Winter break, a month that all college students look forward to after a long semester of classes, finals, and not enough sleep. If you’re not careful though, winter break can turn into four long weeks of you sitting bored at home–you might even find yourself wishing you were back on campus! To avoid this, try learning these five useful skills that can help you out over winter break and in the rest of your life.
1. (Start to) Learn a new language
In today’s globalized world, it is becoming more and more important to speak more than one language, both to remain competitive in the job market as well as to simply communicate with people in your day to day life. While you may not have time to completely learn a new language over winter break, you can take advantages of free online resources like Duolingo to get a start on your language learning.
2. Learn how to do your taxes
This is an important skill that you will use for the rest of your life. There may be income tax courses offered near you for a fee, or you can search online for sites like this which give tips for filing taxes yourself.
3. Workout
Everyone knows exercising makes you healthier, not just physically but mentally as well! Following a workout routine can help you stay in shape over winter break, and is a good way to relieve the stress of college once you’re back on campus.
4. Volunteer
Okay, this one isn’t necessarily a skill, but it’s still something you should do over winter break nonetheless. It feels good to know you’re doing something to give back to your community, plus, it costs nothing but your time! Try searching websites like Volunteermatch, which shows you volunteer opportunities close to you and related to your personal interests.