Winter break usually means three things: sleeping in, no schedules, and lots of hot chocolate. After a long semester, who would want to do anything other than relax? Whether your break is 2 weeks or over a month long, it helps to go in with one goal in mind to accomplish! To give you a head start, here are four things you could try that will absolutely benefit you in the future, and be fun while you’re doing them!
1. Learn a technical skill
Tech is fun if you find the right skills to try out. There are so many paths you can take with this one, and all of them will benefit you in some way. Here are two paths you could start with:
- Learn a programming language – code is the language of the future, and even if your major/career has nothing to do with programming, just knowing the basics will help you better understand the underlying framework of the technology you use everyday. Programming isn’t just about writing code either; you’ll become a better thinker and problem-solver too!
- Learn how to use Adobe Illustrator – If you’ve ever wanted to create your own logo, come up with unique design elements for your blog, or have a custom post image template, Illustrator is the way to go. You can eventually use this skill to create graphics for other bloggers or local businesses ($$$)!
2. Start a business
A little adventurous, but totally achievable. Have you ever had someone ask you to do something for them, because you had a skill that they didn’t? There’s your business opportunity! If you have a skill you want to put to use, this is your opportunity. Where to start?
- Start locally – ask your friends, family, and local businesses if they would find your skill useful. You don’t even need to have your business completely organized yet, just find some clients and confirm that your skill is needed!
- Get organized – once you know there are people out there to hire you, start getting your business organized by deciding on prices, setting timelines for your service, and creating a sheet to track your payments.
- Stay professional – if your only clients are your family, that’s totally okay! Just make sure that you don’t sacrifice your time too much by giving out a million “family discounts”. By keeping things professional from the beginning, hopefully your friends and family will understand that you need to make money somehow!
3. Take an online class
The world of online courses is fascinating. You can learn just about anything online, usually for a fraction of the cost of college tuition. If there’s a skill or subject you’ve ever wanted to learn about, now’s your time to try it out! A few possibilities could be photography, blog design, a language, psychology, or history. Here are some great websites with tons of course offerings:
4. Create a blog
Blogs can create many opportunities, from meeting fantastic people to working with huge brands, and something to talk about at every interview. The worst thing that could come out of starting a blog is that you learn you hate blogging, and if that’s the case, you never have to touch it again! But seriously, if you’ve ever considered starting a blog, don’t wait any longer.
