Guide to spending summer in whatever kind of lockdown this is

Hi, so this post is aimed generally at anybody who may be in school, collage, or at Uni who has got their summer holiday coming up. Now although now we are able to meet, go to the shops and even go down the pubs, things are still going to be rather different. Sadly it is going to be harder for anyone looking to get a job because of this situation, while I am sure many holidays will have been cancelled (though we can legally visit some countries abroad now). While there are things which we may have liked to do depending on where we are; for some internal ships, for some it would be programs like NCS and for others university open days. And if you are anything like me and you are finding yourself in this situation, you may feel the impinging fear of boredom and unproductivity that the coming 6 week holiday may be lingered in.
This may lead to the overwhelming feelings of guilt. However there are ways to tackle at least some off these obstacles. And while some may not vanish regardless of how hard we try, we can actually enable ourselves to create something new- in this seemingly grey climate that us young people are struggling through. Therefore I will go through each category, worry by worry, and see what can be done.

Money Matters
As I already mentioned, earning money over the summer is going to be a little harder than usual. And though we may envy those who have got a job and reasonable hours secured, I can promise that there are many whom don’t have this sense of security. So here is a list of different potential ways you could earn money over this time.
° Looking for work: So I know this is kind of contradicting what I just said, but don’t lose hope. While as many establishments are reopening, it is likely some of these are going to be hopeful and optimistic that they will get good custom over the summer. Just look at the enormous quews there have been outside takeaways recently. While I’ve noticed too that many local restaurants and hotels have been recruiting (as well as takeaways) round where I live. Therefore it is certainly worth having a look.
Furthermore to get these jobs, I know from experience that it can be more helpful to look on sites like Facebook and gumtree, rather than indeed. Though indeed can be useful, often jobs on there are listed for many weeks therefore they receive many applicants. While jobs listed on platforms on Facebook tend to get fewer applicants, and they may not be listed for as long. While if you have the confidence, then it might even be worth walking into some of these establishments and asking if there are any jobs available. Believe it or not, that’s how I got my first job.

• Online surveys: Another method of earning money (which I am sure we are all too aware of) is by doing so online. Now there are multiple ways to doing so, but one good way to do this would be by setting up a business. Now this can be tutoring if you are a student, teaching a musical instrument, selling jewelry or whatever else you may be passionate about.
• Using an Internet site for working: Sorry this doesn’t sound too clear, but if you have a good following on social media you could try influencing, if you are into reading there are platforms where you can give book reviews or if you enjoy blogging there are ways and means of doing this through social media.
  Side note, there are many freelance writing websites, though I have heard that many of you scam you into paying up front, before you are actually paid to do anything.
• Communication matters
  With it being pretty much definite that social distancing matters will remain in place during summer, social contact with friends will be a little more stranger than usual.
  But this doesn’t mean that this should be awkward and painful, as there are very effective ways to communicate from that distance.
  Going for a walk or going down the park seem the most obvious ways to get around this because you are outdoors in the open, and there should be plenty of room.
  However if you are more of an indoors person, or you would rather go for a trip down the shops, then this may not really appeal to you. But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered!
  Now firstly shops are now open, and I know maybe spending half an hour quewing outside before you are invited in may not be too appealing to you, let alone the huge numbers of people you will bypass during your trip. But to some degree there is a way around this. I would advise visiting early in the morning, say begin between 9 and 10, on a week day where there aren’t going to be too many people around. This way you avoid the stress of the quews, the risk of close contact is minimized and not to mention that the shop will appear cleaner and will be more pleasant to visit. Though at the same time, if you live in an area where there have been a lot of recent cases then it may be best to avoid, but otherwise-the way I see it anyway-you are supporting businesses and therefore people’s livelihoods. Especially if these businesses are small and/or independent!
• Travel:
  Yup, we might be able to visit Spain and France without even a quarantine. But first of all not everyone would feel comfortable travelling at this moment plus its not much good if you booked a holiday to go to Greece!
  However don’t let this put you off exploring or travelling somewhere new. As this can be possible, even within a few miles of your local area. Perhaps there’s a local beach that you hadn’t visited before, or a place of historical interest that you would like to know more about. Honestly travelling around your local area doesn’t have to be boring at all, because within the last few months even I have discovered new areas which I didn’t necessarily know about, which are in a bike ride’s away. And I am one to obsess with walking around random places and taking far too many photos!
• Alternatively travel around England is allowed again now, meaning that if you fancy you would be able to go camping. Meanwhile if camping doesn’t suit you (or your family lol) then hotels are going to open. While if you don’t feel comfortable staying in hotels then I am sure there are many places in reach for a day trip. And this doesn’t have to be at much of an expense, as I am sure for many of us- simply walking around a new town would be refreshing, considering what we have been through in the last few months.
  “School work wise”
  Ugh two swear words next to each other are never good. But I am sure I am not the only person who feels a little nervous about what will happen regarding many circumstances.
  Now let’s start with uni because gosh, the thought of having to pick a few places, then end up somewhere we haven’t really seen is pretty unnerving.
  An option could be to look at virtual tours, because then although it isn’t the same as seeing the place for real and it is pretty obvious that they are going to only show us what they want us to see, at least you should be able to see a few of the people who attend and have a look at at least SOME of the university. This way you may be able to get some feel of it, even if that’s not much. An alternative is that they often have online presentations where they give details about a specific course, which may be better as it should be tailored to you, rather than anyone else.
  Alternatively come say September, October and November, universities may well be holding open days than instead, and if you don’t mind leaving things to the last minute and you would rather put the process of picking and choosing a uni off for now(like me) then this is may be a good alternative.
  Online internships/apprenticeships
  Funnily enough I didn’t know what an internships were until a couple of weeks ago, but it is similar to an apprenticeship where you work alongside someone else, doing the work you would be likely to be doing if you were working for someone else. Apart from the fact that often you have to pay for these (rather than getting paid). Nonetheless it is bound to look pretty on the CV, and it is a shame that some of us would be missing out on them. However there are some places which are offering online internships which may be very effective if your field is something that can involve a lot of online activity (therefore nowadays this would appeal to a lot of people!)
  Online courses: This is another way to “up your game career wise” and these should also be enjoyable too! Hunt for one which you may think is career related, or related to what you are/want to take in university- but also one which you would be genuinely interested in. One which looks particularly appealing on “UCAS” forms are what they call MOOCS. Now I don’t quite understand why these are seen as far more worthy than of other, but maybe because the content of these are relevant to similar things you would learn at uni, while the skills they enable you to develop are like those that would be required at university. But rather honestly- I reckon any online course would be great!
  If not then honestly don’t worry. Universities, employers in the future eg will completely understand that there was a pandemic and would recognize that you would have taken up these opportunities if they had been available.
• Things you could do independently to help yourself

These are what you could do to advance your career and even start up a little career right now. For instance if you wish to go into media you could make a few podcasts yourself, if you wish to go into music you could continue to produce music throughout the summer possibly putting it online and if you wish to go into graphic design you could have a little play around yourself. Therefore this is a way that anyone really can get involved.

CV
When did we last update our CVs? Because at our age, if we have one, even one which is a year’s old can seem very out of date. Therefore It wouldn’t be a bad time to update them. Even if it won’t necessarily benefit us this year, it will definitely come in handy at a later date, and will save you from having to alter it as much then.

Exams
In a way I am very fortunate in that I slipped through this rather well, not being caught out by this during exam season. However for those who weren’t I know that it is a bit messy at the moment.
It may feel like a major inconvenience to some of you now having the “option of taking an exam” when you thought that you wouldn’t need to do them. Maybe because of feeling there’s an expectation to do better, or that you should take the exams now that you have this option or even that unis and work places would think more of you if you attained this grade by taking the exam.
Yeah there’s a lot of worries…
Therefore If you genuinely think that you would feel far better by taking an exam, or if you are unhappy with the predicted grade that’s been given to you, then it’s probably not a bad idea to take the exam. But still remember to take a break and not work yourself up over this. As now that we are “allowed out”, we don’t really want to be spending all day sloughing over some revision.

Just winding down
So to be a bit clique there’s “two types of people”: those who probably watched Netflix throughout this quarantine rather than doing the school work, and those of us who feel bloody guilty when we sit down and watch TV for 10 minutes. Though in reality many feel bad about doing nothing at times, yet we still manage to spend an hour looking at our phones when we are trying to work.
But no, really we all deserve a break. Especially as most of us have been working through a very difficult time, taking on the stress of what is happening around us as well as the stress of day to day work. Therefore take some time out to visit friends and family (responsibly), have some time outside and just have a chance to actually be able to chill at home, without about 6 folders open in front of you!
So have a good one! 🌞🏖️