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	><title>Sacha Chua - tag - student</title>
	<subtitle>Emacs, sketches, and life</subtitle>
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	<updated>2006-06-25T06:58:00Z</updated>
<entry>
		<title type="html">What's the value proposition of a student?</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://sachachua.com/blog/2006/06/whats-the-value-proposition-of-a-student/"/>
		<author><name><![CDATA[Sacha Chua]]></name></author>
		<updated>2006-06-25T10:58:00Z</updated>
    <published>2006-06-25T06:58:00Z</published>
    <category term="connecting" />
<category term="life" />
<category term="reflection" />
		<id>https://sachachua.com/blog/?p=3629</id>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[<p>One of the reasons why I've never quite felt comfortable in<br>
networking-focused events is that the value proposition of a student<br>
is hard to define. Deal-oriented people will probably overlook me<br>
because I can't offer them immediate value. What can I offer people?<br>
What's my value proposition?</p>
<p>I don't have much business experience yet, and as geeky as I can be<br>
sometimes, I'm not as into technology as are people I know. Why should<br>
people want to spend time with me?</p>
<p>I'm a student, a wannabe, an apprentice of life. Right now, I can't<br>
really offer anything. No, that's not entirely true. I bring my<br>
comfort with technology, my experience of being alien (in a good way),<br>
my passion and enthusiasm and peace. Perhaps I also offer people an<br>
opportunity to pay back their own mentors for all the opportunities<br>
they've received, too.</p>
<p>It's silly of me to doubt life, considering how I've been so, so, so<br>
lucky in the past. At conferences and conventions, I've always managed<br>
to sit beside or otherwise discover people who totally inspire me. I<br>
don't deserve any of the breaks, but I should learn how to make the<br>
most of them so that I can share the benefits with other people.</p>
<p>I'm hungry for more knowledge, more learning, more connections. I'm<br>
excited and interested and alive. Maybe that's my value proposition<br>
for now &#8211; not that I'm some subject matter expert or anything, but<br>
that I'm curious. I should learn how to ask good questions and how to<br>
get to the heart of things. I also want to learn how to tell stories<br>
and write articles and books&#8230;</p>
<p>Other things: Hmm&#8230; I need to know who's who. Note to self: add<br>
business magazines to my weekly diet. That's what access to the<br>
university library and the dorm reading room gets me. And I _should_<br>
take advantage of the library. We have access to all these journals<br>
and educational resources that businesses don't have. I should take<br>
advantage of that! Maybe that's part of the value I offer, too.</p>
<p>I can take risks. I can spend time learning about something that<br>
eventually pans out. I can try different things and get to know<br>
different people. Maybe that's part of it, too.</p>
<p>Hmm&#8230;</p>


<p>You can <a href="mailto:sacha@sachachua.com?subject=Comment%20on%20https%3A%2F%2Fsachachua.com%2Fblog%2F2006%2F06%2Fwhats-the-value-proposition-of-a-student%2F&body=Name%20you%20want%20to%20be%20credited%20by%20(if%20any)%3A%20%0AMessage%3A%20%0ACan%20I%20share%20your%20comment%20so%20other%20people%20can%20learn%20from%20it%3F%20Yes%2FNo%0A">e-mail me at sacha@sachachua.com</a>.</p>]]></content>
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