How do you actually build a professional network from scratch?
Early-career professionals often rely entirely on cold emails and online messages because they have no existing foundation to jump off. Without knowing alternative ways to connect, people end up giving up on networking entirely, which hurts their career progression years down the line.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1cold emailing and messagingDid this help you?
- 2attending forced meet and greets or firm eventsDid this help you?
- 3meeting people organically at the gym or badminton courtDid this help you?
- 4attending conferences and buying beersDid this help you?
- 5participating in ERP or system user groups and vendor social eventsDid this help you?
- 6Taking the lead in conversationsDid this help you?
- 7Acting normal and easy to talk toDid this help you?
- 8Just saying hiDid this help you?
- 9Attending free local meetups to meet industry professionals in person.Did this help you?
- 10Joining online communities related to the target field.Did this help you?
- 11Asking professionals how they started and following up via LinkedIn.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I know this sounds dumb but genuinely how do you, personally, network?”source ↗
“I’ve always done cold emailing and cold messaging but, while this kind of works, I’ve always wondered how people networked before like without googling email templates and before LinkedIn existed, how did you really build your professional network especially if you’re early and don’t already have a foundation to jump off?”source ↗
“I don't, and 17 years into my career, with only two jobs (post grad), I'm paying for it now”source ↗
“I have a Meet the Firms event on Tuesday, I am just a regular guy. I work full time so no time for clubs.”source ↗
“I do not really have friends or family in IT industry so it is challenge I must take initiative.”source ↗
“I know I need to build connections and networks. How did you do it?”source ↗
“I know college is a great place but I am not enrolled so what options do I have?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3Why is keeping a professional network CRM updated so tedious?
- 7Feeling completely unprepared after starting a new professional job
- 4How do I find a job when my network is tapped out?
- 2Why is networking so awkward and hard to talk about?
- 5Finding professionals to interview for a class project without connections
- 6Where to start learning about money from scratch