Albert Einstein once said, “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity”. The worth of this phrase has been best realized now, when the world has come to a standstill due to the outbreak of COVID-19. To curtail the spread of the virus, everyone has been asked to stay indoors. Schools, colleges and universities have shut campuses, education has adopted the online route and office-goers have shifted to a work-from-home module. It is obvious that our usual livelihoods are facing a massive disruption. But the fact is we cannot change this situation. What we can do is adapt to the ‘new normal’, be patient and follow the guidelines implemented by government.

Such situations at times may create negativity and stressed atmosphere around you. Hence, you should try to look at the silver lining of this problem. It has given you one of the best gifts that you can ask for – ‘TIME’. Often you must have heard your peers or family members complain about not having enough time for themselves. This situation has given each one of you the extra time which you can utilize to spend with your family, pursue a hobby or do something constructive for self-development. This is the apt time to invest in the tasks that have always been on the back burner due to lack of time. It is time to invest in yourself so that when you get out of your homes post lockdown, you can be an improved individual in terms of knowledge and skills.

Technological skills like Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain are widely adopted by almost every known industry to gain a competitive advantage. In fact, according to LinkedIn, Blockchain is a top priority for employers hiring in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany and Australia. Cloud computing, analytical reasoning, AI are some of the most sought for skills by employers across the world. Skills like Data Science, Machine Learning, and Python have now become important skill-sets for leveraging business operations efficiently. Apart from hard-skills, there is also a higher demand for cognitive skills such as Creativity, Critical Thinking, Decision-Making and Complex Information Processing in the market. Problem-Solving is another important skill that companies look for while hiring. Challenges are an inevitable aspect of every industry and employers welcome candidates who can troubleshoot and solve them independently.

In such a competitive atmosphere, you need to acquire hard and soft skills along with your usual academic courses. It is not very difficult to get access to such courses anymore. There are multiple e-learning platforms which offer these courses online. Previously, you might have said that you are left with no time after attending your classes, finishing your assignments and preparing for exams. But now social distancing has given you the golden opportunity to invest time in yourself by utilizing the extra time judiciously. Many online learning platforms have made some useful courses available for free of cost so that interested individuals can utilize their free time to upgrade themselves and be future-ready.

Education is one of the fundamental factors of economic development and challenging times, such as the COVID-19 outbreak, have led to newer avenues to facilitate learning. Utilize this time well, convert social distancing into self-development. In the midst of the crisis, employers are becoming more and more stringent in terms of hiring people. Organizations these days are not only looking for your skills and experience but they are also scanning the value you will bring to the company with the help of those skills.

Even though the status quo has been disrupted, the education sector has introduced ways to enable learning and self-development. Several financing solutions are available to fuel education and learning where organizations like Avanse Financial Services come forward to provide proper backend support, robust guidance and holistic handholding. You can reach out to us for any query or assistance in terms of your education loan options. With us, you can aspire without boundaries!