Ever since the first reports of the coronavirus coming out of China in December 2019 and the report of the first case in the United States that February, we have collectively been immersed in what will be known as the time of the pandemic. The ensuing months saw pain, loss, fear, division – and it changed us.
Here at University of Phoenix, we watched the situation develop firsthand. We also used, and continue to use, the experience to better understand how the pandemic affected the people around us including our students, instructors and staff. Here are several of our key takeaways.
We Thought About What We Really Wanted from Life
As daily reports from around the world reported increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths became a normal part of our day, we began to assess what was really important. Now that we are fast approaching the two-year mark, we realize that we have learned what truly matters to us as people and educators. Many around the country have also learned to look at what we truly want from life and go after it.
As a society, we have made major life decisions around marriage, education, relocation and career change in the wake of these trying times. We started families and businesses. We dreamed and worked to make those dreams reality. Through it all, University of Phoenix was there to help many people make it happen.
We Learned to Prioritize Quality Time with Friends and Family
In the early days of the pandemic, a number of people found themselves with drastically reduced work hours or unemployed altogether. Of course, there were many who were given the opportunity to work from home, which became a lesson in balance.
Suddenly, going for a walk, talking on the phone with a friend, taking time to play with our children and spending quality time with family was more important. The experience made us realize what we had been missing in the hectic pre-pandemic routines. We have felt first hand how work will always be there, but those precious moments with family and friends may not be. We learned to prioritize quality time and create moments that matter.
We Developed an Increased Awareness of Health Risks
The overwhelming emphasis on masks, social distancing, sanitizing literally everything, no touch deliveries, remote work and remote learning brought into acute focus the fragility of the human body. We started taking better care of ourselves and being more vigilant when around other people, especially if they weren’t feeling well.
We Stopped Taking a Lot of Things for Granted
Life can turn on a dime. One day we can be on top of the world, and the next we could be facing illness, loss or life-altering change. We saw this play out in the lives of those around us, and many of us saw it in our own lives. Through it all, we learned to never take anything for granted.
The pandemic did not just change healthcare related to the pandemic; it changed healthcare in general. People struggled alone in hospital rooms, battling terrible illnesses often not even related to COVID-19, but isolated just the same because precautions prevented hospital visits. But these hard lessons taught us that tomorrow is not promised. We must live for today and focus on what is important now instead of taking for granted that we’ll have tomorrow.
We Found the Bright Spots in a Dark Time
No matter how dark it may look, there are always bright spots in our lives. We just may have to search a little harder sometimes. In the midst of the suffering and loss, we found those bright spots and came together to find ways to make our own dreams come true and help others do the same.
We learned to not worry about small or petty issues, becoming better versions of ourselves in the process. We learned to slow down and focus on how to prioritize self-care.
University of Phoenix Grew, Too
At University of Phoenix, we were not immune to the changes rapidly taking place in our society. As our faculty and students transformed, so did we. We added programs to further strengthen our educational offerings and further transform lives by helping people get the skills and education for the job they have always wanted.
We didn’t even blink when everyone transitioned to remote learning. The University was one of the pioneers of online learning. As such, the transition was smooth for our students who had chosen to attend in-person classes.
In the midst of all the uncertainty, loss and fear in our world today, people are looking for the things that can offer unshakable stability. When it comes to education, they find it in University of Phoenix. We never stopped helping our students balance work, family and education even as challenges rose and circumstances continued to shift in the face of the pandemic. We never stopped helping our students gain the skills and knowledge necessary to move up in their career or embark on a new one. We never stopped helping our students earn a degree that had the potential to change their lives. We never stopped. The pandemic changed us, but more important, for many it was transforming, turning us into something better than we were before.
Are you ready to transform your life and pursue a career you love? Contact University of Phoenix today to learn about degree programs created just for you.
