The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students is not only felt on their inability to attend face-to-face classes as they try to navigate the lack of personal relationships. They aren’t only suffering because they couldn’t be with their peers, or they were stuck at home at a period of their lives when they are supposed to become more independent. It also puts into question many of their plans before and after college. What are they planning to pursue? Is the kind of industry they’re trying to enter a relevant one in a post-pandemic world? Will their profession be in demand after the pandemic?
The question in every student’s mind right now is: should I join the fray or chart my own path? The pandemic made everyone realize the vulnerabilities of where they stand and the future that they’re working for. Sure, students should focus on entering their preferred senior high track and affording the SHS tuition fee, whether in-school or online, but what track they should be pursuing will be largely dependent on their plans for college.
Uncertainty in Job and Career
Millions of people lost their jobs in 2020 because of the pandemic. Businesses were forced to close because there were limited personal interactions. The loss of demand in many industries led businesses to lay off workers. What did this show students right now? It showed the vulnerability of employment; that even after so many years of working for one company, you can get laid off because of something as catastrophic as the pandemic. There is no assurance in employment.
Those thinking of a science and technology track will do well to pursue an ABM strand course. This will open opportunities for entrepreneurship as ABM stands for accounting and business management. They can pursue courses related to business administration once they are off to college.
Focus on Online Businesses
Since the youth are the ones who understand eCommerce more than any other generation, they are also the perfect group to help transition the workforce and industries online. Sure, the economy is bad, but businesses were more than empowered to transition to eCommerce because people buy and transact online.
Who better understand what the online community needs but the youth? Online entrepreneurship is growing at a rapid pace. If you look at the people behind these start-up businesses online, you will notice a lot of them haven’t even started college yet.
The Rise of Flexible and Hybrid Learning
Schools have activated a blend of in-person and online learning. Some professors are still holding classes online, while a lot also are comfortable with face-to-face classes. This provided a flexible schedule for students, especially for classes that they could take asynchronously. While they pursue their college degrees, they can run an online business.
This flexibility gives students a greater degree of control in the classes they want to take. This opens up a lot of opportunities for them. They can pursue non-academic activities, take entrepreneurship classes, and even start their own businesses.
Additional Free Time
Since students don’t have to go to and from school anymore, then they have more free time to pursue their other interests. This gives them the chance to get to know themselves better. They can develop their talents through workshops and activities. They can turn these passions into a profitable business. Are they skilled in building apps, designing websites, and creating content? Then, they can start offering these services to potential clients.
Since today’s youth have advanced skills in technology, they can use their “social media expertise” to market businesses. They can use their free time to earn short-course certificates and attend programs to hone their entrepreneurial skills. The availability of their time because the pandemic made it impossible for them to take vacations and hang out with friends can be of better use by learning how to become an entrepreneur.
Bursting the College Bubble
It doesn’t mean that students shouldn’t pursue college degrees anymore. What will the generation be like if there are no lawyers, health workers, journalists, engineers, scientists, etc.? But there is a good argument about trying their hands on entrepreneurship simply because the pandemic allows them to do that. Making a splash in the industry that you target will allow for better chances to succeed in the future.
The world has been turned upside-down because of the pandemic. Should you just get on with the changes? Should you fight against the tide? People who succeed in life are those that learn how to navigate uncertain times. If there is an opportunity to try entrepreneurship, then so be it. Many have felt more fulfilled in business than in employment.
