Remember how a year ago, working from home was a trendy dream chased by many, that seemed an almost unachievable luxury for most of us? Then suddenly here we are, working from home for many months, even in the industries and jobs that seemed not compatible with this style. We have got an increased flexibility, our kitchen with favorite snacks two steps away, and the transit time brought to one minute that you need to get from one room to another.

However, along with these, came many difficulties. We lack real communication, lack movement, often do not get enough fresh air, daylight exposure, and events – those random daily events that just happen to us normally. We feel as if in vacuum, left to ourselves, our hopes, challenges, and fears, left to reflect on everything at these times of uncertainty.

But should we hide from this? Or should we take advantage of this opportunity of being on our own, to do things we enjoy and work on self-improvement? Remember how many times we used to complain that there were so many things we wanted to do but never had time for? Well, now there seems to be time for these! Ever wanted to learn new things? There is more and more online and free learning available these days. You have probably heard of Coursera, Udemy, EdX, and other platforms. In the light of the current situation, online learning becomes even bigger thing than it used to be. A wide variety of universities and schools around the world offer courses online, even those that would likely not do that if not for the pandemic. Did you know that the Ministry of Education of México (SEP) through Television Educativa has signed a cooperation agreement as a member with edX? Now Mexico’s most prestigious educational institutions massively offer online their best courses. You can also look for free online courses on MexicoX.

So, why not use this time to upgrade skills and come out of this as a better version of yourself? The time will pass regardless, and there are so many things we cannot change about this situation. But we can change the way we come out of this when things become better. So instead of remembering 2020 and 2021 as years that we ‘almost did not use’, we can look back at this time as an era of self-improvement, learning, and hobbies.

Evgenia Stroganova

Yorkville University.