A few weeks ago, I had the privileged of participating in the 2nd Annual Scripps Bay Area Tech Trek, where 11 of my peers and I were able to network with alumnae working in software and start-up companies around the Bay Area. Going into the Tech Trek, I was nervous and unsure of what to expect, but ended up being challenged and surprised by what was to come. I previously knew a few of the companies on the list by name, and had done research on each of them, but was still unsure of the ways in which the companies functioned and what to expect from visiting the various headquarters. As a result of my incredible experience on the Tech Trek, where I was able to meet so many inspiring and proactive women (and men) who shared their experiences at Scripps and in the tech world, I would be wise to share the advice I picked up along the way with my fellow Scripps students and extend the network.

Here are a few main pieces of advice I picked up, which seem to resonate throughout the visits and discussions:

1. Being a quick learner and knowing how to exemplify this skill will get you further than having a perfect GPA or being the president of ten clubs. Of course, those factors can’t hurt you, but having the ability to present yourself as an individual who can keep up with the fast-paced environment they may eventually be thrown into, and having examples to back this claim up, will take you farther and make a light bulb go off in your interviewers’ head.

2. Do your research! A thread that connected all of these visits, when asking about advice for interviews, was to be prepared. Preparedness is derived from great research, lots and lots of it. Googling the heck out of a company prior to an interview, and coming up with eloquent, meaningful questions is invaluable and shows the interviewer that you know your stuff and genuinely care about the company. A good question to ask in an interview, if you are struggling with a company-specific question, would be “What kind of person thrives in your company culture?” Take the opportunity in your interview to interview your interviewer! This is your chance to learn about the company as best you can, so doing your research to ask educated questions and taking the time to discover more when given the opportunity is key. (Side note that everyone should know on the topic of interviews – a personalized thank you note post-interview goes a very long way.)

3. Connections are everything – make them, and keep them. This piece of advice seemed to be of paramount importance at all of the companies we visited, but really resonated with me when we visited Medallia, a software company based in the South Bay where four recent Scripps graduates currently work. As a result of using their Scripps network, and connecting with the alumnae who currently work at Medallia, all of these women were able to secure a job at this company. Using their advice, at the end of each night on the Trek, I would add every person we spoke with on LinkedIn, with a personalized message thanking them for their time and mentioning something that stood out to me about a conversation we had one-on-one or highlighting one of their points from the career panels. Through this, I was able to make several lasting connections. I will keep in touch with these alumnae to secure and grow my network.

4. Many students have no idea what they want to do after graduation-and that’s ok. Going into the Tech Trek, I realized that my vision of a future career path was incredibly foggy and unclear. Yet after speaking to multiple people, I realized that a lack of clarity is completely fine and even normal. Remaining open to different opportunities and possibilities is the key to finding a career that will best suit you in the end. Taking different classes in college, even those you think you’ll hate or wouldn’t necessarily take, can show you more about yourself and your path. Don’t define yourself or limit yourself, especially at this young age, because you’ll most likely end up stuck somewhere.

5. Similar to point 2, but further accentuating the fact that the Scripps Network is so incredibly powerful, and to use this to our advantage. When visiting Nextdoor, we spoke with the woman in charge of the Communications Department, who graduated from a large state school. She stressed the fact that, coming out of a massive school, she did not have the tight-knit network that Scripps has. She wishes she had had the support of a community like Scripps when she was on her own after graduation, and made it clear that, unlike her when she graduated, we are not alone.Overall, coming out of the Tech Trek, if there was one thing I took away, and one thing only, it would be that as Scripps students, we have such an amazing alumnae network on which to rely and that we are never alone in our post-grad journeys.