Tbh, it's a mixed bag for me, but overall I'll say my life has gotten better since the pandemic began.

Pros:

-College a lot easier since I could cheat in online classes

-More free time as a result of easier schoolwork and unemployed

-Could take vacations during the school year with online classes, something I couldn't do when school was in person.

-Flights and attractions were cheaper and more empty

-Increased free time allowed me to focus on other areas of my life I couldn't have done if it weren't for the lockdown, such as my YT channel, where I finally gained somewhat of a following

Cons:

-Much harder to meet new people without in-person classes and unemployed

-Couldn't have large crowds or parties like I used to

-Many places closed down, and for a good while, there was no purpose of going out until i'd say summer 2020.

-Masks are annoying

-Getting the virus sucks

So how about for you guys? has your life improved since the pandemic started or got worse. I'd say it's a mixed bag for me.

Worse. Pandemic is not to blame at all, though.

Worse.

All my favorite outdoor places got overcrowded with people.
Shopping is a pita.
I've been needing new glasses for over a year, learned to see without them...
I chipped my tooth last year, on hold, got used to it.
I haven't seen the chiropractor in over a year, back issues, leg cramps, got to deal with it.
Can't get a contractor to fix the siding of the house.
Kids are always home, up later as well due to online schooling and not burning off enough energy during the day.
Online schooling is a great source of technical difficulties, lost count how many times I had to reinstall drivers, reinstalled win 10 from scratch on both my kid's laptops and just bought them new ones as keyboards, usb ports and charge ports all started failing from heavy use.

My wife is off much worse. The producer of her blood pressure medication closed down (she was on it for well over a decade) and she got pretty much all side effects on the replacement while it's not working to keep her blood pressure under control. It's impossible to get hold of a doctor, after 6 months she finally got to see a specialist, who did nothing much. Another different medication, more side effects, more waiting to hear back from test results. This has been ongoing since last August and she's still not able to function normally.

Our oldest isn't off too bad from the pandemic, lacking exercise though, but he doesn't mind online learning and mostly plays online with his friends now. Too much screen time. Our youngest is having a very rough time, hates online learning, misses his friends, not doing all that well.

Btw wtf are you going on vacation during a pandemic. It's people that keep traveling that keep this virus active and around.

Better. But it will get worst once I have to go back to the office to work.

Definitely worse. I was basically forced out of my previous line of work, I've gained weight, and the home purchase I've been prepping years for got fucked over by the worst buyer's market in decades. I'm working to adapt, though. I'm getting back in the gym for the first time in years, training for a long term career change, and I'll keep saving until the market regains some sanity and the right property reveals itself.

Better, much better. I had to drive 40 minutes to work and back prior to the Pandemic and after? I can do all remote! No more wasting 40 minutes of time, of gas and now the insurance is significantly lower too! We are less social now which is the only urgh thing but everything else has been so good.

Unchanged, I am an essential worker in the transportation industry so I have been dragging my happy ass to work every day just like I did before all of this.
Only real change was wearing a mask at work and in public for a while, and while I wasn't fond of it lets be real, it wasn't all that much of a hassle for most of us. Even if you didn't believe in the transmission reductions from wearing masks, you can almost guarantee that for some people it gave them peace of mind that they were at less risk.

Much better.

I graduated from university and started my new job (which had nothing to do with the pandemic) but I didn't have to pay attention to most courses. Obviously, it was pretty easy to cheat (Wasn't necessary but saved me some time).

I can currently work 100% from home, so I'm saving about 2 hours each and every day that I otherwise would've spent on getting to and from work.
My new boss, who wasn't a big fan of people working from home changed his opinion due to the pandemic. That allows me to keep working from home about 2-3 days a week once the pandemic is over. On top of that, things are pretty slow at the moment (which my boss told me is nothing out of the ordinary) so instead of being stuck at work and browsing the internet for hours, I can do much more meaningful things at home.

I'm currently living in a commercial zone and since most places had to close down, there's much less noise than usual. (Especially the close-by dancing school and their customers who keep meeting in front of my appartment were really annoying.) Also more available parking spaces.


Only downside was the inability to travel. I still managed to go on vacation to the Netherlands last year and once more just a few days ago actually, but anything that would've involved a flight, even within Europe, would've been too dangerous (flight cancelling, no entry on border, quarantine on entry/return etc.).

Much better.

When the pandemic began I had just been diagnosed with cancer and my prognosis was uncertain; I was terrified that it was going to kill me.

Since then, treatment and recovery have gone excellently and recent scans have declared me cancer free.

Slightly worse. Working from home gives me more personal time since there's no commuting, but I used to commute via bike, so now I get less exercise. I just recently moved, which is stressful in the short term but good in the long term (well, except financially). Not being able to see family and relatives much is a fairly big negative, and the biggest negative, I'd say. All in all, everyday life has gotten easier but not necessarily for the better, and seeing family and relatives less is not exactly nice.

Also, if you're cheating in class, you're probably doing yourself a disservice in the long term. Can't argue about it being nice in the short term though.