Most people think about their network
the week they need a job.
That's the worst time to start.
A network built in a panic
feels like exactly what it is:
transactional, hungry, one-directional.
The real thing is built slowly,
years before you need it,
when you have nothing to ask for.
You help someone debug a thing.
You make an introduction.
You remember what people are working on
and check in for no reason.
Then, the day you do need something,
you're not cold-messaging strangers.
You're asking friends.
A network isn't people who owe you.
It's people who are glad to hear from you.
Plant it early. Water it when it's not raining.
– Asael Shinder
