It is a saying that I have heard many times throughout my years. Words of wisdom that may be true in some situations, but as an aspiring doctor, I can tell you it is rare to meet a successful doctor who has achieved success through networking. In fact if you ask any person in the nation what need to succeed they will probably say "knowledge." Granted knowledge is one thing an individual needs to obtain success; however there are other things just as important and valuable to achieving success. Still another thing needed for success could be called connections or networking. Having connections within ones field does no good without insight on how those networks helped them achieve their goals and ultimately their success.

If you take a look at the richest men in America, Bill Gates for example, they did not get there by merely knowing information. He was networking long before he hit it big. Even though he may have made his success through networking without an abundance of knowledge, he is still the richest man in America. The same goes for many other successful people such as Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. All of these individuals are or were all know to network well; however they also had a lot of knowledge and skill set to their advantage as well.

Another great way to obtain connections within ones field would be attending seminars or meetings which deal with your line of work or industry. Here you will meet like-minded individuals who are passionate about what they do. Not only will you meet individuals who have the same interests and goals as you, but they will also be willing to possibly give you more information on your field or help you out with a certain problem that you may have. The people whom I have met at seminars are some of the most valuable connections I could obtain. These individuals were professors of mine from college or in my field of study; however if it wasn't for joining organizations and attending seminars, I would have never had been able to obtain new knowledge about my profession along with meeting fantastic people who would potentially become lifelong friends.