Dear Students,
I think that you did really well on this assignment; it is clear that you all understand the importance of networking and the impact daily social decisions have on your future. I was pleased that almost every student picked a group that had not already been chosen, which demonstrated the varying interests and talents in our class. Although every student contributed something valuable to the discussion, there were a few things that stuck out to me and I wanted to point them out just in case anyone in the class missed them.
1. Janice: I thought your comment on social ecology was great. There truly is a connection between the way we develop as social creatures in a more and more “connected” world and the way we network. Further, I think questions of social ecology come to the fore when we are considering that today’s connectedness is often over the Internet. How does networking shift when the old Rolodex paradigm is defunct?
2. Li Qu mentioned that networking helps us keep a competitive edge, but it also helps buffer us from disappointments. I couldn’t agree more. The networking we do now and in the future and our life as social creatures in the present shouldn’t just help us professionally. Our network can help us through the disappointments that are inevitable in a job market such as ours. There should be a personal benefit to you and to everyone in your network from these interactions.
3. Cristian: I really appreciate that you used the term “near future” to describe how soon college networking can pay off. It always alarms me when I hear students saying things like, “well I’ve still got four years. Getting a job [etc.] is still way off.” In truth, it goes by so quickly and if you aren’t careful, you will wonder what you did with all your time! Seeing the end of college as the “near future” will help you keep things in perspective.
4. Lynda: I appreciated your comment about practicing in college in preparation for a career. This is a good time to stretch yourself socially, and even to make mistakes in the social realm — primarily because there won’t be dire career consequences!
5. Aleksandr: First, I appreciated the host of fascinating metaphors you used. They were very helpful. Second, I want to bring in the concept of “social capital.” I would like to suggest that you don’t have to choose between meeting people and being beneficial to them; it doesn’t have to be an either/or. When you are beneficial to people, you are building social capital that you will often find available in the future. The author in the second article addressed this specifically and at length — he did not often see the benefits of making himself available to people right away, but he depended on the payout of that capital in the future, and often found he had a number of favors to call in when he needed it.
6. Finally, I liked how Seungjae said, “There is no work we can do alone.” I think that about sums it up for me.
Good job, class!
