Mask on. Covid-19 and its impact on me
Q: How has COVID-19 affected you?
In this blog you will gain some insight on how the COVID-19 pandemic is effecting my personally and professional life.
Finishing up my college career I was excited to get into the workforce. Everything was going so well. There were more jobs to choose from, and my network was eager to lend out references to the companies they work for. Now my network is focusing on securing their own jobs while watching colleges being let go. No one could have predicted this would happen when the economy was doing so well. You would hear "we are due for a recession" and give it the same thought as "we are due for a huge earthquake"(California talk). When it happens we will deal with it, we thought...
Well we got into the recession just not the way that was anticipated and with everything else that has happened, the year of 2020 is looking like one of the worst years many of us have faced in our lifetimes. With every valley there is always a peak and as the world takes a breather from the pollution, people spend time reflecting, and awareness that this is a global crisis, we can develop a unified front against future problems. This will ensure a pandemic does not happen, at this magnitude, again. This valley will soon rise to another peak. A different one. A better one.
Personally I have spent this time juggling an overload of online classes, watching my favorite shows, playing video games, blogging, reading, and drawing. Sounds a bit unproductive but that is the point. Before this pandemic I was waking up early to get to the gym before full day of classes getting solid grades and being on track of getting on the deans list. Now I have time to work on my self doing things that I enjoy and my personal brand.
The world on lockdown does not mean hustle has to stop.
Now is the time to work on yourself and establishing an idea of your personal brand. Most of us may have more time on our hands and are debating on what to binge watch on Netflix. Which is okay but before that you should insure that when this is all over you are a desired candidate for your future employer. So how do you do that? For now figure out what you're passionate about and focus on that.
Focus on your passion
With more time on our hands we can really dive deep into our creative side. I recently started an instagram page for my artwork and have testing out certain marketing tactics to gain some experience that will benefit my professional life as well as my personal brand. Running ads on instagram and utilizing Hootsuite to manage my content really makes my passion for art more on the business track. I can review the analytics and adjust accordingly. You hear the word "passion" being tossed around a lot. Many of us have an idea of what it means to us but never see it being more than just a hobby. I get it.
My parents did not really support my art until I was considered "good" in their eyes. My first major in college was graphic design but I was told I would not be able to compete and it would be very difficult to make money. So, I switched to biotechnology, I can not help but laugh as I write this. Of course, that is a very difficult major and I did not have the desire to learn it to that intensity. So finally, I ended up in Business marketing. I figured that whatever I end up doing If I know how to market it I will be able to be successful and if what I am marketing turns out to be my passion in life than even better.
Share it. Everywhere.
Let your friends and family know that you started. If you like drawing, photography, blogging, podcasting, making shelfs for succulents, whatever it is let people know. Im talking about Instagram, Facebook, even TikTok.
Tip: Write a story about your new project on a blog post in your new website. Mention your blog on your instagram or Facebook post of your new project. Get people from one platform to your site where they can learn more about you and potentially make an order.
Never quit.
Be warned that once you start you can NOT stop. No matter what. Not getting enough followers or likes, if you are passionate that does not matter. You are not doing this for money. You are doing this to share a piece of yourself. If what you are sharing provides value to enough people eventually it will gain enough exposer and that is when you can expect some profits. That day may never actually happen. Bummer, I know, but I say this because out of all the business books I have read they give this idea that if you work at your passion hard enough that you'll be racking in money sooner rather than later. I think you should share your passion and be proud of yourself for doing so. Regardless of the amount of followers and money it is making.
In conclusion, this COVID-19 is a real drag but can provide you with the time to work on, and unleash, your creative side. People will see that you are working on yourself and during a time like this that is exceptional. Employers will want someone who has motive to work on something during tough circumstances and what better way to display your work ethic than to have a project you are passionate about.
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