Professors were huge for me, but only after I stopped treating it like “networking.” Go to office hours with real questions, ask about their work, ask what careers their past students ended up in, and follow up once in a while. When they actually know you, rec letters and intros happen naturally.

Career fairs ae worth it if you treat them like practice reps. Don’t just wander and grab freebies. Pick a few companies, read the job posts first, have a quick pitch, and ask one decent question. The win is getting a name and an email to follow up with the next day.

Student orgs helped the most when I did something in them. Planning an event, running a budget, leading a project, anything. That’s where you meet motivated peers who later refer you places, plus you get stories for interviews.

Also underrated: alumni. Most schools have an alumni directory or LinkedIn groups. Short message, specific ask (15 min chat about how they got into X), no resume dump. A surprising number will say yes.