Class of 2013

       As I am graduating in the class of 2013, there is one thing that I continually notice between my friends who went to college in a small college town verse those who went to school in a major metropolitan area. The kids who went to school in a city are much more connected, and their networks dwarf those of kids in small college towns. Starting to network after you graduate already puts you behind the curve, and with all this talk in the news about how your network equals your net worth. It is imperative that college students start networking from day 1 as a freshman. If you were savvy enough, you would have started in high school.
       Yes, you may have gone to a university in the middle of nowhere and scored that epic summer internship in a big city, but that only leaves you with the summer to network in the area where your position is. Imagine if you could network all year and develop those connections into relationships, you could almost guarantee yourself a job.
      Considering the most common thing successful people have in common is the size of their vast networks. Not only are their networks large, but also they know exactly who to contact in certain situations. Building a network like this takes time, and in my opinion is much harder to do in a small college town in the middle of nowhere.
      Looking at this ultra competitive job environment we live in, your network is the biggest asset you have. I have read countless articles the past few weeks telling me how useless your GPA is and how no one cares where you went to school. In my short experience, this could never be truer. People want to see your experience, what value you will add to a company, and most importantly can you get the job done. In my opinion, the world has already shifted to a point where a traditional education is almost completely obsolete with a few exceptions concerning the more technical fields. Yes college is an ideal place to develop social skills, but even more importantly it is a breeding ground where you can build a top-notch network. I suggest more students reach out to their classmates about their background and their career goals. Trust me you will quickly realize who has similar ambitions.
       This may be an extreme point of view, but I think it is imperative for kids to pick a college located where a certain industry is located. This gives students the ability to easily attend the countless number of networking events held weekly in these areas. People are very receptive to talking to young students about their ideas and ambitions, and in most cases more than willing to help out. For example, kids wanting to enter the tech space, it would be advantageous to go to school in San Francisco, finance in New York, hospitality in Las Vegas, and etc. the list goes on.
Taking from my own experience, I recently graduated from the University of San Diego, and I can honestly say I would not be in the position I am with my start up real estate tech company without the networking opportunities San Diego has offered. Not only has San Diego been a great place to grow my network, but also it has offered great incites to the industry I am in, connections throughout the country, and the ability to meet other like minded college students.
      I mean Southern California is one of the strongest consumer markets in the country, if not the world. Not to be an advocate for Southern California, but it makes a lot of sense to go to school in an area where you could see yourself wanting to live and work. It is all about who you know.