First-year Friday: Networking? Ack!
By Jessica Maldonado, UCS Career Peer
Networking. It’s a scary word, and most first-year students probably have no idea where to start. While UCS does hold official networking nights (called "meetups"), they may seem pretty intimidating and not useful this
early in your college career. But networking is
a really important skill, and it’s unexpectedly easy to start
networking on a small-scale as early as your first or second semester of
college.
If you are looking for a cool summer job or internship, a great start is to talk to or email people you interact with on a regular basis. You can talk to your favorite professor after class or during their office hours, email the leader of an organization you’re involved in, or even ask your parents if they or their coworkers know of any opportunities you might be interested in.
The worst that anybody can do is say no, but if you know them personally, they will probably be more than willing to give you some help or at least some advice. And if you are able to snag that cool summer internship, you will meet even more people whom you can network with in the future. So take a chance and reach out – you never know what opportunities are out there!
Happy Friday, and I hope you all have a great weekend!
