I’m not a networker. I’ll give you a second to get over the shock.
I’ve always operated under the impression that in the technical world, doing great work far outweighs who you know and who knows you, and that “networking” is left to the business types. In the corporate world, this holds true. You do good work, you get promoted (most of the time). Any time the word “networking” or “mixer” is attached to an event description, whether professional or social, I shy away.
But outside of the closed corporate environment, how is anyone supposed to know you? What distinguishes you from the next developer/designer/writer? How do they know you are who you say you are?
There are a million bloggers out there, with varying authenticity. Everyone can send an e-mail. Cook a resume. LinkedIn is hard to get in on, and is only useful once your own network grows to a decent size. Facebook is far away from having any kind of business utility.
In the past few months, I’ve started networking. Not only networking, attending events solely for the purpose of networking. Meeting totally random people who happen to be in a similar industry. The connections I’ve gained and things I’ve learned. It may be hard for me, but it’s an investment in the future.
I know it’s hard. So that’s why I do it.
From weakness comes advantage.
And for anyone in the DC area, you should certainly check out the Capital Cabal. I’m writing this after attending my first one last night.
By seeing this happen first hand, I also realize the importance of
one’s network. Not just the network you intentionally build, the
network you already have. That’ll come in a later post.
