Weaving an Intentional Network

 Let’s be people first

Ashley Sudeta

After spending over 12 hours stuck in a European airport, I had the privilege of rotting in the customs line with a group of classmates and other miscellaneous homebound Minnesotans. To my comfort, the woman behind us was friendly, telling us about her work trip to Switzerland. Medtronic had given her a week next to Lake Zurich as part of a cultural exchange. Woah. Images of a beautiful lake amid the Alps pulled me from my airport misery. As I returned to reality, my peers began to question the woman, but wait, they weren’t asking about a blue lake or centuries-old churches—they were asking about internship applications!

Maybe I’m too precious about the connections I make, but the concept of spontaneous professional networking makes me uneasy. When it escapes career-oriented environments, I can’t help but view it as dehumanizing, reducing strangers to a means to an end. When I interact with new people, I want them to see my entire self, not just my career plans. I can only assume that individuals older than myself, with established careers, want to be seen as people too, not as doorways for young people.

I don’t think networking is an evil concept, just that it’s overgrown. However, this pervasiveness makes sense within the context of our society. Today’s young people are feeling panicked and hopeless as we wonder what our futures will look like in such a bleak world. It’s easy to let this fear turn us into desperate creatures, clawing out for opportunity.

Keep fighting to build the life you want, but be careful not to lose sight of your values in the process. Treat strangers warmly, and remember to value the connections that don’t earn you money. Establishing your life is difficult, but if you’re good to others, some will be good to you in return—and isn’t that what networking is supposed to be about?