We are almost there, the semester is almost over, and a large portion of the campus will be leaving for the summer. Especially for those graduating, these last couple of weeks are a really important time to spend time with friends and continue relationships with faculty, staff, and mentors that you have met while here.
I have learned a lot during my semester in Washington D.C. I have learned how to use the metro, what side of an escalator is for standing, how to navigate a city that is constantly changing, and so much more. One thing that I learned that is even more important now that I am returning to campus in the fall is the importance of relationships and networking.
While maybe you will have a great interview and get luck in finding a job after graduation, I did for my internship this semester. If you do then the best for you, but for most people they will not. Most people will put in those 30 plus applications and only have four or five opportunities to do an interview. For many people having a network means to have someone pull your application out of a pile or someone to share opportunities with you. It’s all about getting a job in the end. Getting a job is important but there is more to networking than that.
For me networking is less about having people available to write a recommendation letter or be a reference. When I think about networking, I think about getting to know people and hearing about their experiences in the field. It’s about absorbing anything that they are willing to tell me about that field. If you show interest, people often want to show interest and support you and your journey back. I want to go into the museum world and in museums it’s a very small world. Once your foot is in there are an unlimited number of connections of all kinds. It is fascinating and fun to hear about people’s paths to where they are today, and how they want to see you succeed.
Nina Earle
Staff Reporter
