Being stuck indoors for weeks on end during the coronavirus pandemic may be enough to make even the most motivated person feel unproductive. When you add this to the financial pinch that many people who are prevented from earning money are feeling, you have a recipe for panic. If you currently feel like you should be doing more to improve your career prospects by picking up new skills, this is the article for you. Whether you want to start a side-hustle, learn a foreign language or pick up the basics of day-trading, we want to help you get started. If you want to start day-trading, for, example, a good place to start is with the current FXTM promotions on offer. Read on to find out more.

1. Learn a Foreign Language

There has never been a time in human history where competence in one or more foreign languages has not given you an advantage in your career. Many South African employers these days are crying out for people who can negotiate and write well in the language of their foreign business partners or clients. Nowadays, picking up a new language has never been easier. There are simply thousands of free online courses and resources such as Babbel and Duolingo that will have you speaking like a native in next to no time.

While these free online resources may be a great starting point, they will not help you to decide which are the best languages to learn or even to determine the most useful languages for business purposes. It is always important to focus on a language that you will be able to use in order to help you practice and perfect your newfound language skills. You can also focus on learning the most basic aspects of the language in terms of learning how to say “who”, “what”, “when”, “where”, “why” and “how”. This will generally give you the boost you need to begin conversational communications quickly. As you progress, focus on learning individual words that will help you to fill in the blanks from that point onward.

2. Graphic Design

If you have an eye for color, shape and typography, you should consider trying your hand at graphic design. With the explosion of digital media in the last couple of decades, there has never been a higher demand for people who know how to make visual graphics that look the part. If you want to get started, there are plenty of online course and YouTube tutorials that you can sign up to which will help you whether you are a complete beginner or have some prior knowledge.

3. Day Trading

If you are looking to earn a little on the side, there are not many better ways of doing it than by day trading. Day trading is the practice of buying and selling financial instruments over short-term periods of a day or even a few hours. A lot of money can be made by exploiting small price differences if you know what you are doing. If the idea of turning a profit from the comfort of your armchair at home appeals to you, there are plenty of online courses that you can take that will get you up to speed as a trader relatively quickly.

4. Social Media Marketing

As a social media marketer, you are responsible for being a company’s direct link with its customer base. Since the advent of the social media revolution, every company with ambitions of success now employs a social media marketer. As such an integral part of customer relations, people working in this role tend to earn relatively good salaries. Learning the skills necessary is not that hard, and the job may offer you the type of freedom you had never before imagined possible.

5. Website Building

Another skill that can offer you the chance to earn money in a freelance role is website building. Learning how to use major web content management systems like WordPress is not complicated. You can usually pick up the basics on your own without much need for guidance if you are in any way computer-savvy.

Fed up of lounging around at home watching Netflix without direction? Try learning one of the skills above to improve your career prospects. Many of them can be learned quickly and can even lead to freelance possibilities to help you keep your finances ticking over at this difficult time.