"Speed Networking"

Ten to twelve students huddled attentively around a speaker, hanging on his every word. What do you suppose is going on? Well, these students are networking. And I am most likely one of them.  Over the years I have found myself hearing the words "networking" and "network" more frequently. Everywhere I go I am bombarded with messages of strengthening my social, professional and global networks. This is especially true in the business community, where at times everything seems to depend on who you know. As a business student, I have sat in many classrooms where networking has been the subject of discussion. These discussions are more like lectures about the vital importance of building a strong network, which will ultimately further  my or any student's career.


For myself the idea of networking has been taken to a whole new inconceivable level because of the rigorous job search process I face as a cooperative education student. The process involves going to information sessions and  "networking" events held to help students connect to prestigious employers. I like to think of these events as being synonymous to speed dating. You try to gather as much information about the person or company as possible in the short span of time, while also trying desperately to leave a favorable impression. You are speed networking.  At these events networking takes on a somewhat aggressive meaning due to the incredibly low ratio of about 40 company personnel to 350 students. It is not uncommon to find ten to twelve students crowded around one company personnel, who is going on incessantly about how company XYZ is the perfect place to build a career. Students listen eagerly while waiting for the opportunity to say something absolutely brilliant or ask the genius question they've prepared for days. All this in hopes of leaving a memorable impression.Students endure many of hours of small talk to person after person asking the same rehearsed questions,collecting business cards and acting interested as they hear the same generic answers in the same dull and uncharismatic tone. When one conversation ends, another begins with the same old process of showing interest, saying a brilliant comment and hopefully leaving a favorable impression. However, there are a few times where students do end up talking to some very interesting people, whose eyes glimmer with passion as they talk about their jobs. Though rare, it is these people who make the "networking" process bearable and at times enjoyable. After each networking event comes the internal struggle within every student of whether or not to take networking to the next step by emailing the company personnel they've met. This process of "speed networking" although very tiresome and not very effective in teaching students how to build actual networks, is a kick start in the creation of a student's professional and global network. As students collect business card after business card, they all pile up as memorabilia of the event's they've attended ,as a measure of their "networking" skills and as a measure of the network they could possibly have in the future.

Looking at Familiar things in an Unfamiliar Way

Looking at familiar things in a unfamiliar way to gain new perspective is something I don't do very often. I find not many people actually practice this.When I am around something and become accustomed to it, I don't pay much attention to it otherwise. For example Hub mall. I have walked up and down the narrow paths of this mall hundreds of times since 2008, my first year at the University of Alberta. Back and forth from the lrt to class and class back to the lrt, but most of the time I can honestly say I am in my own little bubble. Too tired to care about what is happening around me, to angry or frustrated because of a midterm I just wrote or even just too excited to go meet up with friends. Today, however I sat in the Rutherford Lounge of hub mall for about forty minutes or so, hoping something interesting would catch my eye. Honestly, nothing distinct popped at me. I can say however, that I did notice more of the colorful personalized windows of the hub mall apartments. Rows of bottles lined up against windows, a Canadian flag hung up in an act of patriotism and posters of favorite movies like the Inglorious Bastards. I also noticed a girl on her phone walking towards me. There is obviously nothing special about this, but the girl was different because unlike most people calmly having conversations on their phones, she was absolutely frantic and visibly upset.Her voice elevated, arms flailing with passionate expression. You could tell she was adamant about making her point to the person on the other end. As she walked towards me all I could picture was a boy just as frustrated and adamant the other end of the line. The passion with which she was arguing seemed like that reserved for a quarrel between lovers. And as she  finally passed by me still arguing vehemently all I could think was that hopefully her efforts and passion results in a desired resolution.

Another thing that caught my eye and would any other living and breathing human being walking through hub was the reporter and camera man stopping people for interviews. As people walked by, the reporter would approach them with a question but even from a distance you could feel the apprehension and tension in the student's demeanour. As is the reality of Today most people are scared of saying anything on camera or being recorded because of such phenomenons as the internet, facebook and possibility of going viral. One of the students who stopped to get interviewed was a former high school classmate of mine. It is interesting to see people you haven't seen in a long time, they are familiar faces that have become unfamiliar overtime. It parallels seeing familiar things in an unfamiliar way. He looks pretty much the same but with an unfamiliar aura of maturity around him. You could say the scruffy beard he now has could easily be the reason. I haven't talked to him in years but our paths do occasionally cross in the o so familiar hub mall.

Today nothing too exciting caught my attention but tomorrow I'll be sure to keep my eye out for more of the unfamiliar.