[jedberg]

> Which advice did/would have helped you landing your first job after university?

Every job I've ever gotten was through friends. Including my first job.

I got my first job because one of my college friends got a job and recommended me. I got my second job because one of my college friends recommended me for it, after we worked together at the first job, which I helped him get. I got my fourth job because one of my friends from my second job worked there and vouched for me. (My third job was with a startup where I just approached the founders and told them I want to work there, and they said not right now, but we became friends and eventually they hired me when they had money).

Now most importantly, all of these college friends were made while working in technology positions in college.

My point is, it's never too early to start building your network. Make friends with people in the same career track now, show them how good you are at your job, return the favor when you're in a position to help them, and then reap the benefits throughout your life (not to mention the bonus of lifelong friendships).

[mkolodny]

I felt a lot more comfortable about the idea of "networking" once I started thinking of it as "making friends with people".

When I first tried networking, I thought that I was supposed to help other people, and then ask those people for favors. To me, that felt really unnatural. It felt like we were just using each other.

Now I see that my friends are the people who help me the most. They're people who I care about, and who care about me. So when people tell you to "network", I would just translate what they're saying as "go make friends".