I don't understand networking

[random_soldier1337]

I might have caught on wrong or maybe its just a thing in nuclear engineering but from what I understand from some of the answers I've gotten along with mostly what I have seen at the few conferences I have been to, it will entail all that to fair degree, if not completely, which I am personally not too comfortable with. Of course the corollary seems to come then that the networking is purely business and not personal at all which I am even less familiar with and have no idea how comfortable I am with whatever is done in that.

[Phi for All]

9 hours ago, random_soldier1337 said:

I think my time would be better spent honing my core skills. Networking seems more chance based than that and I haven't quite gotten a particularly motivational answer to make me seek a more active role in it than what I have described.

I asked you about your brand, what you want to do, where you want to go, how you want to be known, in order to more sharply focus your efforts to get there. I don't hear you talking about any of that, so it's difficult to know what might motivate you. IF you thought more about an eventual, specific goal to work towards, you might better be able to see how networking could help (or not). How can we get get you excited about who you'll meet on the trip when you don't know where you want to go?

If your goal is to learn as much about nuclear engineering so you can start your own company, then you could try to network with other entrepreneurs to learn that side of the business. Other networks might lead you to your best employees, and still others will show you how to keep your industry knowledge current. 

Perhaps your current company has a management track you're interested in. Which position do you see yourself in and why? Maybe finding an executive mentor is the best way to go. Someone you could approach and say, "I think I could be the best X this company has ever had, and I'd like your advice on the best way to work towards that position". A mentor could suggest more effective networking opportunities if you had a specific job in mind.

Maybe your brand is to be the health and safety specialist everyone looks to when it comes to engineering in the nuclear industry. In that case, you're looking for completely different people to network with, and you want to make sure everything you do and say helps build the perception that you're the trusted expert in professional nuclear engineering protocols.

You need a goal for networking, otherwise it's just collecting cards.