Birthdays build your network
I’m lucky enough to say that I’m one of many Michigan alumni to travel back to Ann Arbor this past weekend for a timely reunion with family, friends, football, and Rick’s American Café. Last Thursday, my mom and I enjoyed lunch at Pacific Rim and later shared some Sangría at Dominick's. On Saturday, my dad, brother, and I piled into the Big House’s Section 7. The “Maize Out” across the stadium looked just as incredible as our defense, and the band made a beautiful hood ornament in front of the nation’s finest student body. Thank you for hosting a great weekend on campus, and thank you for keeping the celebration going at Rick’s.
My twin brother in red is a former bartender at Rick's. We love catching up with good friends.
It's all smiles on a Saturday in Ann Arbor.
Today, one of my best buddies from college is celebrating his 27th birthday out in L.A. Before moving to L.A., he grew up in Boston, learned about life in Ann Arbor, and watched the Red Sox win the World Series down in Austin. He spent just over three years in Austin, and this is the first time in nine years that I’ve called him on his birthday with half the country between us. Over time, things change…miles grow between great friends…but birthdays stay the same.
When you take on a career after Michigan, it is up to you to keep in touch with your amazing network of friends, faculty, advisors, mentors and acquaintances. Nobody is going to do this for you, and in my opinion, this network will be more valuable to you than your neatly framed diploma. Michigan men and women will welcome you to a new city, write letters of recommendation on your behalf, stand up in your wedding, encourage you to return to Ann Arbor, attend a parent’s funeral, and let you know they are thinking of you.
The presence of a career and new cities make it very challenging to hold your network together, so I urge you to start realizing the importance of birthdays. It is an annual event in a friend’s life that is extremely deserving of a phone call. Your voice will always bring back memories, and it will make them smile. In addition, you will get to listen to annual updates that will help you understand the resources and connections at your fingertips.
When I moved to Austin, I spent my first year scrolling through my phone book, placing daily phone calls, and trying to keep up with an unrealistic pace of conversations within my entire network. Ten to twenty phone calls per week interfered with me getting to know a new city, and it cut down the time I spent with my roommates. Sooner or later, I became realistic about enjoying daily and weekly relationships with my closest family and friends and maintaining annual relationships with my greater network.
A desk calendar hangs behind my bathroom door, and every morning, I walk out of my apartment and make my birthday calls. I avoid e-mail and e-cards, because my voice is more unique than Times New Roman, and conversations are unpredictable and explore everything on the spot. This is one of the best routines of my life. I make over 120 birthday calls every year, and when I make trips back to Ann Arbor, I always have a place to crash. When I share my career updates with my network, I always have an attentive and helpful audience.
Your relationships are your responsibility. Celebrate the birthdays in your life, and Michigan will get bigger and better. Go Blue from Texas!
When you take on a career after Michigan, it is up to you to keep in touch with your amazing network of friends, faculty, advisors, mentors and acquaintances. Nobody is going to do this for you, and in my opinion, this network will be more valuable to you than your neatly framed diploma. Michigan men and women will welcome you to a new city, write letters of recommendation on your behalf, stand up in your wedding, encourage you to return to Ann Arbor, attend a parent’s funeral, and let you know they are thinking of you.
The presence of a career and new cities make it very challenging to hold your network together, so I urge you to start realizing the importance of birthdays. It is an annual event in a friend’s life that is extremely deserving of a phone call. Your voice will always bring back memories, and it will make them smile. In addition, you will get to listen to annual updates that will help you understand the resources and connections at your fingertips.
When I moved to Austin, I spent my first year scrolling through my phone book, placing daily phone calls, and trying to keep up with an unrealistic pace of conversations within my entire network. Ten to twenty phone calls per week interfered with me getting to know a new city, and it cut down the time I spent with my roommates. Sooner or later, I became realistic about enjoying daily and weekly relationships with my closest family and friends and maintaining annual relationships with my greater network.
A desk calendar hangs behind my bathroom door, and every morning, I walk out of my apartment and make my birthday calls. I avoid e-mail and e-cards, because my voice is more unique than Times New Roman, and conversations are unpredictable and explore everything on the spot. This is one of the best routines of my life. I make over 120 birthday calls every year, and when I make trips back to Ann Arbor, I always have a place to crash. When I share my career updates with my network, I always have an attentive and helpful audience.
Your relationships are your responsibility. Celebrate the birthdays in your life, and Michigan will get bigger and better. Go Blue from Texas!
posted by Corey at 7:06 PM
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