Azra Park and Kiril Mojsov are becoming super connectors. Late last year, the two Masters of Economics students left their UofT comfort zone for Seattle. Their objective? The National Association of Business Economics Tech Economics Conference (TEC2024). For Azra, the trip supported further learning toward his goal to break into the US tech industry. For Kiril, it was about discovering what his options would look like beyond academia and public sector institutes who employ economists.


“The experience was amazing,” Kiril said. “I was exposed to cutting-edge developments in econometrics, experimental economics, and causal inference, all while being introduced to the numerous opportunities available for economists in the tech sector. We got insights into the work of Amazon’s economists, and it gave me a lot of food for thought as I look at my plans to pursue a PhD and where I can take it.”
Azra found the experience to be invigorating, and he left the conference feeling inspired and motivated, both to complete his master’s degree and for what comes next.
“Choosing to go to NABE was a risk, but it was a calculated risk,” Azra explained. “I had the privilege of connecting with brilliant minds from big tech companies of the kind I’ve always wanted to work for, and every person I met brought a unique perspective to the table. The experience really confirmed to me that I’m on the right path in my studies and career.”
Attending a conference like Azra and Kiril is valuable, but it is just one way for students preparing for the job market to gain access to people who influence and make hiring decisions. There are also other kinds of opportunities to meet professionals who are happy to share their wisdom with university students. Faculty at the Department of Economics, for example, try to bring in industry speakers from their own networks to talk to students. University initiatives like the Faculty of Arts and Sciences events like Backpack to Briefcase provide the chance too.
For any networking event or occasion, the challenge is knowing how to network! It’s not as easy as it sounds. Remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic set everyone’s social skills back. It’s also very easy to feel insecure, anxious, or even fearful about approaching strangers and making small talk!

A super connector is a person who appears to already know everyone, and makes introductions with ease and confidence. Super connector Jean Chow, who teaches networking with the School of Continuing Studies and the Translational Research Program here at the University of Toronto has just the advice to help students prepare for networking and it starts with words everyone knows from the movie The Empire Strikes Back.
“To quote Yoda, ‘do or do not. There is no try,” Chow said. “Sometimes you have to feel fear and do the task anyway. It’s much worse to just wallow in the fear. In networking, you must make the first approach, even if you’re scared.”
Chow would be the last person to deny the existence of social anxiety. It is an obstacle that is difficult to overcome, but overcoming it is do-able. The first step is to take the emphasis off yourself and your own needs and put that attention on learning more about the other person you are talking with.
“My mantra is, it’s not what you know and it’s not who you know. It’s who you help,” Chow explained. “When you meet someone for the first time, try to help take the pressure off them. Instead of asking ‘What can you do for me? How can you help me find a job?’ Just listen and see what you can do for them. It’s a little mental shift in which the pressure comes off it being all about you. It’s about being of service to help you both, and the people you might introduce each other to.”
How do you get to the root of making connections through helping? Curiosity about the people you are meeting.
“Overcoming intimidation is easier when you focus on what people have in common,” Chow said. “And, do you know what? They need to eat, sleep, and have a roof over their heads just like you, right? Just like you, they’re human. It’s Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and they need to fulfill those needs just like you. If you can picture the people you meet in this very human state that we all share, then it’s going to be OK.”
Have you been on a networking adventure around campus or around the world? Share your experience with the rest of the economics community. Email communications.economics@utoronto.ca
Return to the Department of Economics website.
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