"It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Know"

           There is a famous saying out there that states, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” I never really realized the reality of that statement until I came to D.C. In five short weeks, I have found that who you know dictates the opportunities presented to you. The most important part of the idea of "who you know" is the idea of networking.

           Getting to know people here is treated like a sacred art. Networking is sometimes portrayed as this intricate skill that one must master to survive. The way it was described to me here in D.C. on the first couple days honestly intimidated me. But, I found networking isn’t quite as difficult as described and it’s not something that needs all the hype it gets. For me, I have found that just by talking to people, you can form great relationships and create excellent opportunities.

            As I got into the nitty gritty of D.C. life, I found the more people I simply had a conversation with, the more opportunities became available. By becoming friends with people in my WAIP program, I now have opportunities such as taking a VIP tour of the West Wing. Through talking with my mentor, a Lieutenant Colonel in Air Force Intelligence, I have found someone I can not only look up to but that is willing to help me meet people to further my career goals and interests. And again, by simply turning around at the Congressional Baseball Game and talking to the man behind me, I met the Chief of Staff for Rep. Brian Mast who happens to be the husband on the Legislative Director at my office. We now made plans to get in contact in the future. It wasn’t necessarily a concerted effort, I just turned around and talked to him about how bad the Republicans were playing after he made a comment on the pitching.

By simply talking with people, most of the time without an agenda, I have found that you can make those all-important connections. Before you know it, it seems like anything in D.C. could be at your fingertips the more you get to know those around you, no matter how significant they seem to be. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that, I have learned that you don’t really need to exert yourself to network and get to know people, just talk to them and things will fall in place. D.C. is filled, surprisingly so for me, with generous and kind people who would love to talk to you and help you. It turns out, you just need to take the simple step of having a decent conversation with them first and everything else will come together. -- Dan Sonnefeld