With COVID-19 sending us indoors for more hours than we’re used to, many of us are trying to figure out what exactly to do with our time at home. Instead of getting lost in the sea of scary news and social media posts, why not turn out attention to learning something new to sharpen our skills, expand our horizons, or simply to fulfill an interest we’ve never had time to pursue?
With many live events going digital, and so many more resources already available online, now is the time to get to learning a new hobby or enrolling in an online course that will help propel your career forward.
Why not use this extra time to bolster your résumé and learn new skills that will help you become better at what you do? When you’re able to head back into work, you can leverage those new skills for
The world will start spinning again soon. And when that happens, might as well come out the other side with a new hobby or skill set that you’ve always wanted to have in your back pocket. Scroll on for 7 ways you can learn something new during the quarantine.
Get a Yale education.
We’re hearing raves about Yale University’s mega-popular “happiness” course, which is now available for free online through Coursera.
“We’re in a particularly challenging time not just for this health crisis, this physical health crisis, but also a potential mental health crisis as well,” says Yale psychology professor, Laurie Santos.
The course went online for free about two years ago under the name “The Science of Well Being,” according to the Yale Daily News. Anyone can audit the course for free, and $49 lets you complete assignments, submit them for a grade and earn a certificate of completion.
Watch a few webinars.
Webinars are a great way to learn more about a specific topic in a short period of time, usually 60 minutes. Even better, they’re guided by someone, often in real time, so you can ask questions and get that “classroom feel.” One of our very own editors, Lauren McGoodwin, has provided loads of different types of webinars on her popular career and business site, Career Contessa. Webinars provide great face-to-face advice on topics we can all improve in (financials, leadership, time management), without the hassle of meeting face-to-face.
Take cooking classes by Gordon Ramsay.
Chef and Hell’s Kitchen star Gordon Ramsay takes you into his kitchen and guides you through 20 exclusive video lessons in his $15/month online masterclass. He starts with basics like knife skills and then teaches you how to make intricate dishes like beef wellington! If Gordon isn’t your style, Wolfgang Puck, New York Times, Bon Apétit Test Kitchen and Top Chef all have online courses where they teach you to make hundreds or recipes as well at little to no cost.
Make origami.
Learn how to fold origami flowers, boxes, airplanes, ninja stars and other projects with The Spruce Crafts’ free tutorials. This would be a fun one to do with your kids, too! Their projects like DIY ‘cootie catchers’, origami swans, and other projects for kids can provide them with hours of entertainment.
Excel your career like a boss with Anna Wintour.
Learn how to lead with impact from fashion and media icon, Anna Wintour, who has been driving our cultural conversation for more than 30 years. The Vogue Editor-in-Chief and Artistic Director of Condé Nast takes off her signature sunglasses and gives you unprecedented access to her world through her Masterclass series. See how Anna nurtures talent, makes bold decisions, and evolves a brand.
Learn to edit videos like a pro.
Video editing has become one of the most sought-after skills nowadays, and what better way to remember that trip you took last summer than by creating your own video of your clips and pics? The Premiere Pro CC for Beginners: Video Editing Class by Udemy teaches you how to edit an entire video from beginning to end using creative techniques, configurations, start stop motions, and much more. With over 86,000+ enrolled students this course is worth a try. No need for a professional camera either, you can use what you have stored on your phone or computer just fine.
Bust out some (Tik Tok) moves.
Finally, an activity has emerged that will appease both the productive and passive quarantine parties: learning the most popular TikTok dances. Whether you’re completely obsessed with the app (guilty as charged) or have yet to experience it, there’s a dance for you on TikTok. Set to songs both popular and obscure, these 15-to-30-second routines are sweeping the app, and you can now learn them all for yourself at home, (and get a killer workout in the process).
