How Do You Think Young People Can Network Better?

One thing they never told us back in Uni was how to maximise networking well enough in our social circle for career advancement, Ahmadu Bello University amongst a few, seems to be only higher level institution in my opinion that has utilized career networking to the fullest , ensuring every ex student of theirs is pushed to the top of their careers. You see them everywhere from ex ministers to governors to directors in federal government parastalls. That is to say, there must be something aside academia that is being instilled in Ahmadu Bello University students that makes them strive for excellence outside the four walls of the university.

I would like to trim my focus of Gen-Z and Millennials as to how we can do better in this regard. I went to a good private school both for High school and University, and i can tell you for a fact that i only maintain decent relationship with a few of my ex classmates and this is partly because some silly reasons some still hold dear to their hearts, ego, malice to name a few. Even when i was in high school i never got along with all of my classmate even though i feel some of them behave obnoxious, silly and arrogant. University wasn't any different a lot of boys in my class never really mingled with any of our classmates even when i reach out to some of my friends and ask if they heard from any of our ex classmates, they say aside from me, they haven't heard from anyone else. I have also tried reaching to classmates i haven't heard from and the experience left a sour taste in my mouth because some of them feel you are practically doing too much. While this are situations that i have experienced, this is not far fetched from what a lot of my friends in my circle have experienced too.

One important lesson i learnt from networking with people is that it can plug you into a plethora of opportunities you may never have taught of. I made my first million supplying Agro allied by reaching out to someone who kept telling me "NO" more than 3 times and when i wen to him the fourth, he taught to the A to Z of the trade. A friend of my dad who worked in cooperate finance as a mid level staff got to work with people installing mast in eastern Nigeria by just reaching out to a friend back in high school, today as i speak, he got built his mansion under 3 months which was worth about N70m. I

Opportunities abound around us dear young people, but if we can put ego aside and be willing to work as part of something that brings value, regardless of whether we get credit for it or not. One other lesson young should also try and imbibe is that we may at certain point in our lives drop the "Solo" mentality of me doing it by myself and no help needed and be willing to join forces to bring a business or idea to life. Financing a business these days is tough work, and we should be willing to join our resources with others to bring a business into life. A lot of young people also need to create the "atmosphere to be accessible", the wrong attitude can fend people off of your because they may find your attitude too toxic for them.

source http://www.nairaland.com/6677776/how-think-young-people-network