I resisted the phrase for the last two months. This too shall pass, I told myself, and the world will be back to the old normal. It may take some time like Sleeping Beauty’s 100 years. But the world will be back as we remember it.
Clearly, I had more growing up to do.
The key difference between Sleeping Beauty and the current reality is that not everyone is sleeping in their ivory towers. Things move relentlessly, but at varying speeds. Essentials stabilise, video calling zooms ahead while travel and entertainment crashes with a resounding thud.
And this distorts many things — old objects and ideas become irrelevant. Fashion, money, entertainment, education and social good take new forms. Before you know it, this is a new normal. Bye bye, old world.
Thankfully, this new normal is temporary. But now, I am awake to the fact that what follows is a newer normal and not the old wine in a 2021 bottle.
Words to the wise
If you are a student headed towards a big move in this new normal — like graduating from school or college — it is time to gear up for the world to come. So here are top four tips from one rider on this rollercoaster called 2020 to another!
Choose job-oriented courses: My life’s mission has been to support people to follow their calling and I am not backtracking. But I am asking you to think tactically. Is music your calling? What pays in music today? Discover where the cash is flowing and plant yourself in its flow. Some clear-winner courses are Applied Maths, Psychology, Digital Media, Film Making, Design, Education and, of course, Artificial Intelligence.
Think tech, even if you are a poet: So if you are a writer, think Wattpad, think flash fiction and micro stories. Studying finance? Think blockchain, fintech and cryptocurrencies. Are you a designer? Think crowdsourcing platforms, augmented reality and 3D printing. Keep a toy dinosaur on your work desk to remind you to stay relevant.
Brush up your entrepreneurship skills: You may never be called upon to set up your own business but, even in jobs, growth comes to those who implement new ideas and processes or find new markets and products. After this pandemic, the world belongs firmly to the self-starter. So, give your entrepreneurship muscle some practice — got an idea for a school show, try it. Think you can sell something online within your small community, try it. Learn what doesn’t work so you build your instincts for knowing an opportunity when it strikes.
Connect with everyone you can: A seamless world belongs to the person who can open many doors. So, step out of your shell and make friends with that annoying adult who keeps beating you at Fortnite .
Most importantly, shed your prejudices. There are great and annoying people in all countries, genders, castes, races — prejudice is a loser’s game in the new world.
Still wondering what to do? Put this up next to the dinosaur on your desk. “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” Charles Darwin
The writer is Founder and CEO, Inomi Learning, a Gurugram-based career and college guidance firm.info@inomi.in
