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[Career Foundations with Dan Gorgone]

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[Dan Gorgone] It would be wonderful to accomplish everything we wanted to on our own.

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Think of all the time we'd save. We wouldn't have to deal with terrible bosses,

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lousy commutes, corporate backstabbing, angry customers.

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There's a lot to love about working on your own.

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However, the reality of working in the tech industry is that learning to network is vital for staying current,

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improving your own skills, and sharing experiences.

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Networking is more than simply meeting and greeting

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or clicking the Follow button on a social network.

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The power behind networking is when you build real relationships and turn them into professional opportunities.

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Networking allows you to establish connections

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and learn about the path you want to take, such as meeting people with your desired job

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at an ideal company, or in the industry you'd like to be in.

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It can lead to introductions, invitations to events,

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and perhaps get your foot in the door when you see a promising job opening.

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[Jim Hoskins] Traditional sites I think—you know—the ones where you'll find all sorts of jobs?

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I haven't really looked very well. I'm sure there are plenty of them.

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But I find that web development is such—one of those markets where finding talent is so difficult for people,

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there's definitely more need than there are developers available,

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that they make a real effort to reach out—the companies do to find those developers, so

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they kind of come to where you are, so if you kind of just look around and find the job boards

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that seem to be popular in your area. But really I think it comes down to networks—

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like most of the time it comes down to knowing a friend, going to conferences and meeting people, 

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because that's where jobs first become available, is through the people who work there

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and reaching out to their networks and then it ends up on a board usually. 

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So the best jobs you'll find are through your network. 

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[Dan Gorgone] It's important to consider your options for where and when to network,

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as well as how to make to make the best impression and keep your connections active over time. 

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But recognize the difference between quantity and quality.

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Racking up hundreds of contacts online is nothing compared to the value of a group of strong,

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helpful, and engaging professional connections. 

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In this series of videos, we'll discuss how networking online and offline

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can lead to unique opportunities to move forward along your career path.