<p>Hello, I am a 19 year old Industrial Engineering student. This summer I will be back home in New Jersey and have been thinking about going to a boatload of networking events in New York. I have a sister who just got a job in NYC and will be moving there so I could probably crash at her place on the weekends. I want to start my own business one day and am looking for all advice possible. I would also like to get a job on the east coast (currently in school in midwest).</p>
<p>Would going to these events help me get where I want to go? Has anyone ever been to them? Are they just a waste of time? Most of the events are free btw. [Besides my bus tickets/gas money]</p>
<p>You could certainly go to some. Another idea is to use LinkedIn if you aren’t already. Link to older students you know who have graduated, anyone you might know from any internship experiences you have, parents of friends who work in related fields, anyone you have an informational interview with, etc. Do you have a job this summer? Interning or a summer job in a related field would do you a lot more good than attending networking events. Honestly… a lot of the people at those events don’t have jobs and are looking for them. And your contact will be superficial, so might not do much good in the long run. An effective network is made up of people who know who you are, not someone you exchanged business cards with at an event (unless you made a true connection at an event over some common area of technical interest – like the guy I met one time who had written the code on a computer system I was trying to move data off of!).</p>
<p>@intparent Yes I had 3 job offers for the summer but I have to take summer classes. SO ill probably be working part time doing stock or something. I do network but most of the people from my school go to work in the west or midwest. I want to go back home after I graduate and live in the tri-state region. So it is very difficult for me to talk to any employers from the Northeast since the only employers who come to my school are based in the midwest/southwest/west</p>
<p>Why do you have to take summer classes? Sounds like initially you planned to work (or you wouldn’t have applied for the jobs to start with). And… do you have a LinkedIn account? If not, start one now. You never know if someone you link with will move to the Northeast later. Just start now… you won’t be sorry if you do. It is free, and easy. And it isn’t like Facebook – these are not “friends”, they are professional contacts.</p>
<p>@intparent Yes well I had 2 career fairs that I went to and I got interviews. It was my first time going so I just wanted the experience. I have to take classes because I have to catch up in my curriculum. I have a LinkedIn account as well. I was was just saying many of my peers here will go on to work in the west. I would just like to be back home.</p>