to your backyard for some wildlife and landscape photography or go indoors to experiment on lights for product and still life shoot. Of course, you need the right gear to start this hobby. You should check out your local camera store and get a beginner intermediate camera. Compact cameras are a great way to start, but if you want to take this seriously, advance mirrorless cameras like Sony a7iii or Sony a7ii cameras are great to use.
Writing
Writing is a difficult skill to master because it is a combination of creativity, storytelling, grammar and personality. Since you are stuck at home, you have plenty of time to pick up your pen and start jotting down ideas. Once you established a solid concept, you can put it in words and start creating chapters of your story. You can also create a blog and let out your thoughts, or look for a part time job that would help improve your writing skills.
Drawing/ Art Skills
Like writing, drawing skill is developed through constant practice. The best way to make a mark as an artist is to find your own style. Look at different drawing styles, look for inspiration and try them out- but constantly doing so, you will find the style perfect for you. You can also experiment on medium and materials- try watercolor, color pencils, pastels or even go digital.
Vlogging
If you have spent a substantial amount of time in social media, you have noticed a surge of vloggers popping everywhere. It is a trend lately because they get to do fun things while also earn money. You too can be a social media star, but first you need to find the right camera. Mirrorless cameras are great for video and brands like Sony and Canon offers the best FPS for smoother video shots.
You also need to learn production and video editing skills. Video editing can be tricky, there are simple drag-and-drop software, but professional editors like Sony Vegas or Adobe Premiere are the tools you really need to learn because it is used industry-wide which could help your career.
About your vlog topics, it is good to start with what’s trending. Watch various vlog that interests you then copy and optimize their content. Eventually, you will find the best way to produce vlogs that attracts viewers.
Cooking
Months ago, you seldom use your kitchen because you have been going out with friends. But now that you are on lock down, might as well use it. Learn to cook your favorite meal by watching YouTube videos or searching recipes online. As long as you have all the ingredients, you can easily a meal like a pro. Let your roommates or friends taste it for some feedback. If they enjoyed it, you can sell it and earn.
Makeup
If you love makeup and making yourself look pretty, this is a great time to hone your skills. Experiment on distinct looks that you rarely do. Improve your skills in contouring or applying eyeliner- two of the most difficult make up applications to do.
You can also start a makeup vlog to share your skills to your subscribers online.
Coding/Programming
A more technical skill to learn during this lockdown is to learning to build your own website. It can sound overwhelming, but it is possible if you really put your mind to it. Start with the basic html codes and if you are comfortable with it, advanced to basic programming languages like JavaScript and CSS.
Social Media Marketing
Got a business affected by the lockdown? Why not learn how you can market it through social media? There are millions of users that are making themselves busy by browsing through social media applications like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok. Take this opportunity to target and present their business to them. Social media marketing is a vast topic to learn, and it takes a lot of practice and understanding of your audience to create a strategy that works.
Sewing/Dress Making
For creative people who love fashion and dressing up, this skill is so enticing to learn. You get to wear clothes based on your vision and you can also sell them to your friends. With this skill you can also create bags, pillowcases, and more. You just have to invest on a sewing machine and some good textile, and you can start honing this skill.
It needs a lot of patience, time and practice to learn a skill but once you get the hang of it, you can use it to improve your career. Many of these skills are highly sought in different industries, so adding them on your resume will make you stand out.
Ready to spend a productive day at home? Learn these skills and so much more!
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