Do you live to work or work to live? Unfortunately, many of us find ourselves unhappy in our work. If that sounds like you, what is stopping you from doing something about it? We are all capable of learning new things, upskilling and finding a new job. In fact, there’s never been a better time to do it as the world has changed significantly over the past 18 months and shows no sign of reverting back to previous ways.
Here are some ideas that could help you.
Free or cheap online courses
Every local Facebook group seems to have people offering free and funded courses these days. While it is important to check the credibility and stature of the courses in question, they can be a great way to learn something new as well as deciding whether a new industry is right for you. Futurelearn is a fantastic website that offers free courses accredited by universities from around the world. You have to pay extra to get a certificate, but if you wish to use this for work applications, it is worth the small fee.
Voluntary work
While not everyone has the time or can take holiday from their existing role to offer their services as a volunteer, if you are able to do this, it can be so worthwhile. Volunteering, whether in a sector that interests you for future work or not, can look great on your CV, help you to develop new skills, discover unknown strengths and get your foot through the door. With budgets being tight within education at the moment, there has never been a better time to offer your support as a parent helper, for example, within a local school or nursery.
Adult education
As well as online courses, which have become more popular, the traditional classroom-based night classes still have a place. Check out your council’s website for further details of what they offer. If you are considering bettering yourself and perhaps trying college or university in the future, you may need to resit your GCSEs or take equivalency classes, for example, functional English and maths. Alternatively, if you are thinking about turning a hobby into a job, such as baking, there are often cake decorating classes. As well as honing your skills, you can also meet like-minded people.
YouTube
This might seem a strange one but bear with… YouTube has a wealth of tutorials available that you can watch to help you to learn new things. If you are considering making a career out of being a ‘Jack (or Jill) of all trades’, you may wish to watch videos showing you how to easily put up shelving or fix basic household problems.
Practise
Sometimes, all you need is time to practise your skills. For example, if you’d like to make photography your job, spend time photographing your local area, offering family and friends the opportunity to have their portraits done for free. Spending time with a pro is another good way of improving, especially if they can tell you why they are using specific lighting, lenses or positions.
Whatever you’re hoping to do in life, good luck!
