The 30th July is the United Nations’ International Friendship Day. The day is about taking some time to mark the friendships that define our lives and to actively celebrate the joys of friendship. It’s been a difficult 18 months for everyone and we’ve all relied on our friendships even more than usual to get us through the difficulties of the pandemic.
This Friendship Day, why not do something different to recognise and strengthen your relationship with a friend by signing up to an online course together? Learning is always easier and more enjoyable when you can do it with a friend, and a shared project is a great way to bring people closer together. Learning with a friend is not only a fantastic way to celebrate your friendship, it’s also a successful way to learn as you can keep one another motivated and inspired. So to mark International Friendship Day, we’re recommending five exciting courses to help you celebrate your nearest and dearest!
Physical Fitness
Maintaining the motivation to stay fit and in shape can be a real struggle. This is definitely an area where buddying up pays dividends. Both in the long term of sticking to your routine and achieving your fitness goals, and in the short term of having someone to push you on while you’re actually exercising, having a friend on board makes getting fit much easier. Exercising also gets the endorphins flowing and working together physically as a team is a proven way to bring people together. Not only will you be getting healthier, you’ll be becoming even closer as friends!
Languages
The best way to learn a language is to speak it, speak it, speak it! There’s no substitute for actually using the vocab you’re acquiring. By learning a language with a friend you’ll greatly improve your language acquisition because you’ll always have a willing conversation buddy at hand. Practicing a language when you’re a beginner can be daunting and so it’s understandable to be reluctant to practice with native speakers. By undertaking the project with a friend, you’ll have someone to practice with who’s not just on the same level as you, but is someone who you already feel comfortable with.
Photography
Photography is an exciting hobby that can also, with a bit of practice, become a lucrative part- or even full-time job. However, it’s a deceptively dense subject to tackle and so studying with a friend is a great way to spread the workload. You can also exchange photos easily online to trade tips and share your progress. Sometimes taking photos can be a lonely pursuit but by learning with a buddy, you’ll be able to spend some quality time together while out searching for the perfect picture.
Social Media Marketing
Starting an online course with a friend isn’t just an opportunity to take up a new hobby. It’s also a great way to upskill professionally in a dynamic and interactive way. Learning a new skill to augment your professional toolkit is always a great way to use your time. Social media skills are transferable and applicable to nearly all sectors, so they’ll be of benefit to you and your friend regardless of your industries. This is a great course to take with a friend because not only can you study it remotely, you can also test out your new skills remotely too.
Communication Skills
Communication skills have always been crucial to a successful career, and always will be. If you’re socially adept in the workplace then you’ll have an immeasurable headstart over those who either can’t get their ideas across or are too self-conscious to communicate them effectively. Upgrading your communication skills in tandem with a friend is a great learning strategy because you’ll be able to try out what you’ve learned as you’ll feel comfortable together. Feeling at ease is essential to being able to communicate freely and effectively and so learning with a friend is the ideal way to tackle this vital course.
