For example, you want to paint and sketch in your free time but are trying them for the first time. One way to go about it is to read articles from the internet and collect all the required material. By the end of shopping and getting back home, you won’t have much motivation left when the next week’s homework starts getting into your head. Now imagine having a friend who can lend you some material  for that one small sketch or painting. The time you wish to relax can be properly utilized instead of stressing out on shopping and other distractions. But how do you meet that one friend who can help you?

The six degrees of separation is highly plausible among 70,000+ students on campus. Showing up at one event and making one connection keeps you at an advantage of knowing five others. The numbers increase quickly with each connection you make. For engineers, networking is very important at any stage of their career. Student organization meetings are one of the best places to practice networking, as most of them are informal. The long-term advantages of being part of different groups are not only finding you a partner for your hobbies but also helping you diversify your career options. Sometimes discussing your technical problems to a person alien to your field can give a fresh perspective. Remember Sherlock Holmes and his sudden burst of ideas by listening to random conversations?

But first, how do you pick the right organization? Well, don’t. Whether the organization has dues or not, they always have free introductory meetings. If your goal is to make connections with people you can reach out to when you need some help, those first meetings are good enough to know if the group interests you. At the beginning of the semester, when life isn’t too busy, make sure to attend these. Your connections in these organizations can also be a ray of light at the end of the tunnel during a mid-semester crisis. It is a must to talk about problems and get them out of mind to excel in your education and career. Friends, family or campus resources like CAPS are good support groups for getting rid of stress and staying on the right path.

Now you know when and why to attend these events and make connections. But concern about commitment is what stops many from being active in these groups. Every person has a creative outlet, especially engineers. They deal with problem solving all the time, which is impossible without a creative mindset. When you attend, for instance, 10 events, you subconsciously pick your top choices based on your interests. One group will attract you more, be it because of the people in that organization, the activities they plan, etc. You can then choose to  commit, or not, to that one organization and keep attending others as your schedule allows.