Top 3 Ways to Meet Study Partners Online

It’s Tuesday and you’ve been asked to work on a new program for one of the PLCs in your plant that needs to be completed by the end of the week. This is a slightly different type of PLC than you’ve worked with previously and you’re dealing with a bit of a learning curve. Thankfully, one of the friends that you’ve met in your PLC Technician program at George Brown College works at a plant that has been using this PLC model for years and has agreed to help you.

It’s not always about the technical skills that you learn at school. True, your skills are what you’re getting paid for, but when you go for an interview the person on the other side of the table needs to like you before they hire you. Knowing the same people is a fast way to make friends at any job - whether that’s the role you have now or your next position. In the GBC Tech Training program, here are three ways to connect with others in your profession:

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social media network focusing specifically on the working world. As of July 2015, there are 39 million students and recent college graduates on LinkedIn. Students are the fastest growing single demographic here, but in total there are over 115 million LinkedIn members in the USA and over 11 million in Canada. That’s a huge talent pool to find colleagues and future employers who can teach you a lot about your industry!

As a student in a GBC Tech Training program, you have access to a private group with hundreds of other students or graduates who are studying the same subjects as you. You’ll receive an invitation to join this group by email when you register for your program. It’s a great place to share relevant news items, ask questions to your fellow students, and interact with people who have graduated from the program.

GBC Tech Training Discussion Group

The day after you register for your program at GBC Tech Training, an email will show up in your inbox with your username and password to access the Online learning Resource Center. Aside from writing exams and studying in the learning center, this online community is home to the student forum.

So what’s the student forum? I’m glad you asked! It’s an online discussion group designed specifically to help students connect with other students who might have the same questions (or better yet, answers) related to those problems. If you’re a current student you’ll have access to this forum while you’re studying right up to the point when you graduate. Solving a challenging problem is a lot more fun when you are working with other people who are working through the same issues.

Dedicated Study Support Hotline

Online support isn’t the only way to connect with someone else for help. Pick up the phone and you can speak with an entire team of study support staff 6 days per week, 12 hours per day (except for Saturdays when we close a little earlier at 5pm Eastern). They’re a great group of people, many of whom are electronics and technical training program graduates themselves, but all of whom have been through your program and are 100% dedicated to helping you learn this training. You can’t ask for better tutors!

A few final words, building a professional network is only half the challenge. Once it’s there, you need to be active within it to keep it alive and well. Reach out to your friends from time to time to say hello. Congratulate them on the important milestones in their lives like graduation, a new job, or a new member of the family. Don’t be shy about offering to help them out too. “You get what you give” isn’t just a slogan; it’s a way of life.