Why Education Matters More Than Ever During COVID-19

The more you know what you’re doing, the easier life becomes. That’s the promise of education. Ignorance is not bliss; it’s folly.

Perhaps you’re financially struggling. Perhaps, you’ve lost your job or you still have a job but you’re dissatisfied with your income and line of work? Education can help you know more to earn more. It will make it easier to find work in a more stimulating and better-paying career.

But education can do far more than just boost your earning power.  It can also help you as an individual contribute to your society.

Unfortunately, we often think of education in simplistic ways. Perhaps as online learning or attending a school. But let’s take a broader approach. Let’s discuss how it can help us all overcome many of the economic challenges posed by the pandemic. Specifically, we’ll talk about building an education-based online business, becoming a teacher, and the benefits of pursuing self-education.

Build an Education-Based Online Business

If you’re an entrepreneur, think about education from the perspective of a service provider.

You could, for example, provide people with coaching. Perhaps help them pass professional examinations. That’s what Gaurav Munjal in India did to transform his coaching business into a million-dollar enterprise.

In 2010, Gaurav Munjal started a popular education YouTube channel called Unacademy to coach students struggling to pass Indian professional entrance exams. Today, this Bangalore-based company has a valuation of $510 million and a network of more than 12,000 educators.

So, reflect on how you can provide people with an education that can help them meet their career goals.

While you could start a YouTube channel, it’s not your only option. If you’d rather make audio, there’s SoundCloud. This is an audio platform funded by The Chernin Group (TCG) that delivers user-generated content. Since it’s not as populated with content as YouTube, you’ll have much less competition. YouTube’s users upload hundreds of hours of content a minute. In contrast, SoundCloud users upload twelve hours of audio every minute.

Teach Others How to Flourish in Life

Educating others is more than just sharing information. It’s also about encouraging others to learn life-changing knowledge and skills.

If you lost your job during the pandemic and don’t want to return to that line of work, think about becoming a teacher. If you enjoyed homeschooling your children during the lockdown, you already understand the personal satisfaction of a career in education.

Pursue Self-Education for Personal Growth

Yet another idea is to educate yourself on things that will improve the quality of your own life.

Here are four examples of how to benefit from self-education:

1. If you’re not happy with your line of work, then self-education can help you prepare for something more interesting and financially rewarding. You could, for example, learn how to code.

2. If you’d like to improve your life skills, then self-education can help you become more self-reliant. You could, for example, learn how to cook and prepare your own healthy meals.

3. If you’re into personal development, then self-education can help you become more productive. You could, for example, master some time management skills.

4. If you’re into inspiring your children with a love of learning, then self-education can help you become a role model for them. You could, for example, study the history of philosophy to expand your general knowledge about the evolution of ideas through the ages.

Prepare Yourself for the Future

We are living in a time of extreme change. In a post-pandemic era, education will play an essential role. It will help you rebuild your life. It will also help society restructure and create a better future for everyone. A society that encourages education often has more economic stability, greater equality, and higher levels of health. It also leans toward more progressive ideals, which, in turn, lowers crime rates.