During recent months, I have found myself with too much free time on my hands. While it is always nice to spend some of that time relaxing, it is also the perfect opportunity to engage in some learning and upskilling. These are just some examples of the activities I have been engaging in - hopefully it will give you some ideas about where to spend your free time as well!
1. Virtual Career Events
The University Career Services have migrated online, however, the quality of workshops and career activities have remained consistent. I was able to meet employers of top companies and note down tips and tricks for acing interviews and assessment centres. I found the events hosted by the Career Services especially helpful - with mock virtual interviews and briefing sessions about the different recruitment processes, I started to feel more confident about job hunting. This knowledge and experience will be vastly valuable throughout my professional life!
2. Student societies
Another great way to develop new skills and meet new people is to engage with University Societies. Most of them have moved online, so you can dance, sing and even have movie watching sessions together! There are also a great number of employability oriented societies that can help you meet employers, recent graduates and industry professionals with CV building tips - I recently attended an event hosted by the Consulting society, where I got to chat with a sustainability-oriented business founder. It is also worthwhile to look into joining one of the societies as a committee member - it is interesting to understand how the society works behind the scenes; you will also gain organisational, leadership and teamwork skills!
3. Upskilling
Lastly, now is a great time to take up a hobby or learn a new language. There are plenty of free online courses on websites such as Coursera or even YouTube - whether you want to brush up on your business acumen, attend workshops to improve your mental health or even learn more about gardening or philosophy, you are more than likely to find opportunities with a quick Google search. Apps such as Memrise are a brilliant way to start learning the basics of any language (though be warned, to become more advanced, you will need to take up some independent study). Spending as little as half an hour a day upskilling will help you feel better and more productive, and it might just make you stand out in the job market later on!
I hope you found some insightful ideas on where to spend some of your free time!
