Make Your Downtime Productive
‘It is the best of times, it is the worst of times.’ This quote from Charles Dickens’ novel sits well with the situation we are in today. But best of times, really? Let me explain.
The Coronavirus is deadly because the human body has no natural resistance towards the virus. In due time with vaccinations or otherwise, we will build immunity against it the same way we built for smallpox and influenza. As the virus evolves so does our immune system (if a man time travels to 2020 from 1950, he will not survive as his immune system will have no resistance even against the common flu). And in the future, we will be more prepared for such strains of coronavirus. So, all is not lost you see.
Now about the latter part. Well, if you have graduated or about to graduate this year then you very well know why it is the worst of times. With colleges shut and placement drive suspended, you are in a soup.
How will the job market be in a month from now? Will I land a plush job in my dream company? Will I land a job?
I am sure these questions are haunting you. Worrying about things that cannot be controlled is worthless instead make an action plan of things that can be done.
The freE-learning
Doing an online course is a great way of keeping yourself busy while you are in the lockdown. Why?
● There are a plethora of credible courses offered by top-notch institutes and companies.
● Most of the courses are self-paced and have a flexible schedule to suit your availability.
● It is free! Not all courses but the sheer amount of free courses available online will spoil you for choice.
So, here are some platforms that offer credible free courses: 1. Coursera - There are more than a thousand free courses listed on this e-learning platform. You can view the ratings, number of students enrolled and the university conducting the course before signing up for it. Some of the courses even have the option of subtitles in Hindi. The courses are made free for a particular time period so you need to check regularly for the free courses.
2. Harvard Online Courses - The Harvard University has this dedicated website for online courses only. The listed courses are conducted by veteran professors from multiple Harvard schools. There is a decent amount of free courses enlisted for you to choose from.
3. MIT Open CourseWare - I had a hard time believing that MIT has an open learning platform where all the courses are free! These courses are from the graduate and undergraduate programs conducted at MIT. So, anyone of us can take up a course that is taught in MIT classrooms from anywhere in the world. Unbelievable but true. 4. NPTEL - The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning is an initiative by 7 IITs and IISc to make the best educational material on engineering, basic and social sciences available online. All the courses uploaded are free of cost. The courses are free but the certification exam has a registration fee of 1000 INR and is conducted across India locally. Applying for the certification is optional but it is definitely a value add to your resume.
5. Paid Course - At times you need to take up a paid course for the human interaction and live classes and there are multiple e-learning platforms like Udemy, Great Learning, and Upgrad to help you. Paid courses allow you to interact with the mentor and interact while conducting the classes. The platforms have tie-ups with companies and provide placement support.
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