By
 Olufemi Akinyemi
 -
Corporate and social activities have been on a standstill since the coronavirus outbreak. Governments worldwide have resorted to lockdowns of their citizens. Most people have been forced to work from home where possible, but the majority are at home hoping for the menace to end so they might go back to their normal lives. 
What separates people during isolation is the skill set they have. While some have skills termed essential, some have skills that enable them to work from anywhere, including during isolation.
Mostly during isolation, however, especially in crisis situations, a majority of people waste their time away by responding to the situation as an opportunity for holidays. While yet, a set of others see it as an opportunity to use their skills to make things right, or at least make life worth living for others.
Many of the world’s best innovations and inventions, as we know them today, were inspired by major world crisis situations, including 911, which gave rise to inventions such as Superthin, Flexible Body Armor to outfit marshals and flight crews with uniforms that double as body armor. 
So, what end of the divide do you belong?
If you’ve been procrastinating learning a skill or two, either due to lack of time or cash, now is the best time to put the isolation period to good use.
If you’ve been procrastinating learning a skill or two, either due to lack of time or cash, now is the best time to put the isolation period to good use. 
Instead of complaining about how much you miss work, wasting precious time on some social media challenges, and napping endlessly, why not take advantage of some free online courses to learn something new or improve on those skills you’ve been learning? 
The truth is that the isolation won’t last forever; the world will get through this, and what will matter later on is how much you improved yourself as a person, entrepreneur, or an employee.
Here are ten skills you can learn during this time.
1. Culinary art
Being good at cooking pays big time, and it has been a perfect side hustle sustaining some employees. It’s undeniable that despite the quarantine, people are still patronizing cooks. After all, it takes the living to quarantine – – food gives life. 
It’s a skill, not so many people would love to improve on, but if you’ve always had a flair for cooking, this period is the right time to learn and practice the art. You can log onto YouTube to learn how to prepare some mouthwatering dishes. 
Everybody loves a good meal; your cooking skills will bail you out when you least expect it. 
2. Painting 
If you’ve always been mesmerized, fascinated, and captivated whenever you see some piece of painted art, you might want to awaken the artist inside you. Artists are born, and artists are made, but simply because you didn’t start at a young age doesn’t mean it’s too late to learn. 
There’s absolutely nothing there to lose by taking some basic art lessons on YouTube. Being in isolation doesn’t mean you can’t be adventurous with brushes and paints. 
3. Video editing 
With video marketing becoming more powerful by the day, video editors are one of the most sorts after people out there. All you need to learn video editing is a laptop and a determined mind. It’s not as easy as the outcomes make them appear, but it’s definitely worth giving a try. 
Start with the basic ones; take it one step at a time, and you’ll see how not so hard it is when you’ve acquainted yourself with some tools and terms. 
You can also follow some fantastic editors on social media to draw from their wealth of knowledge and experience. 
4. Digital marketing 
Digital marketing is a well that is likely not to run dry anytime soon. As the days go by, new trends are incorporated into digital marketing. It’s a broad industry, which means you have to know the niche you want to focus on. 
One beautiful thing about digital marketing is that you don’t have to be physically present to render your services. 
There are so many free online courses you can leverage to get you started. 
5. Languages
If there has never been the most appropriate time to learn and practice a language, this is the golden time to do so because everyone is at home bored and wants to talk or teach someone. 
The ability to learn a language, especially a foreign language, is not something many people have a strong will to do. You should maximize this time to reignite that passion you had for French, Spanish, Mandarin, German, etc. some years ago. 
You can connect with native speakers of any of the languages you will like to learn online. YouTube and language apps are a blessing for sure. 
6. Creative writing 
Instead of limiting your creative writing skills to Facebook and other social media platforms, why not hone them and get paid to write? 
Creative writing is a hobby many people have built online empires with. The good creative writers that broke through quitted their jobs to grow their writing businesses. 
Whether you intend to be a professional creative writer or not, creative writing will always be a plus any day. 
7. Data science 
You can’t deny that data science isn’t the ‘in thing’ currently. Data scientists have become more valuable in this digital world of ours. It’s worth giving a try if you love solving the problem through data. 
They’re also some free basic data management courses online you can start with. 
8. Gele tying 
Tying of gele (headgear) is one of the cheapest skills you can learn. All you need are gele, pins, and a patient head. You will need someone that can volunteer his or her head to be used for practice. You can also learn to tie different styles on your knee, but that will take some level of expertise.
People are making a living by simply learning how to tie gele. There are amazing videos on YouTube you can learn from. 
9. Baking
Mastering the art of making pastries can never be a waste of time. You will be baking what your family will take to work, which helps cut down your expenses. You can help friends, family members, and colleagues bake beautiful and tasty cakes and pastries during their birthdays and other events and get paid for it. Baking as a side income is a great plus since there are big events on weekends. 
10. Wig making 
Ladies love wigs, and whatever ladies love, they spend money on. There are people who specialize in making and selling wigs of different types. These wig makers don’t have shops, and neither do they work in salons, but they make a lot of money from the comfort of their houses through wig making. 
You can partner with weave sellers to help you display your wigs in their shops. There are a lot of YouTube videos to help you go by. 
Do all you can to make sure you are not the same person you were before the pandemic.