Networking Matters

I’m an introvert, and I know many of you reading this may relate. For most of my tech journey, I believed that keeping my head down, studying hard, mastering the fundamentals, and building projects would be enough to land me a role in tech. And to some extent, that strategy worked. But eventually, I hit a wall.

I realized that if I wanted this improbable dream to become a reality, I needed to step outside my comfort zone. I had to put myself out there.

At first, I resisted. The fear of rejection was overwhelming—what if people judged me? What if reaching out made no difference? But eventually, I pushed past those doubts and sent my first message to a recruiter. It went something like this:

This was my first actual message to a recruiter. Is it perfect? No. It lacked a lot of critical information—my resume, my skills, and my reasons for being interested in the role. But you know what? I was proud of it. That message represented a huge step: overcoming my anxiety and taking action.

And it was even with Nike.

I went big!

But that is the point. No matter who it is, you deserve to put your hat in the ring. And by introducing myself, I gave myself a chance. The recruiter didn’t respond, but still, it broke the anxiety and stress I felt about connecting with someone.

And it was only up from there.

I got better at messaging and introducing myself and eventually, I got a job because of my continued networking.

If you are on the fence about networking, just do it. You only need one “yes.” Take the leap—you’ll be surprised by what happens when you give yourself a chance.