It is easy to feel hopeless when trying to choose or actively pursue a career.

This hopelessness is only made worse by the job market only growing less and less accessible over time, AI being used to scan through those job applications, and the general feeling of aimlessness that plagues Generation Z.

However, despite the uncertainty our generation faces when it comes to both the current state of our economy and career availability, we are still the next generation of workers.

Many of our peers have, or are close to entering the professional world. And, soon, we will too.

And while some of us are rightfully fearful about facing rejection after rejection after graduating, I feel that many of us neglect one of our greatest resources towards preventing that: each other.

How many times have you encountered an opportunity, whether it be academic, professional, personal or otherwise, simply because somebody you know told you about it?

Friends and family, or even people only tangentially related to your social circle, can have the potential to introduce you to the opportunities of a lifetime.

Think of how many people are in a single class. Dozens, each connected to more dozens, all of which could be holding the start of a career opportunity.

And yet, all of them will most likely pass each other by without ever even saying a single word, because taking the first step to reach out to someone, even a fellow student, is intimidating or could feel socially complicated.

Our generation, despite being more connected than ever through the use of social media and the internet, has a serious issue with connecting on a smaller, more local level.

This is not without reason, of course. Many of us spent the most socially formative years of our lives in fear of close social interaction thanks to Covid, which has no doubt had drastically negative impacts on how we now view interactions with strangers

This lack of friendly, face-to-face communication has exacerbated several issues with, in my opinion, the most immediately impactful of those being the sharp decline in overall opportunity each of us loses out on by choosing to not connect with our fellow peers.

Many companies and organizations no longer care to hand-pick or personally oversee the hiring of new employees. We are no longer in the days of being able to simply walk into a building, introduce ourselves to the manager and walk out with a job—more likely than not, you will be told to apply online.  

And even with more individualistic, self-reliant careers, like freelance creatives, one’s success still lives and dies based on how much they promote themselves and their services.

In essence, networking.

Without networking, it means that the majority of us that are not well-connected, privileged, or lucky enough to succeed based off our own merits, will be left in the dust. 

Despite this, the situation is not hopeless. It just means that we need to learn to reach out and rely on each other again; to truly come together as a community to build each other up for the sake of our collective success.

So, the next time you’re in class, at work, or anywhere else you feel you might be comfortable striking up a quick conversation, try to make an effort to connect with your fellow man.

Because the more people you know, the more someone just might run into an amazing opportunity, and have the perfect person in mind to tell.