In 2019, I went on an exchange program at The University of British Columbia.

One vivid memory from my first day of class still resonates with me today. An eager and impeccably dressed first-year student, donning a polished tie and sleek leather shoes, confidently walked into the classroom. He wasted no time making his way around the room, handing his phone to each of us and asking, "Hey, can I get your LinkedIn?"

That was probably my first culture shock in Canada. Everyone had a LinkedIn account. Everyone was “networking”, even in their first year.

According to Pi AI, “Networking” is the practice of cultivating meaningful relationships with others, both personally and professionally. By engaging with others and fostering connections, we create a robust network of individuals who can support our growth, provide valuable insights, and open doors to new opportunities.

_{Damn… I wish someone had told me this sooner} 😅😅

Before knowing what networking was — cultivating relationships that open doors to new (work) opportunities, I was networking solely because I was lonely.

19 year old Annie in a foreign land. I had no friend, and not even sure what I was doing there (classes from UBC turned out to be much much tougher than I had thought). To me, networking seemed like a way to make new friends and increase my social well-being.

Growing your circle of connections can bring you closer to finding your new best friend and make your life way happier overall!

While it's easy to think of networking as strictly professional, let's not overlook friendships started from shared classes, first day at work, or networking events. Building connections isn't just about advancing our careers; it's also about fostering meaningful relationships grounded in mutual support. Networking isn’t just about taking — it’s also about giving. This is the secret sauce behind an enriching relationship.

📄 True story: I reached out to 2 girls who sat behind me in my Business Technology class because I didn’t understand a single thing the professor was saying. Turned out, neither did they (lol). I passed the class with a low B, but a high A++ in making awesome friends during and after the exchange.

The biggest reason why I would hit someone up by cold emails or text message, is because I’m curious about them. Sometimes because I see we have something mutual, others because we have NOTHING in common.

I get super engrossed in people’s ideas, stories and opinions. Listening to their thought process keep me at the edge of my seat, inspiring me to relate back to my own experiences, and share back to them (again, networking is about both taking-and-giving). I truly believe this exchange of ideas and wisdom brings out creativity, problem-solving and innovation.

2 years ago this guy on LinkedIn sent me a message on LinkedIn. He just moved to Tokyo from Singapore and starting his first job as Product Manager. Seeing my LinkedIn profile, I was working in UXUI and building Japan Product Camp, he hit me up for coffee. We met 2 weeks later, spend 3 hours talking non-stop on Prioritization (as Product Managers), and walked away with a blog on how Product Management has changed our lives. (Definitely, give it a read).

New ideas can keep you growing professionally and trying new things. 💡

When I first decided to pursue User Experience Design, this also happened while I was on exchange. I didn’t even know what it meant to design “User Experience”. So I had to find people who knew what it was.

And I love Canada for this — there were so many opportunities to meet and find people. It just takes a quick coffee chat, or small talks at meetups and networking events. I learned a lot about UXUI as a profession, how people advance in their career, and where to get started.

The greatest part, is that “people-know-people”. Once you know someone, you can leverage that connection to know other people in your field of interest. And vice versa, you can introduce your connections, to your other connections.

The guy who DM-ed me on LinkedIn from before (Matthew) became a very very close PM friend. Every time we meet, Matthew teaches me something new about managing and scaling (AI) products, and I teach him about how to find+do meaningful work in and outside our full-time job (lol). We also connect each others with our own connections. Earlier this year, I introduced Matthew to my two other friends, who work in Data Analysis and Program Management. The four of us spent 5 hours together on our first meet. Crazy.

We hit it off so well that, after that day, we created a small LinkedIn group chat to share thought-provoking concepts from time to time.

Networking has brought more colors into my life. Meeting people from all walks of lives, doing all sorts of things, sharing all versions of their stories Some became mentors I look up to, many became life long friends. I will share the remaining keypoints “Why do we network?” in the next article.

Until then…. let’s take a recap

Take a moment to consider why networking matters to you. Jot down your thoughts and use them as a compass to guide your networking journey.

Happy networking!

Networking with purpose (NwP) is a series on building meaningful connections through intentional networking. Learn how to identify your goals, foster valuable relationships, and cultivate a value-adding network.