If you google the phrase ‘UK Recession’, these are the headlines you might see:
I think it’s safe to say….it is not looking pretty for any of us. Upon seeing those headlines, as a constant over-thinker, I started to worry. How am I supposed to cope with such economic turbulence? Will the recession affect how currently budget? My student loans? To what extent will this economic situation impact my life? So many questions!
This is where Blackbullion came in. As many of you may) know, Blackbullion.com is a digital platform aiming to help educate students about their finances. It has various interactive ‘Pathways’, which are really similar to quick YouTube videos, on different financial subtopics such as ‘Budgeting’, ‘Debt’, ‘Saving’ etc. For this situation, I went through a pathway titled ‘How to deal with a recession’ and I’m going to tell you my honest thoughts.
Pathway Review
Firstly, the layout of Blackbullion is so organised! The order of videos within this Pathway are clearly outlined in a section titled ‘Lessons’. Within that section, there are various subheadings such as ‘Recessions Explained’. This makes it so easy to follow what the Pathway is trying to teach.
Another thing I really love is how short and quick these videos are. There are 6 videos in this Pathway, each under 75 seconds. The length of these videos helps make rather complex information very digestible and easy to assimilate. Additionally, the videos feature simplistic animations (see the photo below). These animations reminded me of Pixar movies, which gives this such a cosy feeling! Who doesn’t love a nice Pixar movie?
(Credit: Blackbullion)
In each video the narrator explains what a recession is, the causes of a recession, its effects and how to deal with it. The audio is clear and features short sentences with uncomplicated language. I found this particularly useful for a community like King’s where there is a high concentration of international students.
The Pathway ends with a quick quiz. The quiz has five questions. I know when people see the word ‘text’ or ‘quiz’, they go into immediate panic mode. No need though! This quiz is a self-paced, short set of questions to simply make sure you’ve gotten the most important information from the videos. No one is assessing you, no one is watching or timing you. There is zero pressure.
Overall, this short six minute lesson has left a lasting impact on my knowledge (and worries too!) about the recession. It is definitely worth a try!
Aminuoritse Jemide
King’s Student Money Mentor
Part of Money & Housing Advice
The King’s Student Money Mentors blog shares our students’ personal experiences and thoughts on money-related topics. Any reference, opinions or recommendations on a particular company/brand are only the views of the student(s) who wrote the blog post. King’s College London, the Money & Housing Advice service and the Money Mentor project do not share the views in the blogs nor endorse any of the companies mentioned. Readers should conduct their own research before using any companies mentioned in our blog posts.