networking

Now at my age, Im starting to think that networking is becoming more essential. Some people mistook that networking and friendship as the same thing, but there are different really. Though they are not mutually exclusive and can coexist together. To me friendship is a relationship based on trust and unconditional loyalty, while networking is more or less like 'friends with benefits'. Friendship delve into a personal relationship while networking largely involves a professional relationships.

But of course, like I mentioned earlier, these two are not mutually exclusive. I have no doubt that we can have both personal and professional relationships with the same people.  And sometime the one would leads to the other; a personal relationships could develop into a professional one and vice versa. For example a customer of yours might end up as your best friends. And your childhood friends who was the best man at your wedding could end up being your business partners. 

And granted, sometimes we wonder what good will come by networking with people, especially those that we're not comfortable with. Those people whom you think will never 'clicked' with. Jadi selalulah bersangka baik dan ikhlas dalam hubungan. Yes, it is as if Im contradicting myself when I said earlier that networking is more like friends with benefits. A relationship based on I scratch your back and you scratch mine. Totally plastic and manipulative. But if you broke that plasticity and barriers with sincerity, Insyaallah you'll have a good friends, and a strong network.

Kita takkan tahu bila kita akan memerlukan favours. It could be soon. Could be later. Could be never. A group assignment of mine whom I used to 'see with one eye' is now my mentor and my teacher in studies. A schoolmate of abah whom  abah said, I quote: "budak beringuih" was my Angkasa's Scholarship interviewer. Sebab tu bila kita ikhlas, Insyaallah kesabaran dan keihlasan kita will be rewarded in the future. There are many episodes of my life events that require favours that were helped by some unexpected people.

Cronyism much? That's a topic to discuss another day. But penny for thoughts: If you earned it, you deserve it. Although Datuk Omar Osman was abah's schoolmate in PFS, it doesn't mean that he simply signed on my appeal letter. My appeal came through because I deserve it. Not because of the networking. He felt that I deserved it, and so far I haven't let him down. Alhamdulillah, I'm still doing okay in my studies. Perhaps even better than those who got in at the first place.