Professional Support Groups In my work, I recently had the opportunity to meet with a surgeon who practices in a large teaching medical hospital in a nearby city. This is an institution that, as a community hospital, has long sponsored new medical school graduates for their residency training. Medical education, they boasted, was a key factor in maintaining top quality health care for the people of the community.

“To me and to many others, clinical practice alone is not enough,” said this highly respected physician. “The daily interaction with young doctors challenges you and keeps your days lively and different. Also, the ongoing process of teaching, learning and sharing reinforces our own knowledge of—and enthusiasm for—this fascinating practice of medicine! As professionals, we are all lifetime students.”

This summarizes the benefits of working within a “professional support group,” much like students do with small study groups. Clearly, these benefits are twofold: support groups reinforce your own knowledge, and they also allow you to meet other people and form relationships.

Look at it this way. Have you ever found yourself in the position of explaining a situation or dilemma to another person? Didn't you then , after mentally processing and then communicating the information to another , have a much stronger understanding of the information yourself? This is a good way for learning to occur. That's what the doctor meant when he said that education—for the teacher as well as for the student—reinforces and challenges his or her own knowledge and skills.

Some of your best relationships may have come out of your years in college. I know some of mine did. And it isn't just teachers and administrators from whom you can benefit.

Who Else Do You Know?

You may start getting tired of hearing this question. However, it must be continually asked. Each semester you are in college you will have different professors and classmates. Your campus environment may be a good place to start, but you must move on.

So, who else do you know? Again, revise your list on a yearly basis. Through your intimates and family you probably already have a strong network in place. Some of the more typical entries on your list:

- Your immediate family members (parents, siblings, grandparents)

- Your extended family members (uncles, aunts, cousins)

- Previous teachers (both high school and college)

- Former bosses from past jobs

- Your landlord

The above is an excerpt from The Last Guide to Networking You'll Ever Need, which is available for sale for $17 in our bookstore or for free to those who subscriber to our free career newsletter. In this tough economy, people who find jobs usually do so by networking. Written by Keith F. Luscher specifically for the job hunting students and recent graduates with zero to three years of experience who use CollegeRecruiter.com. Are you networking at least two hours a day? Those who are finding jobs are. Don't be left behind. Read this book and you will quickly find a new job. To receive a free copy, subscribe to our free career newsletter.

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