Working the Net

My networking experience actually occurred before we learned about it in class, but it is appropriate so I think I can use it. It will require a bit of background explanation, however. Coming into the University of Illinois, I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do with my life (I still don't). I decided to apply to the College of Engineering as a general engineering major, but I still maintained interests in other fields, especially one called actuarial science. I decided to try to join the actuarial science club on campus in order to get a basic idea of the kinds of things actuaries do and see if it had more appeal than engineering. On Quad Day, however, representatives from the actuarial science club were nowhere to be found. I looked everywhere but had no luck. Eventually, I looked up the group's website and decided to go ahead and email the president of the club in hopes that he could give me some information about the club.
He replied shortly afterwards with details about the first meeting and invited me to stop on by and give it a try, even though the club is usually open to actuarial science majors specifically. I dropped by the meeting, enjoyed the club and the activities they put on, had a long talk with the president about my situation, and decided to join.

One of the activities the club does is a mentor system involving an upper classman pairing up with an under classman. Usually the pairings are random, but I was told that the president of the club specially requested to be my big buddy because of my unique situation and so that he could provide me with more assistance and guidance than normal. Now I have a key resource at my disposal; he and I have corresponded via email as well as in person. The club organizes multiple events for big buddy/little buddy pairings to attend and get to know each other, so he and I have steadily become closer as they year has progressed. He is also a senior who has held two internships, so he has plenty of connections in addition to those that come with being president of the actuarial science club. When I reflect on how this relationship has progressed, the key that I remember from class is initiative. It took initiative for me to contact the president of the club in the first place and it took initiative to attend the meeting, especially for someone who is not very outgoing. One of the things we talked about in class is the cyclical nature of initiative and networking. As a result of the initiative I took, my networking now gives me an advantage in the future to take further initiative, perhaps as a result of an internship that my buddy helps me to get. Moreover, I am focusing on strengthening my relationship with him instead of establishing a number of weaker relationships that probably will not pan out. With networking, the key is quality over quantity, and I am doing my best to create a quality relationship that will help me in the present and in the future.