Most students waste their precious time preparing for the IELTS exam. As soon as they clear the exam, they start the visa process. However, some bright students don’t waste their allotted time and make the best use of it.
A few years ago, when people were quarantined during the Coronavirus/COVID-19 outbreak to stop the spread, we advised our students to use them best. Some listened to us, butchered their time, and did things that were not helpful to them. The students who did are now reaping the fruits in Canada as they are doing multiple jobs because they learnt some valuable skills during such time along their online IELTS classes with us.
However, many enjoyed being indoors during the IELTS Preparation phase. They tracked their time and kept working on their goals. At the same time, many were bored and found it hard to stay indoors despite having the internet at their disposal. They loved strolling around the city, doing unnecessary things. When they landed in Canada and were asked about their skills during their job interviews, they were hit by reality and suddenly reminded of those days they had wasted.
I run Voxcel Group with my elder brother, Piyush Goyal. Together, we enjoy spending time with family. However, we also keep busy doing something other than taking IELTS classes or being Ludhiana’s best study visa consultants.
Usually, we are buried with a lot of work, and tight batch timings leave us with little to no time to reflect on life. Even on Sunday, I do work such as marking students’ mock tests and giving them detailed remarks on four IELTS writing parameters. Only a few teachers in the world do that. Count us in those.
This is how passion should be. Whatever you do, do it with complete focus and enthusiasm. The universe will take care of the rest. Still, we find time to work on skills such as designing and improving our English by reading novels, magazines, articles, watching movies, etc.
How to Find Time for Skill Learning?
Well, as I stated earlier, my schedule is usually very tight. I leave with little time to do any activity on Voxcel Group’s social media accounts or blogging. In the past, I have done a lot of content writing and won many awards for my short film “True Love,” which I penned many moons ago.
When the complete lockdown was announced, I decided not to let it go to waste. Being indoors not only helped to break the chain of the spread of coronavirus but will also help me to learn some designing skills and resume my blogging for Voxcel to help my readers out in their IELTS preparation and study visa.
We designed a Book called Scepter during that period, which covered all 4 modules. The book reached 288+ pages, and when another short lockdown was announced for IELTS Coaching Classes in Ludhiana and pan India, we edited and removed the fat, which was unimportant. These we did while giving IELTS classes online.
I am experimenting with Adobe Photoshop, Canva, and other software to test the waters for future marketing campaigns. I am also learning to design effective marketing slogans, constantly generate new ideas, and discard obscure ones.
“Boredom is a state of mind.”
As a screenwriter, I always have two options: relax, watch movies, or work on my dreams. I choose the latter. I can watch movies on weekends but want to make the most of weekdays.
Hence, I am working tirelessly, churning out content and honing my design and video editing skills, which lay a solid foundation for many years. Recently, we decided to help students better by designing the IELTS Online Tests medium on our website so they can do IELTS for Free at Home. We have been working on it regularly to keep the IELTS Practice tests fresh and updated.
My partner, Co-director, and brother, Piyush, is usually busy preparing IELTS writing and speaking Band 9 Samples and planning to Keep Voxcel at the top of its game. He also conducts online IELTS sessions and clears students’ doubts. Nonetheless, he helps write content; he’s a great writer, too.
Everyone has different preferences, and it’s up to you to determine what is appropriate during the lockdown.
You might never have this opportunity again, so now is the best time to make it useful and learn some skills to enhance your future abroad as an international student, worker, or resident.
Still, considering where the world is heading, I can offer my 2 cents.
- Coding –
The world is becoming technically advanced, and many companies are adopting full robotics. After the advent of AI (Artificial intelligence), many companies are not only employing tech for better user experience and customer retention rates, but some companies are also developing tools. Hence, the field has a lot of money and will open a field of possibilities. Programming is a skill that is not regulated in Canada or any other country. Even Google plans to discard the bachelor’s degree rule for the interview because they need Gems – and degrees hardly make you that. Your dedication and passion do that.
Hence, the sky is the limit for great coders. If you are looking for a study visa abroad, post your 12th grade, or if you are going to study in your home country – this professional skill can lighten your future.
Many IT professionals are working from home and keeping us connected with the web during the pandemic. Imagine if we had no internet or had been disconnected from the web during the curfew. People would have gone mad.
Moreover, top players in the game are still earning money while the world is locked indoors, and millions have lost their jobs. If such a situation happens again, you will be busy with your job and will not only earn money but will be helping the world in many ways.
For your reference, the average salary of a coder in Canada is CAD 60,474, while a good coder can make CAD 117K.
- Designing –
Humans love graphics. Without pictures or pictorial presentations, text looks obscure. Some software can help you test the waters: Adobe Photoshop, Canva, Postermywall, LucidPress, etc. If you are a beginner, you can test the rest of the websites mentioned, leaving Adobe Photoshop.
Currently, many people are making a side hustle with Canva software. The tool lets you design great HD images with pre-uploaded templates, and you can use your imagination to make them more appealing. Nonetheless, the platform also offers video editing features for Instagram Reels, YouTube shorts, and TikTok videos. The average salary for a graphic designer in Canada is between $48,541 and $50,983 per year, depending on the source.
If you are determined or know some basics of designing, there are many free tutorials on YouTube to hone your design craft in Photoshop. You can enrol for courses on Udemy and start your learning process asap.
Moreover, you can also take gigs freelance if you are good with a Professional DSLR camera. They are pricey and can make a hole in your pocket, but you get paid well if you market your name on social media and upload your work. An average rate for a freelance job starts at CAD24, and it shoots up based on your experience and quality of work.
- Video Editing –
While preparing for IELTS, you can take some time to learn video editing skills. This is a fun activity, and millions have made it their profession. They take freelance gigs and earn millions from home. Since the advent of short video formats such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, companies have constantly sought creators who know how to create viral content.
Many companies now go for video content to fuel their marketing campaign. There’s no age to grab those projects that pay handsomely, and the best part is that you can work freelance and earn money right from your personal space.
Remember, videos are impactful. Most people love consuming video content instead of anything else. That’s why countless people have developed their income sources by making videos. Any good video is meaningless unless it’s not edited perfectly. The starting salary of a video editor in Canada is around CAD25, increasing with experience and creative skills.
- Cooking –
I often ask students during IELTS Preparation which skill they want to learn. Most say cooking, but they hardly do it despite knowing how many problems one faces when travelling abroad on a study visa.
Cooking requires pure passion and love. It is very therapeutic. Moreover, homemade food is healthier and less expensive than ordering from restaurants. Some might say that organic food is more expensive than restaurants, but at least the chances are very high for you to stay healthy and hygienic when you eat at home, thus avoiding many health issues and money in the long term.
For students planning to go abroad and are full of excuses not to have the time to learn cooking, this is the time to do it. Get into the kitchen and help your mother. Let her have her own leisure time, too. Mothers are the best cookery teachers, so enjoy the time while it lasts.
ICooking can be a hassle ifyou plan to go to Canada to study for a Visa or to your dream country, However, there are thousands of jobs for chefs across Canada and other Western countries.
- English Movies and Songs –
I always instruct all my students to watch at least one English movie per day. Usually, they don’t do it, make silly excuses, and remain stuck at the average listening scores. This derails their IELTS Preparation because they don’t give their minds time to become habitual with the English language. We are regarded as the best IELTS Institute in Ludhiana for that.
Don’t underestimate the power of listening. It can transform your mentality and can help you score Band 9. Such a band score is a dream for most, and trust me, they aren’t tough to score when listening if you are well-prepared. Students are doing General Training modules in their IELTS Preparation; they should take it as a divine order and must do it. Considering the minimum of Band 8 in the CLB 9, it’s a no-joke thing for any ESL student. Thus, the IELTS modules can’t help you alone in that.
Watch any English movie of your interest. Listen to English songs. For a while, forget to listen to songs in your native language.
- Reading –
Reading is food for the mind, and the same reading habit helps with IELTS Preparation. Read novels or any article of interest to you. It’s an underrated skill that can open doors to infinite possibilities.
When you read, you subconsciously develop your language skills. I often tell my IELTS students to improve their band scores in the reading module, as well as in their writing and speaking.
Students planning to study abroad for higher education should read about the country. They should become familiar with its customs, traditions, and atmosphere, which will help them avoid feeling alienated after landing.
Often, many IELTS students get culture shock because they paint a rosy picture in their heads and are struck by the reality when they go to Canada, etc., countries on a student visa.
If you are not planning to move aboard, read whatever you can. It will broaden your horizons, and you will find many ideas for starting your dream business and any other thing.
Remember, one idea can transform the world. Apple Inc., etc., is a prime example.
- Writing –
The world is becoming a global village, and many companies need quality copywriters and writers to churn out great content. Learn the insights about copywriting, and mind you, it’s a much-esteemed job, and you can pay handsomely once you start mincing coherent content with a voice to resonate with the masses. It doesn’t matter if you are working or a student; you can work on your skills with your regular businesses and as a freelancer.
For Google, “Content is king”, and many companies even pay up to USD40 per word for an article ranging between 2000-10k words. With Gemini AI, Google has become a lot smarter than it was, and now the websites that publish original content written from scratch with proper citations rank better than those that are copied or have an AI’s help.
Reading an article looks easy, but it can be the toughest. Many companies, almost all MNCs, constantly look for creative writers to write catchy slogans to attract attention to revenue growth. Sometimes, getting just one slogan right can take weeks or months.
I also suggest that my students keep practising their writing while preparing for the IELTS and make it a goal to improve their skills not for the sake of a visa but for their future. The only way to improve in writing is to read and write. There’s no shortcut.
- Spend Time with Family –
Family time is a shocker for today’s youth. Many people would argue that they have already done it. However, nowadays, we are primarily buried in our smartphones. We hardly ask how our parents and grandparents are.
We rarely genuinely ask about their emotions and feelings about life and us. Put your phone aside for a while and chit-chat with them. Time will pass, and you will be left with regrets. You may miss those unsaid words and moments you thought you would spend in the future. The right time is now.
Voxcel aims to impart not only world-class IELTS coaching but also we look forward to develop the overall personality of our students.