Post 6 - Networking

Texas A&M University has a long, rich history of traditions. Among them are the Aggie senior ring, which students obtain in the fall of their senior year. Students wear them with reverent pride; it is a physical representation of the shared experience of attending Texas A&M.

Graduates are also enrolled permanently into the Alumni Organization, commonly referred to as the Aggie Network. Networking was a skill very strongly stressed to students, and I didn't realize how important it would be until after I had graduated and moved away.

Former students quickly look for the distinctive ring on the hands of other graduates, and immediately there is a common ground for conversation. I've met a former student, class of 1944. His Aggie ring was so worn with age that some of the defining features were no longer recognizable. But, we had something in common and a basis for beginning a conversation, which eventually led me to a friend of his whos son was an employee of a district that had a job opening...

Social networking is similar, only now it is easier than before to find these links that were once hidden. Being open to networking and visible in networks such as facebook can increase the likelihood of making a connection that is mutually beneficial. So far I have only connected with former classmates and my family members, but through their pages I have been able to find OTHER classmates, some of whom I havent spoken with in almost ten years. There is a great deal of potential here if we are willing to use the tools.