06/02

Importance of Networking: Inside and Outside the Classroom

Why Network?
They say one of the best assets in job searching is a broad network of qualified and professional individuals. Higher education is important in finding employment–and the pay off for overall earnings is excellent. Those who earn a bachelor’s degree will earn an average of 2.27 million dollars over their lifetime–nearly a million dollars more than those with only a high school education. However, most experts agree that simply earning the degree may not be enough. In a survey of over 3,000 individuals employed in management and accounting, nearly 85% said that they received their job through networking. In today’s competitive employment market, it’s who you know that will open up endless possibilities in career, and possibly lead you to a dream job.

As undergraduate students looking towards the future, expanding your network of professionals, professors, students, and future employers is the focus of their remaining year in school. MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), as we know them, are not equipped with the same networking opportunities that the traditional university experience offers. The iQ Social platform, however, has revolutionized the online university. Not only does the iQ Social platform allow for student networking, but it may offer more opportunities than the traditional university.

Connecting with classmates
Sometimes some of the best connections you can make are with your own classmates. Get to know classmates both from within your field of study and outside of your major. iQ social platforms allow for students to post questions onto their online class, and the system will automatically make recommendations to experts based on the subject. Students can, within seconds, get connected with some of the top undergraduate experts in their field of interest, ask them questions, and set up video conference. By establishing these critical links early within their university, students may keep life long connections that can further their career, interest in a field, and understanding of material.

Share content with networks
Students create their original content, and it’s part of who they are. Whether this be through a research project, a capstone paper, an infographic, or a promotional video, their work is valuable and future employers want to see it. iQ social platforms allow for students to share their own content, (or content that interests them) with their entire class, club page, and university community. Individuals can now build their own profile that illustrates who they are as a person, what their interests are, their ability to create content, and their own original ideas.

Clubs and Groups
Get direct connections with the individuals who are interested in the same field as you and get constant access to new information about employment, events, professional panels, information sessions, and internships. Students interested in physical therapy, for example, can join a pre-physical therapy club online. Pre-PT students can gain access to information about the medical field and make friends who are also interested in physical therapy. Students organize events online (for in-person events or virtual events) for collaboration and networking, and invite as many students who would be interested.

Don’t limit students by their coordinates
Online students gain access to the same opportunities as traditional students, except these students can gain this information at any time, any point, and without geographical limitations. Finally, students can network face-to-face and virtually without being contained by location. Online students now have the largest, broadest, and most diverse networks of all time, opening up windows to countless opportunities to research, academia, and employment.

Let’s keep learning social.