online courses

Lockdown life is unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. Suddenly, we’ve gone from never spending enough time at home to spending ALL our time there. And, honestly, it isn’t quite the luxury we imagined. Like anything when it’s put upon us, we’re now clawing at the walls and begging for the chance to exercise just once a day. But, as the adjustment period comes to a somewhat belated end, some of us are managing to put this new normal to positive use.

Most notably, people seem to be embracing this opportunity to finally make the most of home learning. The courses available have increased ten-fold, while even online learning outlets that have always been around enjoy unprecedented signup rates.

Of course, the lessons you choose to take away from this period are entirely down to you, and there’s nothing wrong with courses that simply help you to switch off. It is worth noting, though, that with job safety so uncertain at the moment, you could also benefit from thinking about new skills that will undeniably come in handy post-pandemic, including –

Health and safety/first aid

Even when lockdowns end, governments worldwide are talking about new safety processes to help prevent a much-dreaded ‘second wave’ of infections. In the UK, for instance, they’re talking about new layout requirements in restaurants, while the US centers around phased reopenings. Either way, workplaces globally face brand new challenges to keep customers and employees safe. As such, the call for health and safety or first aid trained individuals is about to increase no end. Even better, these courses are openly available online and don’t tend to take much more than a few days to complete.

Public relations

Even with these new safety regulations, many businesses are worried how customer interest will look after lockdown. After all, customers will still likely show some hesitancy about heading out, meaning that already struggling businesses will face further setbacks. Hence why PR experts are liable to come into play. And, hence why you’d benefit from taking this chance to learn more about public relations right now. This way, you’ll be in the best position to help brands plan promotions, marketing, and more that helps them rebuild consumer attention when they need it most.

Accounting

It’s also vital not to underestimate how much accounting services will come into play for industries post-lockdown. After all, companies will have gone untold amounts of time with no revenue by this point, and bringing the right people on board to help them overcome that will be a priority. Whether you have some accounting experience or are starting from scratch, tackling a course in this area now means you’ll be at the forefront of that increased demand, and changing the face of businesses as we know them!

Lockdown is, undeniably, frustrating, but this time also brings a great deal of opportunities. While there’s no such thing as a wasted course, then, consider these fundamentals to get your foot in these soon-to-be-booming careers sooner rather than later.

Adding more strings to your bow is always a good thing. We should seek throughout the whole course of our careers to continue our education, as it’s the way to make sure we keep growing, challenging ourselves and developing vital skills. However, there are some significant barriers to keep studying for a lot of us. If we have full-time jobs, careers and families, it’s not possible to uproot everything and go back to student life. That is exactly where online study has been booming over the past decade. Offering flexible courses which involve distance learning that you can fit around existing commitments, the chance is now there to gain the skills you need to advance your career, in a way that suits your life – sometimes even on your mobile phone.

Location, Location, Location

With postgraduate studies and things like business school in particular, the course you choose to take is likely to be highly specific rather than generalist. That means that you need to more carefully select the right fit, one that will truly enhance your career goals. In past, the right course for you would often be found at only a handful of institutions – which may not have been located anywhere near your home, family or job. With the advent of online degree courses, the learning of higher education institutes all over the world are open to you. So finding the right fit is easier than ever. If you want to do Wilfrid Laurier’s online BACP it’s now available wherever you are without you having to uproot your life. Plus, studying online saves a lot of headaches, administration and hidden costs, such as expensive commutes, plane tickets, accomodation costs or visas, making it much more accessible in terms of cost too.

Accessing Support

If you think that choosing to study online means you won’t be able to access the support you need, you may be pleasantly surprised by the reality of online study. Most digital learning programmes are well aware that support is a key concern for their students and have taken great steps to address it. Support from university tutors is available alongside one to one feedback to keep your studies on track. You should be allocated a supervisor whom you can email and get in touch with via Skype for study guidance, as well as a host of student support services for study, technical or admin queries. Most institutions have introduced online learning platforms which connect you to your peers and tutors and have a wealth of study materials including videos of lectures, study notes and slideshows – all fully searchable. Some universities and colleges have set up a YouTube channel to allow you access lectures anywhere in the world, while others have produced podcasts and online labs. Your assessments will be taken or submitted online, while your scores and feedback will also be available – it’s usually quite a seamless process and one which is truly portable. You could be studying for that master’s degree on the train to work every day!