Commentary

As Back-To-School Looms, Pandemic Drives Professionals To Become Self-Made Entrepreneurs

For marketers and other those in other professions who have considered teaching a trade or something else, now might be the time to look into online classes.

People want to learn. Some are looking for a new trade such as search engine marketing — paid or organic — while others are looking to go back to school in some capacity in the fall.

Data shows the majority of Gen Z college students want to take some type of class in the fall, only if that means they must take it online.

Research from Fullscreen analyzed how Gen Z is coping during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they approach back-to-school.

The company’s analysts surveyed a panel of more than 400 eighteen- to-36-year-olds, including 134 college students, to determine their behaviors, habits and emotions when it comes to coping with COVID-19 and going back to school in the fall.

While 44% of college students are completely open to online learning, 43% of students are open to online learning but expect a discount in tuition from their college or university.

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Only 3% of students are unwilling to enroll in online-only classes if it is unsafe for colleges and universities to open.

While 63% of students say they are not considering taking a year off, 37% of college students have considered taking a year off. Among their top concerns for returning to college campuses, 15% cite the social experience, 15% point to safety, and 12% cite the learning experience.

As parents and college-age young adults struggle with the option and challenges of online distance learning, a New York Times survey of every public four-year college in the country, as well as every private institution that competes in Division I sports or is a member of an elite group of research universities, revealed at least 6,300 cases of COVID-19 tied to about 270 colleges during the pandemic.

A host of video platforms are available, such as Google Meet, Microsoft Team, and Zoom. In addition, there is a suite of tools from Kajabi, which provides a complete software platform that enables people to develop, market, and sell courses online.

Kajabi CMO Orlando Baeza says so many people want to learn new skills. “Many businesses are creating a digital arm to help people learn,” he said. “For example, one physical therapist took his business online teaching other physical therapists to take their business online.”

In fact, Kajabi’s community in the past 10 years has generated more than $1.5 billion in revenue by providing courses. “The pandemic accelerates the rate of revenue,” Baeza said.

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