I’ve been reading a series of articles by Latoya Peterson at Racialicious, discussing the implications of a recent study about women of color and wealth. In her third installment, she covers the importance of networks to establishing wealth and advancing your career. While I’m not a woman of color, I did just spend 6+ months unemployed while trying to break into a career, and her closing question really stuck with me:
Thinking through your own network connections (parents, parent’s friends, schoolmates, peers), how easy it it to find someone who:
- Can loan you fifty dollars? Loan you $500? Loan you $5,000?
- Owns a business with more than nine employees?
- Has an executive level job?
- Can sell you weed?
- Does not have a bank account?
Since Fridays are for reflection, let’s ponder the following:
How does who you are connected to impact how far you can go professionally? How much information can you find out from your networks?
I was lucky in that my family could extend me a small, short-term loan if necessary (and did once or twice). I know a lot of other people who did not have the same luxury and have had a much harder time of things – both MLIS grads and just other acquaintances.
0 Responses to “networks”