The seemingly unending pandemic has made a great impact on our lives. From the way we meet up with friends to (yep, you’ve already guessed it), our career.
I was one of the millions of people made redundant last year. I was lucky enough to land my first job as a flight attendant right after graduating high school and explore the world. It almost felt like a dream on some days, until it turned into a nightmare.
After one year on the job, the news about COVID-19 started spreading, and before we knew it, countries around the world began to implement national lockdowns. The collapse of the travel industry followed not long after.
Now, what should you do if you’re a high school graduate with experience in an industry that’s heavily impacted by the pandemic? Here’s how I do it:
1. Wait
Well, I first waited until I could calm myself down and think more clearly. I enjoyed the much-needed time to process my emotions. We are in a pandemic, after all. And during that time, I asked myself what I wanted to do next. It’s great if you could come up with a long-term plan, but a plan to survive just for a few more months or the next year would be great too. The upside of being redundant is, you have all the time in the world for yourself now.
2. Maintain your routine
This is such a small yet important thing that most people can’t keep; including myself sometimes. Maintaining a routine prevents you from feeling down and out of touch with everyone. It’s very tempting to just binge watch that Netflix series you’ve been eyeing. You can have a week or two off at the beginning, but don’t let it become a month or two off!
3. Check inside your toolbox
If you’ve invested all your time in a certain industry for years, it might be extremely difficult to see yourself doing something different. But you should remember that humans are gifted with so many different talents. Maybe you haven’t tried to hone or monetize it before, and now has come a great time to try it out! The worst that could happen is:
It doesn’t go as expected, but you’ve honed said skill!
For example, did you know that you could get paid for creating interesting Instagram captions? Or that you can secure your rent rating websites? I didn’t know about these either at the beginning! The next step will help you in acquiring the information faster and in a more fun way than you could ever imagine!
4. Network, network, network
As an introvert, this is the hardest one yet for me. Especially after getting my first job through sheer determination and hard work. I didn’t realize the importance of networking or just human contact in general until I lost my job. Not only can you help others find jobs in places that suit them and vice versa, but it will definitely save you from the slump I have mentioned before. While having a connection in a new industry you’re learning is very useful, don’t be discouraged if you don’t have one yet. We all start somewhere!
5. Take online courses
So, you know what you want to do, and you know what your skills are. Time to hone them into a new weapon. There are millions of resources in your hand right now. Free or paid, they are all just as useful! This also helps an introvert like me to build my network, since being in a class feels better than sending a friend request to a stranger. And if you show good enthusiasm and interest in this field, there might be a potential employer in said class. I’m lucky enough to be an example of that 😉 Check out Remote Skills Academy.
6. Patience
Remind yourself that this happens to everyone in the world and not just to you. See this as an opportunity to spread your wings. Changing from an industry to another could be overwhelming and scary even before the pandemic. So be kind to yourself and don’t forget to be your own cheerleader!
Is there anything that I missed? Please share your tips in the comment section below for anyone that needs them, or you can connect with me through LinkedIn. Let’s support each other during this hard time, and never lose hope! If you would like to see me cover any other topics, don’t hesitate to put them down in the comment!
Written by Yosephine Anastasya.
