It's needless to say that the current COVID-19 pandemic has changed everyone's lives, one way or another. Like other groups, students have been largely affected by the transition to online classes and the loss of summer jobs.
However, when looking at this situation through another lens (a more optimistic one), it offers many opportunities for individuals to build new skills and reflect on themselves. Most importantly, we've seen students stepping up and becoming community leaders and heroes - big cheers for them!
Going back to the beginning - how have students been affected by COVID-19?
When social distancing measures and stay-at-home orders were put in place back in March, one of the most immediate changes was the transition to online classes. This was a 'yay' for some students (especially those with long commutes!), but it was a 'nay' for many.
Final presentations, group projects, and labs were disrupted as schools scrambled to adjust to online learning platforms - then came the connection issues and problems with webcams and microphones.
Transitioning to online classes was a bigger challenge for some students as they struggled to adapt to the new learning style.
On top of this, students received emails and calls from the summer internship they had lined up months ago. Their conditional job contracts were rescinded as companies no longer had the funds to hire, or it would've been difficult to offer the position remotely.
Students spend weeks, if not months, searching and applying to the perfect summer position. Summer jobs offer them valuable experiences to build on their knowledge and skills - and earn some income for the upcoming school year. For many, they lost that in just a few days. And with the current recession, it isn't easy to just 'find another job.'
In general, this whole situation has brought upon a lot of uncertainty - when will classes go back offline, or will they ever? Will I still be able to go on an exchange in the upcoming school year? If companies aren't hiring, how am I going to get the necessary experience to land my dream career?
Bad news - you can't get rid of uncertainty, it will always be there. Good news - you can make things less uncertain, it just depends on whether or not you are willing to!
What you can do to make the most out of a lousy situation
Learn a new skill or hobby
Think about all the times you said, "I want to learn _______" or "I want to start _______ when I have time" during the semester. Now you can! The current situation has freed a lot of time - when school is operating normally, students are looped in an endless cycle of weekly assignments, quizzes, midterms, and before you know it, you have final exams and presentations.
This, right now, is your chance to start that project you always wanted to do, or pick up a new hobby.
And thanks to the tech-savviness of this generation, you can practically learn any skill or hobby online through course sites or YouTube videos. In fact, many sites are offering courses for free or at a lowered price (just do a quick Google search).
Note: Taking initiative and having the persistence to learn a new skill or hobby looks and sounds great on a resume/interview.
Volunteer for a charity or nonprofit
If you want more tangible experience, you can volunteer for a charity or nonprofit. Unlike most businesses, many charities and nonprofits are still functioning during this time (in fact, many are doing more work than normal, and are totally overwhelmed with demand for their services, while being short-staffed because their traditional volunteer base is made up of seniors). They need help in many areas such as admin work, graphic design, community & events, etc. - volunteering is just as valuable as working an internship!
And there are a lot more charities and nonprofits than you think (hint: over 170,000 in Canada) with so many opportunities for you to develop your skills and experiences! Even if they're not explicitly looking for volunteers, you can send them a quick email asking how you can help out! Trust me, they will be more than happy to have another pair of hands on deck.
In addition, the Government of Canada is offering between $1000 to $5000 to students who volunteer for the summer, so another reason to volunteer!
Join a community initiative
Many community initiatives have launched in response to COVID-19. It's truly amazing to see neighbours helping each other and communities coming together, so why not join one?
The good thing about joining a community initiative is that it doesn't need to take a lot of time. You can do as much as you want. If you only have 2 hours to spare, you can help out for just 2 hours - any amount of time helps!
You can easily offer help to someone in need on Purposely - we're across Canada! Purposely is a better and safer platform for COVID mutual aid than Facebook groups.
With many chapters around the world, Students Against Corona is a student-led organization that strives to help those in need during the COVID pandemic. This network of volunteers helps anywhere they can, from delivering groceries to fundraising for food banks. They have demonstrated the power and ability that students have to make great change.
Relax and Reflect
Uncertain times can cause a lot of worry, stress, and anxiety - it's okay that you're feeling some of these emotions. Take this time to take care of your mental health, and go at your own pace. Please remember that there are many resources out there to help - here are a few:
Yes, I agree that the current situation is depressing at times and that's why it's important to look for opportunities. There are so many things that you can do to help yourself and others right now, so go for it!
