Live your dream and go after the life you want by learning the skills that will help take you there. Remember, talent is nothing without education, practice, and continuous learning.
If you want to excel in the restaurant and food services industry, for instance, learning how to become a certified chef is an absolute must.
Successful business people have invested a considerable amount of their time, effort, and money into improving their knowledge and skills to become the entrepreneurs they are now. The same is true with world-renowned artists, singers, and athletes. They’ve spent time up-skilling to enhance their talent and become well known.
There are plenty of skills you can learn and improve in your lifetime. But some skills are more beneficial than others. Here are some of the most enjoyable (and profitable) options to consider.
1. Cooking
Knowing how to prepare a variety of food that your family can enjoy is a confidence booster. You can even recreate some recipes you’ve acquired from a cooking class, watched online, or read from magazines. You can add a twist into each recipe, such as integrating another step in the cooking process or pouring a secret ingredient to make it your own signature dish.
Some recipes are simple, so you don’t have to follow detailed instructions to reconstruct them. But if you want to make special recipes and learn specific culinary skills, enrolling in culinary courses is the best way to go.
Hand-on training like those offered in ICCA cooking classes can provide you with the necessary knowledge, skills, and the confidence to develop remarkable culinary creations.
In addition to learning to implement food safety protocols, these courses can also teach you hundreds of essential cooking techniques. Lessons may include:
- Introduction to fundamental kitchen procedures
- Meal preparations involving pasta, meat, poultry, and seafood recipes
Other benefits of taking up cooking classes include:
- Learning about new cultures and cuisines – If you enroll in culinary classes that focus on different cultures, you will learn how dishes from other parts of the world are made based on the country’s staple food or spices. You will also realize that each place employs different cooking techniques.
- Meeting new people – Attending physical cooking classes allows you to meet several like-minded people. It helps to make new friends and expand your network.
- Eating healthier – Everybody wants to eat healthier. Preparing your meals allows you to control what goes into your food. So instead of eating processed food or always dining out, you can cook your own dishes; even gourmet recipes! You can minimize the sugar, fat and salt content of your food. Moreover, you can use healthier substitutes. So if you want to start your eating-healthier journey, enrolling in a culinary class might be what you need.
Indeed, taking up cooking classes can come in handy when preparing healthy meals for yourself and your loved ones or if you’re thinking of establishing your own restaurant. You’ll learn how to make dishes more enticing and palatable for everyone, including those with dietary restrictions.
2. Baking
To further expand your cooking skills, you can take baking classes, too. Though you can learn bits and pieces about pastry construction, cake decorating, bread making, and food science online, enrolling in an in-person baking course is the best way to level up your knowledge and skills.
Baking and pastry-making courses will educate you from the ground up. From understanding why flours act differently to knowing how to twist your wrist to achieve specific frosting designs, you will be exposed to everything you must know to succeed in the pastry industry.
In-person education covers different aspects of the field – from actual pasty making to business skills if you want to start your bakery. It also includes you and other learners receiving supervision from experienced bread makers, cake decorators, and pastry chefs.
3. Language learning
The world is becoming more multilingual and multicultural. Everything from the economy, business, entertainment, and media is distributed worldwide – and speaking as many languages as possible is a must.
Whether you are searching for a job, starting a business, or finding a new home, you must always take a global approach rather than restrict yourself to your local community. Learning a new language is the easiest way to expand your thinking and personal growth.
Besides, language learning has additional benefits, including improved communication skills, cognitive improvement, and cultural knowledge.
If your excuse for not learning a new language is a lack of time because of a hectic daily schedule at work, you can learn online. You can check out reputable websites offering flexible language lessons. This way, you can take your lessons during your free time or day.
A 20 to 30-minute session each week is enough to stimulate your mind to learn a new language. The key is to employ solutions that fit with your schedule.
4. Photography and photo editing
Parties, weddings, birthdays, travel, and general hobbies – there are endless reasons to capture photos. And with the rise of affordable mobile devices with superb camera features, taking photographs has become a lot easier.
But knowing how to use your camera, whether it is a camera phone or a professional camera, entails plenty of considerations than you would realize. You need to employ specific photography techniques to come up with timeless, elegant, and professional portrait pictures.
You must also understand how the camera works. Most importantly, you need ample time to practice using different cameras. This way, you can capture excellent photos regardless of the type of camera you use.
But it does not stop there; you must also learn how to edit photos. After all, photo editing plays a crucial role in producing exceptional photos. From choosing the perfect background to playing with tones, vibrancy, saturation, and temperatures, the end product is up to you.
Unlike other forms of investment, investing in your life and career is never a risk as it will pay off in the future. Take advantage of the various online resources and in-person courses that will raise your skills to a professional level.
Start making the change you want for your life now.
Author Bio:
Shanaaz Raja is the Course Director at International Centre for Culinary Arts – ICCA Dubai.
