The One Thing I’d Do Over In College

an acutal candid of liam studying for a finance course at penn state behrend

After a gap year working for two companies in Brazil, helping launch a video production business, learning how to be a freelancer, and finishing college, there’s one thing I learned that has noticeably changed my life and led to much of the success I’ve had thus far.

That one thing, as cliche as it is, is that: It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

Everyone hears this a few times throughout their life and shrugs it off, but they shouldn't. Without a doubt, every superstar, every millionaire, and every person that has worked for what they have got there in part by knowing people. The best part about getting to know people is that it’s wildly exciting. Meeting new people, hearing their stories, learning from their experiences, and converting strangers into friends is one of life’s simple joys and an investment that tremendously compounds over time.

It’s foundational to a successful life - in practically any endeavor that you pursue. The term “Networking” as most corporate people would describe it has definitely removed some of the beauty of it. Networking to most is transactional in some way and lacks genuine interest for the other party. This is not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about cultivating a curiosity in meeting new people, learning about their stories, and then keeping them in mind, in case you have the chance to help them in whatever way. Generally, that’s just introducing them to someone else you know who might be better suited to support them in their goal.

Getting to know people was one of Drew Whiting’s superpowers throughout college and into his career as a venture capital attorney. His success building his law firm right out of college and leading to being the CEO of the Erie Downtown Development Corporation can certianly be attributed in part to his knack for networking. He dives into this in his episode of Radius Coffee Talk. Check it out on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

I accidentally started doing this after my first year in college. I didn’t know what to do at the time, so I decided to get some experience in the real world. I leaned on my friends and family in Brazil, my “inherited network” of sorts, to find a company that would take me as an unpaid intern. During my time there I was surrounded by people 10-20 years older than me. I was lucky enough to attend some networking events and lunches with my bosses and started to notice that these successful people were pretty social.

Fast forward to returning to the US, my partners and I re-launched our video production company in 2020. Then in 2021, we joined Radius, my city’s coworking space. At this point, I’m a sophomore in college, and now I’m surrounded by some of Erie’s top freelancers, entrepreneurs, and professionals working remotely. I started meeting people in the space, setting up coffee dates, grabbing lunches, and getting connected in the community.

This eventually led to me closing some of the biggest deals for my video production business, significantly supporting our fundraising efforts for films and events, getting freelance contracts to build websites, learning how to do real estate photography, and getting hired to work for Radius part-time as a community organizer. Now, whenever I’m working on a problem, need to connect with someone at a company I’m applying to, or just need to find a knowledgeable mentor to chat with, I have someone who can help in the room with me, or just a Slack DM or email away.

So, if I could do over one thing in college, it would be to start growing my network earlier. Getting myself in the room with people who are older, more experienced, and more networked is what enabled me to learn and grow quicker than I otherwise would have. Once you’re in the room, you need to ask questions, invite people to coffee or lunch, and just focus on building a connection with them. Some easy ways to start are to ask someone about what they’re good at, or what they can talk about for hours on end. Then, sharing some of your story and looking for commonalities or interesting differences can make for a great first conversation. College students are incredibly advantaged in the fact that they’re young, and everyone’s been where they are in some way.

This is what sparked my interest in building a student membership at Radius CoWork. To provide more opportunities for networking and also to help students learn how to network. I sincerely believe that this skill will prove to be most people’s most worthwhile investment over the long term, and the only way to improve it is to do it.

Learn more about our Student Membership.