Sometimes it's just about knowing how to start.

I can confidently say that the most useful class I have taken at UNC thus far is NSCI 326: Career Networking and Development in Neuroscience. As a naive freshman coming to college in 2020, I was baffled by how all the students I was surrounded by had secured opportunities and found their niche at Carolina. It seemed so easy for others, but I did not even know where to start looking.

I began applying for any opportunities (some that I was not even that interested in) that crossed my path. I faced failure after failure. I remember applying to be a tour guide on campus and getting rejected. In retrospect, I am glad I did not receive this position because I am not well-suited for that job, but it really felt like yet another punch to the gut in the mess that was my freshman year during the pandemic. I joined random clubs, but failed to really get inspired by any of them.

In NSCI 326 we have learned effective networking strategies. The number one takeaway I have gotten from this class is the power of informational interviewing. This was not something I had even heard of before, let alone know how to do. Yet, as the semester comes to a close, informational interviewing has already uncovered opportunities that excite me more than anything else I have done during my time at Carolina.

Rather than blindly applying for roles in jobs or clubs sent to me in the UNC listservs, I can now take control of my future. By intentionally seeking out individuals who do work in areas that I am passionate about and having personal conversations, so many doors can be opened. In one conversation I had with an individual who shares my intersectional interests in neuroscience and entrepreneurship, I learned about start-ups looking for student help. In another conversation with a graduate student studying my research interest area, I received a research assistantship on a project that truly excites me.

I have found that people are more willing to help and get to know you than you think! All it takes is that initial leap.

Learn more about informational interviewing here: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/what-to-expect-in-informational-interview