When It Comes to Networking, Use What You Have

Networking isn't solely an exercise in chatting people up at cocktail receptions or academic conferences. Networking can come in many forms; you may have already established networking channels without having realized it. The environment you create for yourself – be they in the classroom, study groups, the workplace, or other extracurricular settings – can provide the potential space to compare notes and explore opportunities. Although it is always important to remain vigilant for new networking prospects, taking a “use what you have” mentality towards networking can help you establish a base, and lead you to realize that networking doesn't have to be an extremely daunting project. Many networks endemic to the basic elements of your educational experience – especially in the classroom – may go unnoticed and unexplored.

Everyone knows someone else; that much should be obvious. What often eludes people is that everyone really is everyone, even the people you sit next to every week. In higher education, networking opportunities are literally built in to the curriculum: you meet with classmates at scheduled class times; professors teach courses and provide office hours for one-on-one interaction; internships (or, if you’re working for a salary, your job) place you in an established office or firm with well-connected higher-ups; and alumni remain in close, consistent contact with the institution which prepared them for their career. You do not need to put forth any effort to generate these connections; they’re already there. You do, however, have to exert yourself to recognize the networking potential of these situations and to exploit them. Being an involved and conscious member of class and taking advantage of office hours endears you to your classmates and to your professor; connections are forged through discussion and debate. Your classmates come from a myriad of academic backgrounds and geographical locations; therefore, they are members of different communities with different potential than your own. Your professors, by the very nature of their occupation, work within in a vast network of other professors, administrators, and diverse professional contingents. Classmates have personal and professional histories worth investigating, and professors’ knowledge can be utilized for far more than writing recommendations. Developing meaningful relationships with your peers and professors, people you’re already comfortable with (and are interacting with on a daily basis), orients you towards meaningful educational and professional relationships and their concomitant potential for advancement.

Alumni are also an extremely valuable networking resource whose presence may be taken for granted. Alumni who remain connected to their academic institution do so to share their experiences and connections with current students. As products of an educational institution, alumni are invested in advancing that school‘s profile; your educational merit and professional success are key factors in determining a school’s prestige, and are thus of personal interest to alumni. Alumni-sponsored events frequently highlight this fact, as they may be social gatherings explicitly geared towards networking or, for example, symposia with highly-regarded (and headline-grabbing) speakers in the field. If you attend an alumni event and are open to meeting new people, you will surely find someone whose academic and professional goals match up with yours.

Higher education’s relentless emphasis on networking may have the effect of making networking seem complicated or otherwise intimidating. But networking is not complicated, and it certainly doesn't have to be intimidating. By simply attending school and availing yourself of the opportunities it automatically presents, networking will become germane to your day-to-day schedule. With this established web of contacts, you will gain the confidence and skill set necessary to pursuing networking outside of your comfort zone.