When I moved down to Florida without knowing anyone, I spent a few weeks enjoying my alone time and getting settled into work and my new apartment. I soon began to get a little stir crazy, though, and realized I needed to know at least SOME people to talk to and get me out of the house.
I ovaried up (as my man Dan Savage would say) and began attending some of the Naples Young Professionals networking events. It was definitely an out-of-the-comfort-zone activity for me, as making mind-numbing small talk and introducing myself to strangers who seem to already know each other is not necessarily my recipe for the best time ever, but I did it. And whaddaya know, it wasn’t so bad. I made some friends. I must admit I do feel like it may be a little easier to do this in Naples, the land of the Midwestern and Northeastern transplants, than in other cities. It did seem to impress my family and friends back home, though, so I’ll pretend like it was hard and quite an accomplishment.
In my ongoing and constant internet search for fun/free/interesting social, networking, and professional development opportunities, I had come across a new and unique group called “She Geeks Out”. This Boston group was only open to women, had free drinks and food in exchange for the very low registration price, and hosted themed speakers at each of their monthly events. Each event was hosted in a local Boston company’s office building. One of the aspects of the organization that intrigued me and caught my eye was the fact that they explicitly state that they are “welcoming and inclusive to all trans women”. Not many organizations feel comfortable or are even aware enough to state something like this, but my work with US Quidditch has taught me to appreciate this care and openness as a sign of good work/good people/good groups.
When I moved back to the Boston area earlier this summer, I continued my activity search, remembering how great the Naples YP network ended up being for me. I also remembered my interest in She Geeks Out (I’m really great at remembering things, huh?) and so I convinced my new-activity-buddy-in-crime, my sister, to join me. Her initial response was “Ah! Networking! My worst nightmare!” A few days later she came back with “You know what, I’ll do it. It will be good for me.”
The event was at the end of June in the downtown Boston Hudl offices, and for just $10 we enjoyed a variety of wines, Sam Adams beers, and finger foods like meatballs, caprese salad sticks and buffalo chicken. We chatted with some really great people for about 45 minutes before settling down to listen to three different speakers. I wasn’t as impressed with the speakers as I’d hoped to be, I must admit, but I had specific thoughts on each one and fortunately She Geeks Out lived up to my event planning expectations with a follow-up survey that allowed me to share my thoughts (as I am wont to do whether or not it’s requested).
Overall, it was a fun, wonderful, and welcoming experience! And my networking-fearing sister agreed! She Geeks Out saw us again in July at the Cengage Learning offices in the Fort Point neighborhood, and the speakers this time exceeded my (now lower, admittedly) expectations. The food was better, too! The August event at the Cambridge Spotify offices, speakers included, was the best so far. Here I come, September…