The Covid-19 outbreak has led millions of people across the globe – whether infected or not – to practice social distancing.
Social distancing at its heart is a pretty simple concept: stay home as much as possible and go out only if you really need to – to help vulnerable relatives for example.
While some might be used to staying at home for long periods of time, this isn’t the case for most business school students. Going from attending classes, doing extracurricular activities and hanging out with peers, to partial or complete isolation can be hard, and most importantly a real motivation-killer.
But don’t worry – there are still plenty of inventive ways to keep yourself busy.
Here at TopMBA, we’ve compiled a list of five things that you can do from the comfort of your own home to stay on top of things and give your curriculum a much-needed boost. No spring cleaning or exercising involved!
Learn a new language
In our increasingly connected world, being able to speak multiple languages is a real asset. This is also the case for the business field: knowing how to communicate and network with people from other countries would make you a highly desirable candidate in any company.
So why not start now?
There are many language teaching platforms available. We recommend free resources such as Duolingo, Babbel, Busuu and Learn a Language.
Get a new qualification online
The EdTech industry is booming, and e-learning has never been easier for students and professionals alike.
Whether you already have a career plan in mind, or you’re still weighing up your options, adding an online qualification to your curriculum won’t hurt – quite the opposite.
You can choose accredited certificates, diplomas or research degrees from institutions like the Open University or you can browse for more field-specific options on career websites such as Reed.
You can also attend online webinars to expand your skillset and learn valuable information that you can bring back into the workforce, from overcoming negative thoughts to becoming a better leader.
You’re truly spoilt for choice.
Volunteer remotely
If you’ve considered volunteering before but never had the opportunity to actually do it, now it’s the perfect time.
There are many different ways you can give back to vulnerable individuals and communities. You could become a listening volunteer for mental health charities like the Samaritans and offer support to those in need of someone to talk to, or perhaps volunteer to do translation, editing and research for the United Nations and promote global development.
Other volunteering platforms we recommend include Create the Good, School in the Cloud and Do-it.
Tutor remotely
If you want to support students across the world, tutoring can be the perfect way to put your skills to good use. Plus, you can earn some money while doing it!
You can become an online tutor through your university, a local college or private e-learning companies. All you need is a good curriculum (which you’ll most likely already have) and a computer or laptop with a webcam.
A few specialist online tutoring companies you can apply to include My Tutor, Tutorhub and Scholar Hub.
Write for newspapers and/or web publications
And last on our list – but certainly not least – what could be more productive than writing?
With your business knowledge and communication skills, you might land some interesting gigs at a newspaper or online publication where you can let your niche knowledge shine.
Most big publications will have a business section and will allow you to pitch ideas through their website – make sure you meet the requirements and truly show off your creative flair.
A few tips for pitching good content: keep up to date with the latest world and business news, find interesting angles for discussion and – most importantly – write about what you know best!
