Every major opportunity in my career — every single one — came through a connection.

Not a job board. Not a cold application. A person who knew my work.

That's not luck. That's consistent investment in relationships.

I don't think of networking as "collecting contacts." I think of it as contributing to a community and building genuine relationships.

My approach: share what I learn publicly on LinkedIn and Twitter (not just accomplishments — lessons, failures, insights). Help others by answering questions in HuggingFace and LangChain Discord servers. Collaborate on open source projects. Attend and occasionally speak at meetups and conferences. Build real relationships, not transactional ones.

The specific thing that's worked best: when someone shares interesting work, I don't just like their post. I comment with a genuine observation or question. That's how conversations start, and conversations are how relationships form.

If you're introverted (like me), the good news is that the AI community is incredibly welcoming online. You can build a meaningful network from your laptop.

But you have to contribute first. The connections follow the value you create, not the other way around.