MIS-"Bowling Alone" by Putnam

"As this array of independent coinages indicates, social capital has both an individual and a collective aspect-a private face and a public face. First, individuals form connections that benefit our own interests. One pervasive strategem of ambitious job seekers is "networking," for most of us get our jobs because of whom we know, not what we know-that is, our social capital, not our human capital" -Bowling Alone, page 20.

I chose this excerpt because with our economy and job market today, Putnam makes a good point. All of us will be graduating within the near future and competition is on the rise. Putnam states that one strategy of finding a job is networking. Although we spend four to five years at a top-ranked university, it will still be difficult for many of us to find a job. However, with the concept of social networking, people are willing to lend a hand or do you a favor by introducing you to maybe a CEO of a business, or the manager at a retail office. This gives you connections to a possible job position, or at least for the time being. It really is true that it doesn't matter what you know, it's who you know. It is a lot easier to obtain a job if you have a networking in the company, rather than simply applying for a position. This is also why it's so important to start doing volunteer work or getting internships so that once you step foot in the real world, you have a small group of social networking to help you get started.