By Adriana Castro Arroyo - Student of Business Administration

In 2020, covid-19 came to change drastically the world of everyone in a way that none of us expected, nowadays we continue to change and adapt to this new lifestyle. When the world shutdown completely last year, everyone was forced to do virtual classes and jobs, converting Zoom and Google Meet in our best friends for the next few weeks, which then change to months and to which we continue to do on our daily basis. People all over the world have been tested and in need of adaptation during this time.

Soft skills are a very important aspect of our life, we start to develop them since we are kids and continue to strengthen them as we get older. They have the power to improve our personal relationships and mental health (Boocock, 2019). The need to socialize is relevant, it allows you to develop in the best ways. It enables students to adjust to the frustrations and challenges they will encounter in their adult life (Teaser, 2021). The stage of teenagers is when these skills are being developed the strongest, due to leaving their childhood and preparing to become adults. Some of the most important professional skills for workers and employers alike simply can’t be taught in a classroom or measured on paper (Bortz, 2021). Every person develops them in a different way, and sometimes we don’t even know they are being developed but in which environment we are matters.

A big part of the population worldwide experienced frustration and the consequences that lockdown can have in our mental health and affect the ways we develop. Apart from “essential workers,” for those who live alone, this has meant little to no human contact for months (Holt-Lunstad, 2020). The study found suicidal thoughts increased from 8% to 10% and they were highest among young adults (Collinson, 2020). By not allowing any social interaction, mental health has been decreasing drastically in many countries in comparison to years before. There are over 200 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 being developed; of these, at least 52 candidate vaccines are in human trials (WHO, 2021). As there’s no near signal that the virus is going to end soon, most of the countries have already started their vaccination process which can have the sequels in the future due to that the unknown symptoms.

Covid-19 came to damage and collapsed the health system at a worldwide level in a way that was never expected, the way in which soft skills developed had no relevance to how this virus affected the population of the world. The economic and social disruption caused by the pandemic is devastating, tens of millions of people are at risk of falling into extreme poverty, while the number of undernourished people is currently estimated at nearly 690 million (WHO, 2020). The economic and health status are the main factors affected by this virus, everyone should work and adapt to this type of situation.

In conclusion, the way in which this virus has affected us has been brutal in ways we never imagined. As a society, the worries about mental health and the consequences that covid-19 has brought us the need to be more outspoken and be taken more seriously by everyone. The way in which we, as individuals, can socialize has become a need in our daily basis to get us to develop in the best way possible, which is one of the main reasons why our soft skills had been in danger during these times. Soft skills determine a big part of who we become and why do we become the person that we are and the way in which people see us, the constant growth in us is given by these skills which help us face any circumstance.

 

MOXIE es el Canal de ULACIT (www.ulacit.ac.cr), producido por y para los estudiantes universitarios, en alianza con el medio periodístico independiente Delfino.cr, con el propósito de brindarles un espacio para generar y difundir sus ideas.  Se llama Moxie - que en inglés urbano significa tener la capacidad de enfrentar las dificultades con inteligencia, audacia y valentía - en honor a nuestros alumnos, cuyo “moxie” los caracteriza.

References:
  • Boocock, M. (2019, April 10). Why soft skills are important for good mental health. https://iosh.com/more/news-listing/developing-soft-skills-for-mental-health/
  • Bortz, D. (2021). Soft Skills to Help Your Career Hit the Big Time. https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/soft-skills-you-need
  • Collinson, A. (2020, October 21). Covid: Lockdown had 'major impact' on mental health. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54616688
  • Holt-Lunstad, J. (2020, June 22). The Double Pandemic Of Social Isolation And COVID-19: Cross-Sector Policy Must Address Both. https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20200609.53823
  • Teaser, J. (2021). 8 Soft Skills that every college student should embrace. https://www.jobteaser.com/en/advices/246-8-soft-skills-that-every-college-student-should-embrace
  • World Health Organization (WHO). (2020, October 13). Impact of COVID-19 on people's livelihoods, their health and our food systems. https://www.who.int/news/item/13-10-2020-impact-of-covid-19-on-people's-livelihoods-their-health-and-our-food-systems
  • World Health Organization (WHO). (2021, July 12). The different types of COVID-19 vaccines. https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/the-race-for-a-covid-19-vaccine-explained