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Competing in the job market today often requires tertiary education and other skills that are valuable outside of the school environment.

Verbal communication, digital literacy and time management are only three of the key skills employers look for in entry-level candidates.

For example, it’s important in the professional world to have a driver’s license when you submit job applications.

In this article, we explore the impact that a driver’s license can have on your employability. Plus, we discuss the importance of financial literacy as you enter life after class.

The importance of having a driver’s license after you graduate

• More job prospects

Many job opportunities require a driver’s license in order to be eligible for them. Hiring a candidate who can perform their duties and transport themselves to meetings saves the need for a designated driver.

A driver’s license will help you compete for the jobs you apply for.

With that said, remember that there are companies that will require you to own a vehicle.

• Mobility

Public transport presents great financial benefits, especially for people who need the time to build their careers after graduation. However, the biggest downside to this benefit is that public transport systems can be unreliable.

That’s how a driver’s license easily becomes an asset in your life.

When you are mobile, you can travel to social gatherings/networking events. You can attend evening classes, travel for practical training outside school, and be punctual for exams and job interviews.

• Dealing with emergency situations quicker

Think about this for a moment. What if something terrible happened in your space?

It might seem a little insensitive to ask that question. However, our lives are unpredictable and the ability to (legally) drive a vehicle can determine whether you are able to help someone else in crisis situations or not.

While we’re at it… here are three personal finance mistakes to avoid after graduation

• Don’t be a negative credit risk

When poor financial habits and consumption are not kept in check, they can often lead to crippling debt.

Establish a good credit record and purchase assets that are likely to appreciate in value. Effective debt management can help graduates have financial credibility when it is time to take out necessary loans or mortgage.

Establish clear timelines and a plan to reduce your debts. Develop a proactive attitude when you handle your school, car, credit card, home loans and more.

• Never pay the bills late

In the challenging economic environment that we live in, making ends meet can be downright tough.

However, continuously late and missed payments will cost more money and taint your credit record. A decent record, on the other hand, can give you lower interest rates on loans, lower insurance premiums, and open up prospects when you need to rent.

To achieve consistency, think about setting up automated payments for regular expenses like car payments, student loans, cell phone fees, etc.

• Don’t forget to set long-term goals

Accounting for your long-term expenses is crucial to building a stable financial life.

Planning and attention to detail are fundamental when you want to track different goals at the same time. For example, pay off student loans and save for a home.

The process involves proper planning in advance. And in this situation, you’ll have to create a debt payment plan or search for a house that you can afford.

Final thoughts

Obtaining tertiary education just might not be enough on its own to achieve your goals.

It’s also important to learn to take care of yourself in different capacities to become the person you’ve set out to be.

In addition to the education… a driver’s license and financial knowledge will increase your edge!

Settling in at university and dealing with the transition from high school to university can be difficult for many students. It can be even harder to adjust when you can’t shake the feeling that the course, you’re studying is just not the one for you. So, you’ve finished an entire semester at university or the whole year and after careful considerations, you’ve fully convinced that this is not the qualification for you, what now? You’re feeling more confident about the course that’s suitable for you but how do you go about that changing courses?

There are so many things to think about when making this decision, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are a few things to consider when making this change:

The big Why? Why do you want to switch courses?

This question is really important as you have to interrogate yourself and have a solid answer before you can answer your student advisors, parents, friends, sponsors etc. People can have different reasons for this change. For e.g., in terms of longevity, you perhaps don’t see yourself in a certain field and industry as it doesn’t align with your passions. Perhaps your interests have dramatically changed and you’ve realized that you’re more into theatre and performance rather than finance or vice versa.

It could also be as simple as gaining more confidence in owning up to your decision and having that conversation. In other words, you’ve always known since high school what you wanted to study but you were too afraid of the reactions of those around you so you just went with the obvious choice, but now you’re fully ready to make a decision that is best for yourself.

Research the new course

It is important to do thorough research on the course you want to switch to because you want to avoid disappointments as much as possible. You could try attending some of the lectures of the new courses, asking questions to the students that are enrolled to gauge expectations. Google job listing websites and see what kind of career prospects are available and how much you could possibly earn.

Affordability

Switching your degree can set your graduation date back, sometimes by years, which can add more debt to your student loan. A move between faculties can also result in lost credits, a compromised scholarship and an increase in university fees. Before you make a decision, consider the financial setback this might have and whether you’re willing to go through with the decision regardless.

Secondly, if you have a bursary, you might need to confirm whether they can cover this change. For instance, if you’re with a bursary that solely covers Commerce/Accounting courses – it’s highly unlikely to cover your tuition if you want to switch to Health Sciences.

Visit the student/faculty office

Each institution will operate differently and have its own process. But generally, the best start is to approach your faculty and they can provide guidance on who you need to speak to, what department to approach, where to get forms to fill in etc.

Entry requirements and credit transfers

Do you meet the entry requirements of the course? Irrespective of the fact that you might have been accepted in your previous qualification, entry requirements may differ which is why you need to check. You may need a higher APS (Admission Point Score). Secondly, depending on the course you want to change to, you may be able to transfer credits for some of the courses you’ve done. But if the course you want to enroll in is extremely different, this might be a challenge.

Paperwork – Fill the relevant forms to officiate the switch

You will have to fill in a form that will ask you which course you’d like to switch to and why. Once again depending on the process of your institution, these will be available at the relevant faculty office. It can take a couple of days to weeks to finalize everything. Consult your academic advisor or student support office if you’re unsure where to get the form.

Please note that there isn’t a single formula for everybody who wishes to change their course – the outcomes will vary and is dependent on the respective institution involved and your academic performance. The above are only a few guidelines and some may not be necessary for all.

The most important takeaway is that changing your course isn’t an impossible task and doesn’t have to be daunting. As long as you’re confident that the change you want to make is right for you and your future.

In a modern world where alternative ways of gaining knowledge and skills have become highly accessible – traditional higher education sometimes proves to be archaic. There are cases where universities and colleges are failing to keep up with contemporary ways of acquiring knowledge. Let’s face it; the formalistic idea that success is only attainable by knowing what you want to do for the rest of your life at 18-years, applying for a degree or diploma, and then easily entering the job market through that qualification is quite outdated. Not only does higher education not guarantee success or in some cases even a job, but it is also extremely expensive and can prove to be unattainable for most people.

Financial constraints continue to be a barrier to attaining education. Getting into university or college can be arduous – not only does one need to complete long and sometimes costly application forms, but requirements for matric certificates and other formal documents also exclude the majority of people. Luckily, we are living in self-sufficient times where people have found ways to bypass the financially limiting nature of higher education. One way of doing this is by picking up skills that are forward-facing through Google certifications.

Google Certifications

Google offers various online courses for people to expand their knowledge in high-growth fields. The Training Certificates come with many benefits such as learning at your own pace, gaining skills that are in demand and standing out to potential employers. Additionally, the Certificates require no prior experience. After completing the flexible online training, one gains a Google Professional Certification which could prove to be a very empowering resource.

Below is a list of five free Google Certifications available to anyone who would like to pick up skills. These courses could help with starting and maintaining a business as well as foster development in a desired career. The programmes do not require relevant experience in the industry, are 100% remote learning, and will need under 10 hours of study a week. The full Certificate programmes include quizzes, projects, and assignments.

IT SUPPORT

The IT Certificate enables one to learn the fundamentals of troubleshooting, networking, operating systems, system administration and security.

Jobs that are in demand in IT that you could qualify for after completing the course include database administrator, help desk technician, IT support specialist, systems analyst, network engineer, and IT assistant. According to Business Tech, IT skills are amongst the most sought-after skills in South Africa. This is not surprising considering that most of the world, especially due to the pandemic, relies on technology to run efficiently.

DATA ANALYTICS

Through this programme, you will learn how to develop coveted data analytics skills using spreadsheets and programming languages such as SQL, data management tools such as Tableau Software and statistical computing and graphics software environments such as R.

Data analysts may work as junior data analysts, associate data analysts, marketing analysts, business performance analysts, junior data scientists, finance analysts, operations analysts, and healthcare analysts. In the wake of the demand for data skills, according to Business Intelligence, the South African government is committed to training one million young people in data science by 2030. Beat the queue and start your own training today!

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Discover what it takes to build a successful career in project management and learn about common project management approaches through this training. You will learn about estimating time and budgets, identifying and managing risks and running effective meetings and managing stakeholders. With no relevant experience required, this online programme provides you with skills needed for an entry-level job in project management.

UX DESIGN

This User Experience design course offers knowledge in developing personas and user stories, conducting usability studies, creating wireframes and prototypes and building professional portfolios.

With this Certification, one qualifies for coveted jobs such as project designer, interaction designer, visual designer and user experience designer. UX designers design projects and tools that make technology more user-friendly and accessible.

ANDROID DEVELOPMENT

A Certification in android development helps you fast-track your career in mobile app development. Almost everyone consumes media through their smartphones and mobile apps and android developers reach people through apps and connected devices. This online programme covers the essential steps of developing, testing, and debugging Android apps in Kotlin (a programming language). If you are considering a job as a developer, this programme is suitable for you.

Conclusion

The era of democratized knowledge is here – we are bidding farewell to the requirement that one must follow a traditional path of gaining knowledge in order to succeed. Take the opportunity to upskill yourself from the comfort of your couch today, all you need is a laptop and an appetite for learning!

The phrase “gig economy” points to a work environment that involves short-term employment. It is different from traditional employment in that projects aren’t permanent. The jobs differ in length, involvement, and scope. Freelance workers jump in the “gigging” pool for various reasons: unemployment, to supplement their income; achieve flexibility, and constant change.

In South Africa, the gig economy has taken hold in recent years as parts of unemployed and informal workers move into semi-formalized work through online platforms. In addition to generating new work opportunities, gig platforms provide a channel to understand the financial needs of the people who make up the gig economy.

Launching a side hustle, especially following the global social and economic turmoil rendered by Covid-19, has never been more important. The gig economy creates an alternative source of income for many people outside of their traditional jobs. And exploring the gig economy is also an opportunity to turn your skills into a long-term career.

When you have skills that add value to other people, you should be making money from sharing them. For example, the ability to plan and stage successful events is valuable to the people and businesses that have events on their calendars. Gig Culture is a start-up example in the events space bringing value to brands, businesses, and people. Thinking through the value of your talent(s) is the first step to working in the gig economy.

Let’s explore how you can lunch and promote your skills.

Learn what makes your work valuable

The ultimate goal is to make a comfortable living doing what makes you happy and productive. It could be proofreading and editing words; online gaming, writing and designing slide decks for corporate executives, cooking, or anything else you have a strong knack for.

You need to think about what makes you stand out from other people who do the same work. To develop a unique selling proposition, ask yourself:

How do I stand out?

How do I make myself irreplaceable?

How do I learn the skills and master the technique of my work?

How do I become an artist at my trade?

How do I become helpful to people and build an audience (customers)?

Once you start looking at and working on yourself this way, you’ll soon learn the monetary value that your presence/skills provide for other people.

Create a portfolio of your work and refine your online presence

In the process of identifying the ‘secret sauce’ of your talent, there is a need to build a personal brand. This is a story about you, the reasons you do your work, how you do it and what work have you have done before.

A portfolio and a strong online presence are your allies in helping you land clients.

To achieve this, you can create a blog/website; write a slide presentation detailing your work and level of experience and distribute it to potential customers. And as you make progress, you might even consider boosting your brand awareness and credibility with a logo, a video channel, branded document templates for your proposals, invoices, etc.

Find projects/clients

Thanks to the Internet, joining the gig economy is not as hard as it used to be. You can connect with prospective clients from different parts of the world from anywhere you might be.

Begin by spreading word to your close network: family, friends, and colleagues. Let them know that you are open for work, what type of projects you are looking for, and what you offer.

Share your story, vision and ideas on your blog or social media pages. And to get attention on social and build an audience, aim to educate and help. The more people who get value from your content, the more you can build an engaged audience that routinely returns to hear what you have to say. In the process, don’t hesitate to share your work and ideas – you’ll gather insights you never thought of and build relationships.

As you develop your client base and produce quality work, those clients will refer you to others in their own networks. Before you know it, you will be ready to switch to being a full-time freelancer.

Which jobs qualify for the gig economy?

The advantage about working independently is that it’s entirely your choice what type of work you want to do.

In the gig economy, there are a variety of professionals: market researchers, legal and business consultants, project managers, game concept designers, data analysts, IT support, etc. The point is that if there is a channel to communicate and deliver the work to the client, you are in business.

According to Upwork, an online network that connects freelancers to employers, common freelance jobs include: design and creative; web, mobile and software developer; administrative support specialist; writer; translator; accounting/finance/consulting professional; IT and networking professional; sales/marketing/customer service professional; lawyer/paralegal; engineer; architect; and data science/analytics specialist.

The gig economy challenges

Being a freelancer comes with a few concerns. This includes access to affordable healthcare, a healthy savings account, retirement funds, and being compensated fairly for work.

Upwork says that 89% of freelancers wish their education prepared them for the gig economy work. If they were to return to the classroom, 52% of them say they would replace their traditional college education entirely with training tailored to their current work.

On the same report, 81% of the freelancers have figured out that freelance business skills are essential to their work and would appreciate additional training. The top three areas they would benefit from additional training on are:

• Networking
• Financial planning
• New skills in their industry
• How to start and grow a freelance career

And because working independently involves managing relationships, pitching and marketing, 78% of the freelancers mentioned that soft skills are as equally important as the technical skills in order to succeed in their work.

One of the most unrealistic aspects of capitalism is the idea that you should know what career path you want to commit to for the rest of your life by 18 years. Most of the time it is not the actual workload that causes matriculants the most stress – it is all the life-altering decisions that have to be made by them. There is a need to acknowledge that most 18-year-olds really do not know what they want to do for the rest of their lives and the expectation that they should is quite impractical.

The harsh reality is that, due to a lack of career advice and counsel, most people are still asking themselves what they would like to be “when they grow up” years after finishing high school. We would hate this to be you, so we have put together some career aptitude tests that offer some guidance for which career would be best suited to your personality, interests, and skills.

Career Aptitude Tests:

These tests are designed to guide you into which careers you should consider, based on your motivations, personality traits, interests, strengths, emotional intelligence, and skills. Career Aptitude Tests consider other factors to jobs such as which work environments you would thrive in. In order to generate the most accurate results for you, the tests require honesty and a certain level of self-awareness.

123test:

This aptitude test consists of fifteen pictures that display specific work activities. It requires you to choose the work activities best suited for you. The aim is to generate career suggestions based on the answers you give. Please visit www.123test.com/career-test/ for more information or to even take the test.

Career Values Test:

This test offers the user “cards” with statements about different aspects of work. It requires you to read and rank the cards into groups based on how important the statement in each card is to you and your ideal job.

Career Cluster Interest Survey:

Based on the activities you enjoy, Career Cluster generates groups of careers that might appeal the most to you. You are advised to stay true to yourself and not choose your answers based on which activities will make you the most money. Please visit www.careerwise.minnstate.edu/careers/clusterSurvey for more information or to take the test.

Holland Code Career Test:

This quiz uses the Holland Code scientific model to show you which jobs are compatible with your interests, talents, and aptitude. The test shows you activities and requires you to rate your interests in each activity shown. Please visit www.123test.com/holland-codes-career-tests/ for more information or to take the test.

Big Five Personality Test:

This Personality Test consists of fifty statements which you are required to rate based on how true they are about you. It takes about 3 – 8 minutes to complete and the aim is to identify which learning styles and work preferences might work best for you. Please visit www.bigfive-test.com/ for more information or to take the test.

iPQ Career Planner:

This app works like a career coach to help you identify your ideal career path. The app requires you to answer fifty-two assessment questions that check your strengths and weaknesses. This test is used by 90% of the world’s biggest companies.

School counsellors:

You do not always have to have all the answers – there are older, more qualified people who understand the job market better than you. If your school does not have school counsellors, you can seek some direction from one of your teachers or family members.

Conclusion:

Understanding yourself is a very significant part of planning your career. Aptitude tests encourage self-awareness and introspection, which might allow you to understand what exactly draws you to a certain career path.

Despite these tests, be open to change. As people we are constantly developing, and the truth is – what interests you today might be completely different from what might have interested you five years ago. A lot hinges on the career decisions you make or made as a teenager and because you know very little about yourself at that stage of your life, it is important to give yourself grace while making these difficult decisions.

Luckily these free aptitude tests might just be the guidance you need.

This year has seen a significant increase in interviews being conducted virtually due to the contact restrictions necessary because of COVID-19. It is predicted that this form of interviewing will continue to be favoured even after we can resume traditional face-to-face meetings. We’ve discussed how to prepare for a virtual interview in another post, now we will focus on some of the unique opportunities this type of interviewing offers candidate.

Control over your environment

One of the simplest advantages of the virtual interview is that you have control over the environment that you occupy for the duration of your interview. You can prepare it in a way that is comfortable for you, get the lighting just right and have resources around you that are out of the line of site of the interviewer.

Take advantage of the autonomy you have, by not being in the actual room with your interviewers, by having detailed notes on all your skills and previous experience that correlate with the requirements in the job specification you are interviewing for. You can prepare notes of real-life scenarios from your current and past roles (professional or extra-curricular) typed in detail with keywords highlighted so that you can easily refer to them during the interview as necessary. Be careful not to read back rehearsed answers to interview questions though, as this will appear very unprofessional. Your notes are there as a tool to trigger your memory and order your thoughts as you respond to questions. If you can, have them visible on a different device to the one you are doing the meeting on, or print your notes.

You can have someone whom you trust to sit in on the interview but off-camera. They can assist you with holding up or opening the documents you need to refer to, signal to you whether you need to add more details to your responses or when you are wandering off the point. Think of this person as a director (as in TV or film), who is helping you put your best presentation forward and keep you grounded in the flow of the interview. This approach may be useful to someone who is new to the job market and needs some coaching and guidance to get through the interview in a professional and confident manner. Often when candidates don’t have much experience, they tend to be extremely nervous during interviews and don’t provide sufficient or the most significant responses to questions.

Take advantage of the digital tools available

With a virtual interview, you have the benefit of having a number of tools at your disposal that you otherwise would not. You can share presentations, graphs, reports, videos, and images to illustrate or accentuate your skills and experience. This may not be practical or applicable to all careers, but some examples of how it may be useful include:

Example 1

You are applying for funding to do post-graduate studies in Film and Media and you are meeting with different bursars to show why you are an excellent candidate. Having a 3 short sound and video clips of topical discussions you hosted as a campus DJ, conference facilitator, and event MC to share during your interview would be very useful. You would of course have evidence of your experience in your portfolio of work that the bursars review outside of the interview, but having a few small samples during the interviews is also useful. While one can share these in a face-to-face interview setting, the seamlessness of already being on a digital platform and sharing digital files has better execution in a virtual interview.

Example 2

You are applying for a mid-weight Project Manager role at a company and currently you are working as a Project Coordinator. You can prepare graphs to show how the work you do, or innovations you have introduced have improved the efficiency, deadlines and economy on projects. If you are working in a product-based environment, you can show images of the end results of your projects for example new construction developments, FMCG products developed by your team, retail interior, books, etc. Putting all this information into a well designed presentation will show your capabilities as a project manager and your technological proficiencies.

Ask if the interview can be recorded and shared with you, so that you can review how you performed and make improvements where you pick up that you didn’t respond to the best of your ability. When we see ourselves on video (or hear ourselves in an audio recording), it is quite different to what we imagine we look and sound like. Seeing a playback of yourself in an interview will give you an objective view of how you look and sound to others. Based on that you can work on areas of improvement. For example using speech fillers too often (uhm, like, er) can be very distracting in a formal setting such as an interview. If you find that you were doing this frequently during your interview, but had not noticed it while you were talking, you can be mindful of that going forward so that you can stop yourself while your doing it. Reviewing yourself in this way will help for your future interviews, virtual or in person. Another benefit of having a recording of your interview is that you can examine how employers ask questions, what information they prioritise and whether there were questions they had to ask you in multiple ways to get the desired response. Note that not all companies will agree to this as they may discuss sensitive or confidential information during the interview.

Less stress in getting to and being at the interview

Getting to an interview generates a lot of stress, as does actually being in the room with a number of strangers asking you questions. All the tension of finding the interview location, carrying in files or documents, meeting a host of people before you actually get into the interview room, walking into an unfamiliar space to meet people who are there to judge your skills and competencies – all these non-core stresses are eliminated. In fact, you now have the benefit of being very familiar with the physical environment where you will be conducting your meeting. You will have the chance to set it up to your preferences so that you can be viewed in the best way. Additionally, you will not forget the names of your interviewers (due to nerves) because they will be identified on the screen.

Conclusion

Having access to your digital assets such as files, documents, reports, and presentations during your interview can help you come across as well prepared without your interviewers having to see all the resources you are referring to. You have the opportunity to customize mini-presentations for your interview, that are focused on how your skills and experience align to the requirements of the new role and presenting them in a more continuous way than would be possible in a face-to-face meeting at the company’s office. With a virtual interview, your role is closer to a co-creator rather than a guest.

IN BUSINESS

Norma Young is a journalist graduate and entrepreneur. She is freelance writer and editor and has her own online business. During the lockdown in South Africa, Norma edited and self-published Homemade an anthology of essays and recipes, and published We Need More Tables, a book she had been working on for years.

As a freelancer, Norma was already accustomed to using her home as her office and having a self-directed but deadline-driven schedule. However, she was impacted by a drop in her editing and writing commissions so she started thinking about how to generate new revenue streams, using her existing skills, within the limitations of the lockdown. She had the idea of approaching people in her network to contribute towards an anthology of essays. The inspiration for the theme of Homemade was born out of all the home cooking Norma had been doing – both to save money and limit contact with the outside world. She had been enjoying all these homemade meals and thought others might have stories to share celebrating the meals and memories made in their kitchens. She reached out to her friends, acquaintances and professional contacts, inviting them to submit their personal stories.

She notes that her motivation levels sometimes dropped but she pushed through. It helped to set an overall project deadline and daily goals. Regularly ticking items off her to-do-list gave her a sense of accomplishment and motivated her to carry on. Additionally, she was excited to see the final book so that inspired her to work consistently and complete it within the planned period.

Norma’s advice to budding entrepreneurs: “Start with a dream that’s within reach. With each dream you can then keep pushing yourself further. Start small and through those small achievements keep building towards the bigger dreams.”

Keith Mafu is a young entrepreneur who launched Vulalula, a small business that developed a hands-free door opening mechanism, a much-needed solution to the need for limited skin-contact with shared surfaces. He used the time of unexpected solitude to analyze and re-examine his priorities and his future and wondered if his job was at risk. For him, the lockdown solidified the importance of entrepreneurship and being your own boss. One of Keith’s goals for the company is to create as many jobs as possible during this difficult time to stimulate the economy, in whatever small way he can.

A social entrepreneurship focus is very important to Keith and a big motivating factor. He is putting into practice the old saying “be the change you want to see”. One vital lesson Keith has learned as an entrepreneur is that you must become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Treat every experience, whether it’s a success or failure, as an opportunity to learn something new and grow.

Keith’s advice to aspirant entrepreneurs: “As a young entrepreneur, never give up, even when you believe you’ve hit rock bottom. Continue to persevere because opportunity can arise during the most difficult moments of your journey.”

IN ART

Theatre actress and vocalist Alexis Petersen added short-film producer to her CV when she co-produced and acted in “Please, Mr. President, Please”. It is a commentary on the enhanced violence and social injustice South Africans have experienced during the COVID-19 lockdown. The 5-minute 49-second film was created and produced by Alexis and her partner who are both performing artists. They launched the film in April 2020 on their social media platforms. When they saw news reports and heard in their own communities some of the things people were suffering during the lockdown, they felt moved to say something. Using their talents and skills for artistic expression, they conceptualized and executed the film which will hopefully be the first of many more digital projects they deliver.

From South Africa to Italy, many people have wanted to do something altruistic to contribute to managing the spread of COVID-19. At the start of the global lockdowns, Italian actor Michele Morrone was just becoming widely known outside of Italy. He used his Instagram to give traction to #stayhome. Doing regular Instagram live chats with fans he encouraged people to stay home, take care of themselves, and be considerate of others by adhering to the lockdown rules. He told positive stories about his struggles and journey as an actor in the decade he’s worked to establish himself. He shared how 12 months earlier he didn’t even know where his rent money would come from and couldn’t imagine that a year later he’d have multiple acting and music projects going. He emphasized how putting in the hard work consistently, especially when investing in your craft, will eventually pay off. Instagram became a tool not only for self-promotion but also to spread a positive message.

These 4 people, in their various capacities, used their wits and the resources they had available to be impactful in the world and enhance their own careers. Hopefully, there are things you resonate with in their stories to inspire you to think about your goals and plan how to work on them.

Over the past number of weeks and months, we have focused our blogs around managing the effects the COVID-19 lockdown has brought. We’ve sought to give you guidance, point you towards glimmers of hope, share opportunities & resources, and acknowledge that times are tough. This week we are taking a brief look at how you can survive and thrive in a time of change and uncertainty. Continuing from the context of individual and institutional social distancing, there are 3 broad themes of development we want you to consider going forward: well-being, opportunities, and the future.

Mental and physical well-being

Last year we did a series on mental well-being and this is definitely the time to re-emphasize the importance of taking mental stock. Being isolated and house-bound for long periods of time is not ideal for the human psyche. Many people, around the globe, have reported experiencing depression and increased feelings of anxiety due to living in lockdown conditions. As much as you can, while following the law and safety precautions, remain in contact with your support structure. Social media companies have rapidly advanced their platforms to enable us to more easily have online group activities. If your own household is really getting on your last nerve, arrange for a virtual group hangout with friends, classmates, or a community you share interests or hobbies with. Participating in any number of Instagram live streams that are constantly happening can be really fun and take your mind off your stresses.

Your physical health is also very important. And yes, we are staying indoors and isolated to protect ourselves and others from a serious disease, but at the same time, your day-to-day well-being needs to be maintained. A balanced diet is crucial, which is difficult as winter upon us. Adding to that, many households have been put under financial strain which has affected their ability to buy enough food let alone healthy food. If you are in the fortunate position to have enough food daily, make sure to eat a balance of healthy meals, with only a hint of luxuries. Schedule regular short exercise intervals during the day, so that you get some muscle movement and circulation going. This also does wonders for giving you mental energy, especially if you’ve been sitting long hours doing work. Maintaining physical and mental health is always important so in the weeks and months ahead where schools, universities, and workplaces re-open continue to prioritize your student well-being.

With change comes opportunity

One of the positive outcomes of the global pandemic has been that many learning organizations have offered limited free access to educational resources. There has also been an increase in the critical discourse around the future of work and education, with podcasts, interviews, free webinars, and short online courses engaging with the question of how to prepare for a different future. More than ever, what we have learned is the desirability for individuals – whether innovators, employees, or freelancers – to have the capability to work remotely (see post on top emerging jobs). This not only means having access to equipment to work off-site but requires one to be agile, disciplined, and have excellent problem-solving skills (see post on top in-demand job skills). Developing agility and critical thinking, by regularly engaging in critical environments such as seminars, hackathons, debates, coding, gaming, and design (and sports when we do that again) are some ways to flex those solution-finding muscles. Business leaders, social commentators, and academics have been projecting what economies and places of work will be like in the near and distant future, post-COVID. The abiding opinion is that things have fundamentally and rapidly shifted, nobody quite knows what the long-term results will be, but the move towards digital and virtual capabilities is in immediate demand.

While uncertainty is often daunting, those who can identify opportunities and workable solutions will be in a strong position. For example, what we have seen in South Africa particularly, is the acute need for development in electronic data (as in information), fast and stable internet access and automated systems for service delivery. Specialists in coding, robotics, systems design and information systems are needed to identify, plan and drive these solutions.

Building skills to prepare for the future

Now is the time to get informed about how industries, global NGOs, and governments are re-aligning their planning. We are seeing investments for developing systems shifting in response to the current context. There is a limited window of opportunity for you to make the most of resources that are now more freely available for growth and development. While we are constrained by the difficulties of today, it is vital to be future-focused during the crisis and equip yourself to be an innovator. That is the type of business partner companies, institutions, and governments will be looking for in the near future. Business partners are more than employees or consultants or directors even, they are people that are driving innovation in the spaces they occupy. In your area of interest, try to identify where there are gaps in the market or industry and see how you can develop your skills to fill those gaps. Be prepared to be constantly upskilling yourself with short courses and practical on-the-project learning which will be required due to the acceleration of the need for large-scale changes across industries and markets.

As schools and universities are about to re-open, use this interruption to life as we once knew it as a springboard to re-imagine the future of how the world works and your place in it. Four months ago that may have been a dramatic approach, but now its as if a reset button was pushed and lots of things will be very different in the months and years to come.

This is also a great time to re-read some of our previous blog posts, particularly the following mental health is a balancing act, free-learning tools during COVID 19, most in-demand job skills top emerging jobs, CVs in the time of the side hustle and getting the most of our social media. We hope they continue to motivate you on your education journey.