Recall the last time you did well on a test. What skills enabled you to perform exceptionally well on that exam?
If it was a social science exam, chances are you read and understood the information thoroughly, were able to structure it efficiently in your answer, and so on.
There are several skills involved in doing various tasks, including a job. These specialized skills can not only help in getting the job but also in retaining it and excelling at it. These are known as vocational skills.
Different jobs require different specialized skills to perform them, but there are some basic underlying skills required across all jobs and professions. This blog will highlight various online games that can help you build these skills and get and perfect your job.
Engaging online games for improving important vocational skills
Online games, with their simulated environments and endless capacity for imaginative innovation, provide an excellent means of education and skill building. General vocational skills, required for performing any and every job, can also be practiced and learned using online games. Examples of a few such games are given below.
1. Owl Planes
Play it alone or play with up to 8 of your friends, your goal in this game is to type as fast and as accurately as you can.
The game pairs you up in teams of two. Your speed and accuracy in typing the word shown on the screen fuel your team’s plane. It is a race, and your typing skills will determine what position you’ll finish at.
Knowing how to use the keyboard to type is virtually required in all professions. This game not only helps the player in enhancing their typing skills and their memory of where different keys are but also builds their vocabulary.
2. Scribbl
Have you got a knack for being able to draw exactly what you’re thinking? Then this game is for you.
Scribbl.io is an online game of Pictionary. You can play with as many friends as you want. Points are awarded for guessing the word or object being drawn as well as for drawing it well and helping others guess. You can select the number of rounds you want to play, at the end of which the person with the highest points wins.
This game is completely dependent on how well you are able to communicate and work in a team. Both of these skills are essential in any and every workplace today. Being able to convey what you mean in a way that is respectful and will be understood by the recipient is a skill that can be practiced and mastered over time.
3. Counting Money
The goal of this game is to fill your fishbowl. Every time you count the money correctly by dragging the bills and coins in the box, you earn a fish.
The game has two modes, beginner and expert. In each mode, the challenge gets harder as you progress with fewer options and fewer seconds to get to the answer.
Learning how to deal with physical bills and coins is another essential skill. Sooner or later, the individual is bound to need it, especially in jobs in the finance or retail sector. This is where the game counting money saves the day.
4. Mystic Escape
In this virtual game, you are trapped on a mystic island with no memories of how you ended up there.
Through a series of Japanese puzzles, your goal is to solve the clues, find your lost memories and make your way out of the island. The puzzles keep getting more complex as you get closer to your exit.
Adapting to unprecedented situations and making the best of them are skills important for life and work. This escape game teaches very important problem-solving and on-your-feet thinking skills and puts your resourcefulness to the test.
5. Kitchen Bazar Game
In this game, you are the owner and chef of an up-and-coming restaurant. You have to race against time to make all the orders and take care of everything else in your kitchen.
There will be multiple things that will require your attention at the same time, you’ll have to take care of it all while fulfilling all the orders. As you get more points, you’ll unlock upgrades for your kitchen but your orders will also increase, as will the game’s difficulty.
Knowing how to handle multiple tasks at once, manage your limited time, prioritize tasks and meet deadlines are the requirements of any and every modern-day workplace. This restaurant takes you through all of those scenarios and more, where you not only end up learning these skills but also about yourself.
6. Guess the Feeling
In this interactive game, the player becomes one of Daniel Tiger’s neighbors. They are given various cards that have different facial expressions on them.
The player has to guess the emotion based on the expression and then think about a time they felt that emotion. The next step is to reenact and communicate that emotion using their own facial expressions.
Understanding your own as well as other people’s emotions is an important vocational as well as a life skill. It helps you regulate your emotions, express them as and when it is appropriate and effective, and modify your communication strategies based on the other person’s reactions. Additionally, there are some specialized professions that require higher emotional awareness and intelligence, like that of a therapist.
7. A Job for Me
A Job for Me takes you around on a tour of the neighborhood. You interact with various people doing different jobs.
The player not only understands what the different jobs and their role in the community are but also gets to participate in various activities related to that particular job.
Choosing a profession can be a big and cumbersome decision. It is important to have a general knowledge of the skills comprising various professions. This knowledge helps the individual in selecting the most suitable profession for themselves.
8. GeoGuessr
GeoGuessr is a geographical game. The player is taken to various locations around the world and has to find clues to guess what the place, historical landmark, continent, city, or country is.
You can play this game alone or virtually against your friends. You can sit in your room and travel across the world, seeing various beautiful places and guessing where you are using the street view.
Among the general knowledge required to perform any job, the knowledge of geography is one of the more crucial ones. Some professions, like that of a travel journalist or a tourism expert, especially require a great degree of proficiency in geography. This interactive game helps build a more basic as well as advanced level of geography knowledge.
9. Time Quiz
In the Time Quiz, the player selects a time frame and is then quizzed about various happenings around the world and in the U.S. during that time frame.
The closer you come to guess the year, day, and/or date, the more points you earn.
This game tests and builds the general knowledge repertoire of the player. No matter what you do and where you are, general information about critical incidents that happened and are happening around the world is crucial. This can have direct repercussions on your current task, for example, in the case of writing an article about the history of African Americans in the U.S. or your entire job, in the case of inflation, where the entire economy is unstable, and people are being laid off.
Other methods you can opt for
While there are several job opportunities that can be suitable for people with dyslexia and dyscalculia, however, inculcating vocational education becomes crucial for getting into the right kind of job.
1. Role Play
Exposing oneself to situations similar to the ones the individual is likely to encounter on the job can have many benefits. It can help understand various skills needed to overcome the problem. It can give the individual an opportunity to try out different ways to approach a situation and see what works best.
Role plays also provide an opportunity to increase self-awareness. People can learn more about their ways of reacting, strengths, and areas of improvement. Practicing in a safe environment for a high-stakes situation can also help in boosting one’s self-confidence.
2. Skill development classes
Skill development classes can be introduced along with regular schooling and education. A mix of lectures and activities can help students explore various skills.
Lectures could provide information about various traditional as well as up-and-coming professions and what skills are needed to pursue them. Activities can be the place where children get to discover their interests, strengths, and talents. They can participate in activities based on the professions that interest them and build their skills accordingly.
3. Self-paced course
There are several online self-paced courses available on EdTech platforms. They use a mix of presentations, videos, assignments, case studies, group discussions, and several other mediums to provide effective education about several on-the-job skills.
The individual can take them at their own pace and master the desired skills from the comfort of their homes.
Conclusion
Vocational skills are essential in getting, performing, and retaining any job. These are skills that can be learned and improved over time with consistency and practice. Opportunities to discover one’s interests, strengths and talents should be present and plenty. This helps the individual to recognize what profession they want to pursue and accordingly work on building their vocational skills. At the same time, there are a few jobs that might not be that suitable for a certain set of people who have learning disabilities like dyslexia. Hence, one with a similar struggle should steer clear of these jobs and search for the right opening to combine their vocational education with the skill acquired.
I am Shweta Sharma. I am a final year Masters student of Clinical Psychology and have been working closely in the field of psycho-education and child development. I have served in various organisations and NGOs with the purpose of helping children with disabilities learn and adapt better to both, academic and social challenges. I am keen on writing about learning difficulties, the science behind them and potential strategies to deal with them. My areas of expertise include putting forward the cognitive and behavioural aspects of disabilities for better awareness, as well as efficient intervention. Follow me on LinkedIn