Making Contacts

I was invited to a party at my professors house this evening. Apparently he invited a select group of students. I struggled with whether to go because all he really knows about me is my grade in his class. I decided not to go in the end, partly due to a lot of work I wanted to complete before leaving for my mom's house for the weekend. But part of it was that thing in me that says not to make contacts this way. While I've always thought that it would be wonderful to have relationships with professors like I've seen in older movies where everyone can hang out together and have intellectual discussions, this just didn't quite seem to fit that description. For some reason, it felt more like making contacts. And I've always had a problem with just making contacts for the sake of making contacts.

Since the beginning of college, I've heard people talk about making contacts and how important it is. And while I agree that it's good to know people in your field, I feel that how the contacts are made is also important. Through my hard work and good grades, I feel like I've met the right people and I've never had to put any effort into it other than just being myself. I've made friends who know me well that I feel I could call if I needed something and vice versa. But I've never just built up my contact list. I feel like there's a big difference between the two. Does this make sense? One is actively trying to find people who can help me boost my career; the other is proving myself through my actions. Even though I was probably invited to this party based on my grade, it still doesn't feel quite right. Maybe it's because he also invited my moron group member, who I would NEVER have as a contact. Made me think the professor might not be such a good judge of character.

I'm probably blowing this out of proportion, but I just don't like to make contacts in this way. For one thing, I don't enjoy small talk; I find it meaningless. So a bunch of people getting together who don't know each other to inevitably chat about work felt more like a drain than an exciting possibility. I guess it seemed like the sole purpose of the party would be to make contacts. It's everything I disagree with in industry and government. All too often idiots get promoted to positions they aren't qualified for because they know someone. I never want to get ahead that way. I believe I can accurately state that the only time I've received a recommendation or offer of a position has been because the person knew my work ethic and the quality of my work, not because they met me at some party and we had small talk. I plan to keep it that way.