Why You Shouldn’t Network In College (or ever really)

[LevelUP]

If you actively try to network as a college student you will annoy people. It's obnoxious. And you will not gain much more than disdain for your efforts.

Networking works best when it is an arrangement of mutual benefit. If I work in the telecommunications industry, and you work in the Internet services industry, I would want to meet you. Your line of work is relevant to mine, it would serve me well to learn about what you do, and there are dozens of potential avenues in which our two companies might one day work together.

Now let's say that instead I work in the telecommunications industry, and you are a college student. I probably don't care about you. This is a pragmatic decision because there is no mutual benefit here. You want a job. There is no doubt of your goal. As a student there is really no other reason why you would be proactively trying to meet me, and quite frankly giving out jobs to recent graduates is not all that exciting.

An alternative to networking is building up your social status and reputation. Make people come to you.

[Pats20]

I never thought about it in that sense. I  just figured college students networked with other college students for future connections such as each other or his dad is this or that stuff. I didn’t think of it as college students trying to network with working professionals. Lol. I can see where that would be kind of annoying.

[bjcheung77]

Sometimes when networking doesn't work, it's best to better yourself, display your skill set by doing the job effectively and efficiently, help others when they are in need and people will know you're there to assist and help out, they'll remember you as the "helpful" one who assisted in situations. Acumen, ethics, politics in the office/work place, life, everywhere you're at, people will notice you and if you display great work, you'll be attractive and get noticed...