What is the best thing you did during the pandemic to help your career?

The pandemic has been a tough time for everyone, and many people have had to make career changes or pivot in their professional lives. So I decided to take advantage of the extra time at home to take some online courses and learn new skills. I took web development, coding, and design courses, which I then applied to my job as a marketing consultant. The new skills I learned helped me get more clients and grow my business.

During the pandemic I increased how much time and energy I invested in building my personal brand. I began posting on LinkedIn everyday and sharing insights from my work and personal life with my connections on the social media platform. I commented with my own personal brand on other's LinkedIn posts, met with LinkedIn connections virtually, and increased the number of people I was connected to. Investing in my personal brand on LinkedIn has paid benefits in my personal life and also gives me a platform to leverage for work purposes as well!

During the pandemic, I decided to enhance my professional certification. I was already a certified Professional in Human Resources, but I had always wanted to become a senior certified professional. I reached out to the Institute for Veterans and Military Families' Career Training program, which provides military veterans with free career training and certification resources. I enrolled in the Senior Certified Professional in Human Resources program and studied the material for six months. At the end of 2021, I took the test and gained my certification. A combination of my professional experience, knowledge and newly upgraded certification enabled me to get a promotion at work.

One of the best things I did during the pandemic was work on my own personal and professional development through emotional intelligence trainings. Growing personally and professionally positioned me to be able to provide support services to others through coaching and the support devotional "Destined to Overcome!"

The onset of the pandemic brought up a lot of fear for everyone, however, I saw it as an opportunity to reset. Well, I reset my entire personal and professional life and wrote a book about it! When business owners are so busy being busy, sometimes the most important facets, such as the business foundation and why you began your business in the first place, fall to the side. With the shut down, it was the perfect time for business owners to focus on the basics and check in with what was working, and what wasn't and decide to make some positive changes. Your personal foundation is just as important as your business foundation so if you have a few cracks in your personal life will absolutely show up in your business. My focus was to get real, listen to my heart and get back in alignment with my purpose. I adopted a "Reassess, Realign and Reignite" formula for each part of my life I wanted to change, and then took action to make the changes. What you're not changing your choosing!

I stayed organized and took notes. By keeping track of what is being said in the news, writing down any quotes or insights I find interesting, and filing them away for future reference, I was able to stay informed as new developments occur. This practice and attitude also help to have realistic expectations about how much work you will actually be able to get done and make sure that your networking efforts are supplemental rather than primary. By staying informed and keeping up-to-date on industry trends, I was able to stay ahead of the curve and strengthen my skillset.

The best thing I did to help my career was to learn French. The few French courses I took at university didn't help much, but spending several months studying French by myself definitely did. You can make a surprising amount of progress by simply studying for a couple of hours every day. French is a common requirement for many good jobs in Europe and I have noticed that speaking a foreign language always seems to impress recruiters, even when the language is not needed in the job. It also opens up a whole new world of job opportunities that you didn't even realize could be within reach for you.

With lot's of extra time on hand, I used a typing app and learned how to type correctly. No more hunting and pecking. I then wrote 70 articles for blog posts on my website. With my new typing skills, it allowed me to knock out articles at a much quicker pace while at the same time continue to practice typing.

Prior to the pandemic I worked an office job -- I love it, but I really wanted more growth potential. After Covid hit, I finally decided to take the plunge and become an entrepreneur. I've learned so much in just over a year, and in areas that I hadn't been exposed to before. I don't know what the future holds for my business, but I do know that my career has accelerated by learning business finances, marketing, leadership skills and more!

I spent time reading industry news and keeping up with trends. I also took some online courses to improve my skills. By taking advantage of the time inside, I was able to stay sharp and improve my career prospects for when things go back to normal.

During the pandemic, I discovered a little-known secret website called Bubble.io that allows you to make custom websites and apps without code. More advanced than traditional website builders like WordPress and Wix, the only limit on what you can create is yourself. I built parts of outrec.com and launched an AirBnB business model for off-road vehicles and ATV rentals in Arizona.

After the first month of sitting at home and going through The Witcher again, I decided that it was worth taking the time to do something useful. The decision was made to learn a new language, specifically German. Thanks to many language learning apps, it has become enjoyable and allowed me to break away from the surrounding reality. When I started my studies, I mainly thought about traveling. I did not think that less than a year later, the acquired skills would allow me to apply for completely new positions.

People had extra time on their hands during the pandemic due to lockdowns and curfews. I used this time to find short online courses that could enhance my career. During this period, I was able to acquire two certificates from different institutions showing that I had completed their courses and gained additional skills. I believe that people should never stop learning and that people should find time and opportunities to improve their knowledge and skills.