7 Ways to Make Professional Connections as an Online Student

This is a guest post submitted by Nancy Wood

Online education is an amazing way to get a degree from anywhere in the world. But, without the opportunity to meet people in person and develop one-on-one relationships, it can be difficult to use an online degree program to make professional connections, as well.

Traditional on-campus students often have an advantage when it comes to making those personal relationships that can transform into business connections. But, in reality, the online environment has the same potential for networking, if you are willing to make the effort. There are plenty of ways to make connections as an online student that could further your career down the road. Here are just a few ideas:

1. Start conversations with professors.

You don’t need to be available in person to create relationships with professors. Make sure to actively answer questions they pose on discussion boards and do your best in all your work, and they will surely notice you. You can also email them personally with questions or with requests for more information about what they do and how you can get into similar fields.