Only You Can Help Yourself
‘The best way to predict the future is to create it’ — Abraham Lincoln
I stumbled upon this quote when I was downloading a picture that I have created online using a paid software.
Every time, I hit the download button, a positive message would come up before the picture appears.
This became the source of my topics. I was doing exactly this, creating my future.
If there is anything that the Covid-19 situation taught me is that I cannot depend on my dental practice alone. A second career preferably a COVID-proof one is desirable.
Covid-19 crisis brought a large part of the economy to a halt particularly businesses that have contact between people. Travel, tourism, restaurants, retail, banking, entertainment, etc faced dire consequences.
On the other hand, some businesses experienced more traction.
The reason is obvious- they rolled with the punches.
With lockdown and quarantine being enforced and work from home became the new norm, companies who could pander to these needs thrive.
The key is the adoption and use of technology in this unprecedented era.
The most famous example is Zoom, a video conferencing platform that was pushed to the forefront of technology during the pandemic as it enables companies who wanted to work remotely.
It also facilitated contact between families, friends, social institutions, etc resulting in an exponential growth in revenue.
Microsoft Teams, Google meet also offered their free versions of video conferencing making the use of these platforms the likely mainstay of our future meetings.
In Singapore, healthcare shops like pharmacies, medical and dental clinics could stay open while all other non-essential shops were ordered shut. It helped that pharmacies were already online so purchases could be made.
Dental clinics suffered as the scope of work was restricted only to emergencies and even then, most were to be channeled to appointed hospitals to prevent the possibility of cluster formations. That is when I realized I need to turn to digital technology to bolster my income should the virus strike again.
Restaurants and many food outlets were also ordered to shutter and quite a number many folded up due to failures to meet costs as well as poor businesses. Those who quickly jumped on the bandwagon of food delivery apps were able to continue business daily. So did delivery companies business escalated.
In fact, the few eateries near my workplace have been running a brisk business to increased takeaway orders as dine-in was prohibited and special promotions with new menus helped further to engage more customers.
Technology backed companies usually do well. When schools were shut down, those tuition centers that quickly adopted technological means to continue with the students’ education stayed in business much to the relief of their parents.
The examples of people who thrived with technology are innumerable. When a friend used to lease out her apartment, it took the agent few months and many visits to view the place before a new tenant would sign up.
This time, using a good virtual tour, the agent was able to secure a tenant within two weeks. Everything was done without time taken by all parties to view the apartment and the deal was sealed based on trust and the condition seen in the video. Even documents were signed and forwarded through the computer.
As more companies turn to online for more presence, companies that teach soft skills like Website creation, building e-commerce stores, and digital marketing would see an uptick in interest to cater to these needs.
Herein, lies my interest to be technology savvy. Since I started learning about website creation, it had piqued my interest and increased my creativity.
Lockdown was bearable as I was engaged in learning this new skill. I have started creating websites and an e-commerce store and I do see this as an interesting and relevant side career.
We now learn that the companies that thrived well in Covid-19 are predicting their future by creating them by engaging digital technology. This is what I planned to do too — Continuous learning, adapting, and adopting the changes by being technologically savvy.
Leave a Reply