We recently learned that jobless claims are at the highest level on record at over 3 million claims just last week.
While many Americans will be forced to reevaluate their career options in the months and years to come, some will undoubtedly use this time of uncertainty and isolation to acquire practical skills that will increase their chances of finding employment once companies are hiring again.
The Great Recession of 2009 led to a trend in our higher education system of declining demand in humanities subjects, in favor of business, STEM, and healthcare disciplines that were more likely to lead to jobs post graduation. This same trend led to the rise of coding bootcamps that promised people nearly 6-figure salaries after 3-6 months of education, as long as they were willing to learn how to code.
Now perhaps more than in recent memory, more talented people will opt out of amassing large amounts of student debt, and instead choose upskilling programs that are more focused on employment outcomes, and there are several organizations that are ready for this demand.
Recently launched School16 is offering live, remote classes every week for free, starting April 1st, for anyone who wants to learn about careers in tech like product management, sales, operations and more. Every session is taught by leaders in companies ranging from fast growing startups to large tech firms like Slack and Google, where students hear directly from people hiring and managing these teams about what skills candidates need to have to be attractive hires, and what jobs will be available in the months and years to come.
MasterClass, a 5 year old company that offers pre-recorded lessons from industry leaders in fields like film, music production, writing, and more for a monthly subscription fee, is offering free Q&A sessions with some of their instructors starting next week.
Game development company Unity just announced that they are offering their Unity Learn Premium platform for free for the next 3 months in response to the current crisis. This includes their Create with Code Live class where you can learn how to use the C# programming language to develop games.
This is yet another example of the rise in demand for learning content taught by industry practitioners, rather than academics, who can provide unique insight into what a job is actually like, what career trajectories are common, and what skills are valued by employers.
While many such upstart organizations are offering free, online classes during the Coronavirus pandemic, even traditional higher education institutions are following the trend. Yale, for example, is now offering one of it’s most popular classes about the science of happiness, online for free.
While not all of these education programs are career outcomes focused, they’re offering a unique opportunity for otherwise displaced workers to get exposed to different industries at low or no cost, and plan for their future at a time when companies are drastically changing the way they operate.
As many of us across the globe face the realities of a new economy, and a new way of life where we may be confined to our homes with more time on our hands than we’ve ever been used to, it remains to be seen how people will stay productive. But for those who have access to a stable internet connection, there’s fewer barriers than ever to start learning now to create more options for secure employment once hiring picks up again.
Disclaimer: The authors are affiliated with School16, a resource mentioned in this article.
Sergei Revzin and Vadim Revzin contributer for forbes.com