Hello everyone! On October 5th I went to my first networking event, HomCOMing, which was held in the Science Hall. This event was presented by the communication department and was held for all majors within the department. The way the event was set up was there were tables with different career paths labeled on them. At each table, there was someone who worked in that field. Going into the event I was nervous, I have never been to an event like this, and I didn’t know how it was going to play out. As time passed, I found myself talking to a group and learning many new things about the media field such as how a news channel operates behind the scenes. After speaking with this group for a while, we got separated and I found myself wandering around, keeping to myself, and not really meeting anyone else. This was a mistake on my part because the amount of time I spent by myself, I could have been meeting someone else. Going forward, I know to get out of my comfort zone and start a conversation. To be honest, the event was pretty overwhelming and stressful; however, what helped calmed my nerves was knowing that everyone is there to speak and network with each other, and no one is there to judge.

My experience overall was a really good learning opportunity for future events. I now have a grasp on what works and what doesn’t, and how to make the most of my time at these events.