Cropped shot of a young Asian woman in self isolation using laptop while working from home
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Being in a lockdown is not easy.
There is a lot of fear and anxiety, although one word of encouragement is that limiting how often you venture into public places does help. At home, these courses can provide a major distraction — and teach you something as well.
1. Learn German with an interactive app
Now might be the time to finally learn a new language. I have relatives who live in Austria, so I started a German course on Babbel. The app (and website) uses more of an interactive approach to learning — you listen, watch, and then fill in answers as you learn.
2. Take landscape photos like a pro
I’m a budding photographer, but I’ve always wondered how to improve my skills, especially when taking outdoor photos. Nikon recently made all of their photography courses free, and I watched the one on landscape photography. I’m thankful for the practical tips.
3. Write a thriller
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this writing class taught by The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown. Then I watched every episode in almost one sitting. It’s captivating because he is so practical and implements examples from his own books.
4. Learn guitar
I love how this online training site works. Real people can give you a lesson for about 30 minutes — teaching you guitar or just about any other instrument. It’s helpful because there’s a social side to the app as well. And, some of the musicians are quite well-known.
5. Tackle the Adobe Photoshop app
I’ve been trying to teach myself Adobe Photoshop again lately but the program has become quite advanced. This course on Stackskills.com is highly detailed — it works its way through all of the icons and uses actual images you can download to help you learn.
6. Become a digital marketer
I’ve always liked Udemy and not just because the name sounds like “you da man” — it’s a deep and rich site. I found this course on digital marketing that is more detailed than most. The major bonus? After finishing it you will know enough to promote just about anything. By the way, I also found this amazing bread-baking course that makes it all clear as cake.