Persuasive Essay: Networking In High School

Words: 463
Pages: 2

Networking in High School

As children, we are told not to talk to strangers because nothing good comes from talking to mysterious men in trench coats. Yet as we grow up talking to strangers, while no less daunting becomes a necessary part of life. We call this act of talking to strangers “networking” and while we may want to avoid the topic all together, networking is an inevitable part of gaining career experience and you don’t have to wait until adulthood to start. This doesn’t mean you have to rub elbows at a fancy dinner part immediately. Instead there are small steps which you can take to find valuable college, internship or work experiences. While it may feel harder to network while in high school, it is not impossible. Here are some tips for networking as a high schooler:
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Talk to your teachers, especially if they specialize in the field you are interested in. They may have valuable resources to share, but you have to let them know you are interested. They may even know someone in your interest field who you can job-shadow or intern with. Your guidance counselor probably has a lot of information on scholarships or volunteer opportunities you wouldn’t normally know about. You just have to ask. Even if the person doesn’t have a specific opportunity for you, they may have some wisdom they can impart.
Another way to network is to seek out people in careers you want, then talk to them. Set up a time to meet them, or ask to pick their brain over coffee. This is a great way to talk to someone about what they do and get advice from someone in the industry. Often people are more than willing to talk about their careers if it’s something they are passionate about. While calling or emailing something out of the blue seems incredibly daunting, the more you do it the more confidence you’ll