NETWORKING

The importance of networking:

Networking is smart. It’s a game. To get what you want. To get to the places you want to be in life. To reach your goals. You’re good at it, you can use it, you can get places. “Use people” haha. But that’s kind-of what it is.

Making connections. It tends to happen to people you are in proximity to. I mean it will happen in the places you are in. That’s why you gotta think about where you are and where you will end up. For instance, I wanted so badly to be in university in a place I could see myself living in, because why would I create connections, if they happen and as they inevitably do, anywhere else? Somewhere I could not see myself living? Unfortunately it didn’t work out but whatever it’s okay, it’s probably for the best. I’ve written about this a lot already, and everything happens for a reason.

Asking questions. Okay MOST of the time: people are appreciative of questions. They like curiosity, and it makes you like them more. If you ask questions, it shows you care. Doesn’t matter what you reasons are actually. It’s that simple.

And if you ask questions, and do stuff like “go to office hours” it will show you care and you will be more likely to/it will easier to get letters of rec, and these letters will be better themselves. Because you actually know the professor as a person, they know about you, your struggles, and that you care. Because you showed up. You talked. You asked questions. You tried to remedy and fix the problem/situation.

People who just know people are extremely fortunate. The rest have to actually work for it and climb to the top in this pyramid of networking. But anyone will find the right people in the right field, and you work up from there. Knowing one person leads to many. Plus we can learn so much from others. So sit down. Get to know. Have some great conversations. Have some fun. Ask questions.

One of my professors once told us that when he was a student, he was scared to go to office hours. So many people are. My theory must be that it’s a lot to go from a huge 500 lecture to just meeting with the professor one-on-one. To me it feels like something to go through only if completely necessary (also coming from an introvert). But professors always try to encourage to go even if someone doesn’t need immediate help.

Well I have seen this backfire, however, too. When I needed “immediate help” last day of classes, finals week, and there were people who didn’t need anything so serious. They waited there for probably over an hour as I spoke with the professor and got some serious help. But from this talk, I learned how much more useful, how helpful, and how much better it would have been if I had gotten the information sooner. So those two senses, it can be bad, and good, to get help before you “really think you need it.”