Networking, Student Style

From the perspective of a student, networking is a nerve-racking idea. In my head, I imagine networking as simply going up to someone I've never spoken to before, introducing myself, and launching into a conversation into which I subtly slip my positive qualities, hoping the person I am talking to will be just the one I need to connect me to that perfect job. Up until now, I have succeeded in avoiding networking altogether, telling myself that it isn't really necessary for students to do anyway. My sister is starting to look at colleges, so over the weekend I visited two campuses with her. These campuses are different sizes, and therefore have varying levels of connections they can offer their students. One is small, and boasts class sizes capped at 40 and a professor adviser for each student. The other is on the complete opposite extreme, with lectures of 400 and a "we don't hold your hand" mentality. This got me thinking about my own college experience, which is practically identical to that second school. I do not have the luxury of attending a small private college that will automatically connect me to the perfect person who will offer me the perfect job. There are many other students who are in the same situation that I am. For us, the responsibility to find that person falls onto our shoulders. This brought me right back to networking. I realize that it can apply to students as well. It can mean talking to a professor one day after lecture, simply to ensure that he or she knows my name. The truth is, professors hold office hours for a reason, and that reason is to get to know their students. With this new perspective, I am beginning to see that getting to know a professor can have many positive results. Maybe I will just have a conversation with an expert in an interesting field, but maybe that professor will remember me when he or she is doing research and ask me to be an assistant. No matter the outcome, I think as students we need to realize that networking isn't so scary after all!

--Jillian Tessier