Bobby Umar, P. Eng, MBA, Raeallan, Toronto, ON, CYBF Mentor
If there is one thing I wish I had done better during my youth it is networking. I know now how powerful a strong network of contacts is in business and life. If I truly understood that back then, there are many things I probably would have done differently when I was growing up. Here are some of the interesting opportunities for growth and networking I would have gone for…
HIGH SCHOOL
This may have helped me win the student election I ran in.
UNIVERSITY
This may have helped me have an easier time of finding summer jobs and get the support I needed from professors and TAs to perform better in some classes.
SUMMER JOBS
POST-GRADUATION
This may have helped me find the right job with the right fit sooner, given me the motivation I needed to leave my unfulfilling engineering job and start my musical theatre company sooner.
POST-MBA
This may have helped me get more job offers or opportunities.
Despite the above missed opportunities, I consider my youth one of the best times of my life! I never knew back then how important networking really is. I have no regrets at all, but have learned a lot along the way.
Today, networking is fundamental to how I run my business and how I create relationships. It has driven over 80% of my income the past five years since I started my company. I love networking because it has provided so many amazing opportunities and I learn something each day with every connection. Networking is something we can all use, we all need and we can all improve upon.
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