The Growing Importance of Networking both On and Offline

This past week has been especially enlightening.  I've had the extreme pleasure of meeting with several brilliant individuals to discuss their career paths as well as current projects on which they are working.  It is only through networking that I was able to have these experiences. It is almost a "pay-it-forward" situation.  It feels great to be connected with like-minded individuals and generates a positive inertia to introduce others within my personal network who they may learn from. 

With the growth of LinkedIn as well as other outlets of the social media community it is pertinent to connect with people once you've had contact with them so that in the future either party is able to reach out whether it be to reconnect, discuss business opportunities or seek advice.  There are many colleagues of mine both from past places of employment and business school with whom I may have lost contact if it weren't for the channels available today.

With that said, the face-to-face interaction has not lost its importance in my opinion.  I believe it to be far better to get a true impression of someone when they are present versus an online introduction via email correspondence.  Once the connection has been made, the preservation of that relationship is more easily maintained through the social media channels.

Moving forward in the weeks to come, I strive to set up additional meetings with new connections not only to discuss full-time opportunities, but also career experiences.  At this juncture on my journey I am thankful for all advice others have to offer based upon what they've seen and learned throughout their careers.