“…and plenty of time for networking!” This was in the description of an event I went to a few weeks ago, one that made me cringe. I hate networking. People get really excited about it, the chance to meet others who could, maybe, further their career at some point. Maybe if I had a clear an idea of what I wanted to do in life, I would appreciate networking, but I don’t.

So far, internships, education, and actual experience have given me a leg up in life, and I’ve been successful with getting work in radio and social media. Heck, I am diving deeper into all that is communication in grad school so that I can add that to my resume in case whatever I want to do requires a master’s.

I find networking to be forced. You put me in a room with a bunch of people I don’t know and I feel awkward. “Hi. I’m Jenna. What do you do? Can you get me a job?” Then there are awkward pauses where I want to whistle and ask inappropriate questions to fill the silence. Not to mention, I get really clammy hands so I have to explain that before shaking someone else’s because, you know, they’re going to notice. Plus the fact that when people ask me what I want to do when I graduate, and I tell them I have no idea yet, they look disappointed. Like they had life figured out by 26. Pshhhh.

I like to believe that if I keep getting experience and I am good at what I am doing, then maybe I can get by without the awkward circus that is networking.

It seems to be working so far. I think…