Networking

I have written previously about my distaste for the idea of ‘networking’. No matter how many times people tell you that it is key to establishing yourself within a career, I find the process so artificial and ultimately painful that I will often do anything to avoid it.

However, I started my PhD this year and, due to the pandemic, have been largely unable to meet or chat to anyone with whom I could share stories. So when an academic in my field from the University of Queensland reached out after having seen a comment I posted on one of his twitter posts, I figured I should take up his offer of a zoom to chat about my PhD and academic in general.

I always find myself getting a bit anxious any time I have to verbally communicate about my work – for whatever reason I am perfectly comfortable communicating ideas and opinions in written form (such as these blogs), but clam up and panic when I need to speak them into the world.

Fortunately, the man in question was very laid back and put me at ease very quickly by telling some irreverent stories about his PhD experience, which, by the sounds of it, was much more negative and chaotic than mine has been so far! He assured me that it is perfectly normal to feel a little lost at sea, not just at the start of your PhD but indeed throughout, and that the main thing is to do the work and eventually, if you take opportunities, particularly those that make you a bit nervous, things will fall into place.

He also told me of a small group of scholars in Australia within the Political Science field who focus on political parties, elections and participation and invited me to participate online in their activities and to travel to conferences to meet them. I am excited at the idea of a cohort of like-minded people and, thanks to one short chat, am now motivated and much more comfortable to get involved and hopefully, make some great friends and enhance my career while I’m at it.