“Ma’am, I’m still a student. Why would a professional want to connect with me?”

I hear this question quite often.

And I usually respond: “Because you are not asking for a job. You are beginning a conversation.”

Somewhere along the way, we have turned networking into a numbers game.

How many LinkedIn connections do you have?
How many senior professionals do you know?
How many business cards have you collected?

But networking was never meant to be a collection exercise.

A network is not a list of people. It is a web of relationships.

For a college student, networking can begin very simply—with curiosity.

Ask an alumnus, “What skill helped you most in your first job?”

Ask a professional, “If you were a student today, what would you learn differently?”

Ask a senior, “How did you get your first opportunity?”

These questions don’t ask for a favour. They ask for wisdom.

A student who put networking into practice

Consider the experience of Supritha Harishankar, an ECE student at NITK Surathkal.

While searching for internships, she came across a Product Management opportunity at KorrAI, a Canadian startup working with AI and geospatial imagery.

She applied.

But she didn’t stop there.

She found the company’s founder on LinkedIn and sent a personalised connection request.

They connected.

A few weeks later, the founder viewed her profile and reached out for an interview. Supritha spoke about her college experiences, including her work with Team IRIS. The conversation eventually resulted in an internship offer.

What I find particularly interesting is what happened before the opportunity.

There was no mass sending of connection requests. No “Please give me an internship” message.

There was simply a thoughtful approach: identify the right person, introduce yourself meaningfully and start a genuine conversation.

Her advice to students was equally practical—begin with people you already know, including friends, seniors and alumni, and gradually connect with professionals in areas you aspire to enter. Quality matters more than quantity.

So, how can students network better?

Start before you need something.
Don’t wait until final year to suddenly build a professional network.

Use LinkedIn to learn, not just to collect connections.
Follow professionals. Read their journeys. Understand what your industry actually looks like.

Ask questions, not favours.
Instead of “Can you get me an internship?”, try “Could you suggest one skill I should develop if I want to enter this field?”

Stay connected.
A connection made today may become a mentor, colleague, collaborator or friend years later.

And most importantly:

Don’t try to become someone who knows everyone. Become someone worth knowing.

The student who listens well, asks intelligent questions, learns continuously and contributes meaningfully will naturally build a stronger network.

So, students, don’t wait for the day you need an opportunity.

Build relationships while you are learning.

Because when the opportunity finally arrives, you shouldn’t be starting from zero.

Beyond the Classroom

Reflections on education, life and the world around us.

— Dr. Uthira D
Principal, Hindustan College of Arts and Science