The beauty of ‘Networking’
When I first entered the professional world as a seventeen-year-old with nothing but a pocket full of dreams and a hopelessly determined gut, I saw the world quite differently. I had grown up watching my father and his colleagues work their day jobs and come back home in the evenings to relax. For them socializing was a way to build relationships outside of work that had little to do with professional or personal growth. Socializing was their way of relaxing and escaping from the stresses of work. Back in the day, it was seldom that middle-class service families discussed work-related topics in the evenings. It was even considered rude to an extent to discuss prospects of growth with colleagues outside of work. Could have just been our social circle, but that’s certainly how I formed my view of social relationships growing up.
So when I first started interning at age seventeen, that’s how I viewed relationships around me as well. I couldn’t get myself to ask people in my ‘personal circle’ for constructive inputs that could help me professionally. At the same time, I couldn’t socialize with my colleagues to the extent of asking for guidance or mentorship. It was just an awkward spot for me. I strongly held the belief that doing a job well was the only important thing and maintaining professional relationships at a safe distance was enough to be successful and have a fulfilled career. Developing relationships at social mixers a.k.a networking seemed superficial and unnecessary.
Fast forward five years, I’m in a new country 7000 miles away from home, with not a single known person around. August 2018 — at my business school’s orientation week, there were 100+ new faces who came from distinguished backgrounds and parts of the world that I didn’t know existed. Of course, it was overwhelming but I took some relief in the fact that we would only have to do it once before everyone got to know each other and then things settled. Alas, was I wrong!
See, I wasn’t just meeting new classmates or making some friends, I was building a new life. I knew zilch about this alien land, nothing — except that it looked like heaven and everyone was very, VERY nice. (Oh Canada!) I knew nothing about the culture, the customs, the jargons (moose on the loose…um wut?), the politics, the local sports, the traffic rules, the brands, the work ethic, the norms…. and the list goes on.
I had to learn how to build relationships because now if I need anything, there was no uncle who knew someone, or a best friend who knew someone, or a colleague who knew someone. I knew no one, and no one knew me. I had to practically learn how to walk again (figuratively speaking). Starting with a clean slate felt terrifying at first, but I soon realized how it was a blessing in disguise. I had never understood the importance of building and maintaining relationships, so now I had to figure out how to build social relationships in the midst of an intense business school schedule. So I tried to stop fighting my inhibitions, and start swimming with the tide.
That clear divide between personal, social and professional relationships I mentioned earlier, has started to blur. The way I look at networking has changed dramatically in the last eight months. It was never necessary for me to look outside of my existing circle of people for what others had to offer. But now, I can take this opportunity to meet new people with so much to offer. As an aspiring management consultant, it intrigues me greatly what motivates people to take that path. Is it the prestige, the glamour, the work itself, or something else? As an environmental advocate, I’m curious to know what drives people living in developed countries to fight for issues that do not affect their lives that drastically (..coming from a developing country with less than ideal conditions, there was more than enough to drive us). As someone who thrives on an ever-evolving sense of the world, I can’t wait to explore this completely new side of it.
I started off dreading networking, but now I can’t wait to get out there and explore all that’s beautiful and all that’s messed up. Because it gives me immense joy… notwithstanding the occasional jitters.
