COVID-19 lockdown is something that caught us completely off guard. The pandemic changed our way of life, and we cannot know for sure when it will end. Due to national lockdowns, restaurants, museums, pubs, and anything all places related to entertainment are closed. Going out and meeting friends at their homes is also not an option for some of us. Being stuck at home leads to lockdown boredom. It’s perfectly normal given the unexpected situation. You can, of course, start watching the whole Netflix’s library or play every video game on Game Pass, but is there something more beneficial that you could do? Something that will allow you to profit from sitting at home all day?
Freelance jobs are a great way to make money without going out. You are your own boss, and you can do as much work as you’d like. Below you will find some skills you can learn at home and which will give you a free pass to the freelance world.
Learn a Language
With apps like Duolingo or Rosetta Stone, learning a new language was never easier. There are lots of apps and online courses that really work if you are eager to study. The first thing you need to do is to choose a language you want to learn. Maybe you want to remind yourself of some French from high school, or start with something entirely new, like Arabic?
When learning a new language at home you have access to lots of different learning techniques. A great way to absorb key vocabulary is to learn words for all items in your apartment. You don’t even need to study them very hard, after some time it will just come to you unconsciously.
You can find movies or TV series in your language of choice and watch them with subtitles. At first, you can use English subtitles to train your ear, but after some time, change them to the original French, Spanish, or whatever you have chosen.
The Internet is a great way to meet people from all around the world. Go online, find a friend from another country and start chatting! You will not only make a new, exciting friendship but also learn through conversations with a native speaker for free. It’s a win-win situation, right?
Start Writing
Have you enjoyed writing at school? I have good news for you! You can make a living out of it! Or you can just earn some extra money if it’s all you need. Lockdown is a perfect time to practice. It doesn’t matter if you want to write books, blogs, or posts on social media. You have to have highly developed writing skills and a talent for storytelling for each of these tasks, which can be done only by writing on a daily basis and polishing your skills.
Writing is probably one of the best jobs for freelancing beginners, as it has low entry barriers. The greatest thing about freelance writing is that you may find the niche you love working with and easily get a job in this industry.
Try Some Graphic Tools
Every company needs a graphic designer to make flyers, posters, logos, or web infographics. Freelance graphic designers are always high in demand, but in order to succeed, you have to create a diverse portfolio. Showing that you can work with lots of different styles may be crucial for your employment.
You can buy books about typography, grid systems, and logotypes in order to learn more about graphic design. These are the most important topics you need to cover. When it comes to using graphic design tools, you can take online courses, but it’s not a necessity. Buying a license for Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator and getting familiar with them should be enough for a start.
Learn a Different Kind of Language
Developers are one of the most in-demand careers in the world. Every business and company needs online services and a strong digital footprint. To become a developer, you should know at least several programming languages of your choice.
During a lockdown, lots of schools shared their courses for free. It’s not particularly hard to find Python or C++ courses open to the public. When choosing which one you want to learn, you should think about a field you want to work in. For example, front-end developers turn code into graphic interfaces, back-end specialists focus on databases and architecture building. Each of them requires a different set of skills. For freelance developers, the most needed languages are Phyton, Java, Swift, and Ruby.
The Bottom Line
For more entrepreneurial people, lockdown can be a good thing. With more time comes more boredom and more ways to fight it. If you are unsatisfied with your job, this may be an excellent time to start training yourself for another. Even if you have a nice, steady job, learning new skills can help you in the long run. Not only may it bring you higher on a company ladder but it may heighten your self-confidence. In conclusion, when doing anything from this list, you won’t know what boredom is, and your days will bring you a more lucrative and satisfying life.
Lockdown Boredom Featured Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay