In college, networking is everything. It’s how you meet your future employers, secure internships and get to know the field you hope to become a part of. At the start of college you have to build your network from the ground up, starting with your parent’s network, but that puts immigrant and first generation students at a disadvantage.
As a daughter of immigrants, I know this experience firsthand. I didn’t realize law was a legitimate career until my sophomore year of high school. But once I decided I wanted to be a lawyer, I quickly realized my parents didn’t know anyone in the field. I had no one to talk to about what opportunities existed, and I had no clue what I needed to do to get into law school.
Building your own college network from the ground up is an incredibly daunting experience, but the people that matter the most are your friends. Your classmates are your best resources, especially those who are going through the process with you or who might be two or three steps ahead.
Talk to your friends about internships and job opportunities and find peers who share similar career goals. You can do that by finding a student organization — for me, that was Minority Women Pursuing Law — or by connecting with people in your classes. Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone – take them to coffee to talk about an internship or interest that excites you.
Through MWPL, I found a group of women willing to answer questions I had about the law school application process. I bonded with upperclassmen who were willing to help me find internships and who knew what a good law school resume should look like. My network became my support group, a community where I can share my successes and failures with lifelong friends.
Networking isn’t reserved for adults who are already years into their career path. It can also help you cultivate a supportive community of University of Texas students who can help you work through career exploration. By connecting with other young professionals, you can go through the process together.
Even if you think your internship or experience is limited or not worthwhile, share your progress and path. Doing so helped others discover new interests or career opportunities, and in return, my willingness to share opened the door to others sharing their experiences with me.
Although networking is intimidating, we are all extremely capable of reaching out to the people around us, building a community and finding career opportunities. Value the circle you build on this campus because connecting with UT students can help you find your place on the Forty Acres and beyond.
Muthukrishnan is a government and race, indigeneity and migration sophomore from Los Gatos, California.
