Alaina G. Levine - The Science of Networking

1. Chapter 2
2. Chapter 3
3. Chapter 4

Alaina G. Levine

Copyright 2015 by JohnWiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved

Published by JohnWiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Levine, Alaina G.
Networking for nerds : find, access and land hidden game-changing career opportunities everywhere / by Alaina G. Levine.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-118-66358-5 (pbk.)
1. Business networks. 2. Career development. I. Title.
HD69.S8L475 2015
650.13.dc23

2014049388

This book is dedicated to my mother, Susan Levine, who taught me to always look for, seek out and ask for opportunities, no matter the perceived obstacle, and whose love and confidence in my abilities has helped me achieve my wildest dreams; and to my brother Joshua Levine, whose support, love, and laughter has ensured I remain sane along our road together.

Alaina G. Levine is a Networking Ninja. Ive learned a lot from her that has helpedme get where I amtoday, and if you follow even half the advice in this book, youll be networking better than most scientists Ive met. Youll immediately see direct, tangible benefits for your career.

Dr. Kevin B. Marvel
Executive Officer
American Astronomical Society

If you want a great job, if you want to forge new professional connections, youll need to network. Anxious about getting started? Dont be. Once youve read Alaina G. Levines new guide, youll discover that networking is natural, effective and even fun!

Charles Day
Online Editor
Physics Today

This wonderful book is for both those who are new to networking and those who are seasoned networkers. You will learn novel techniques to help you navigate and succeed in the professional world and open your eyes to new career directions. It provides a down-to-earth, common sense approach to networking and will ultimately help you achieve your career goals. I highly recommend Networking for Nerds!

Michelle Horton, CMP
Director of Administration and Meetings
Ecological Society of America

Alaina G. Levine has provided thousands of AGUs student and early career members with invaluable advice during her webinars, workshops, and one-on-one consultations. With the release of Networking for Nerds, scientists around the world will have access to Alainas real-world experience and expertise in the comfort of their own homes and offices.

Chris McEntee
Executive Director/CEO
American Geophysical Union

To many budding researchers the thought of networking brings about visions of unsavory representations in smoke-filled rooms of prostituting ones scientific ideals to get ahead in the world. My experience is that networking is instead the essence of scientific progress, and should be embraced as one of the reasons why we choose to do research as a career.

The author and Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt, Copenhagen, 2014.

Humanity is a small part of a small planet, which is only 1 of 100 billion planets in our own galaxy, the Milky Way, which itself is only 1 of 100s of billions of galaxies in the visible universe. Yet, through the scientific process, over the past 400 years we have managed to build a comprehensive understanding of the cosmos from the sub-atomic particles that make up normal matter, to the universe on its largest scales. We are insignificant, yet our knowledge is able to explain the vast scales of the universe from the first few moments after the Big Bang to its current state 13.8 billion years later. This knowledge has been gained by building on the toils of previous generations of scientists, working sometimes competitively, but always collectively, towards furthering knowledge. Networking is all about the connections that enable science to progress.

While many of us might like to work on problems in isolation, ask yourself: If I make a discovery and shout it out into an empty forest, and no one hears it, have I made a discovery at all? You of course have, but humanity has not it is only by sharing what you have learned that science benefits.