A Whole New World

Summer 2022.

Fresh out of my first proper relationship.

A ridiculous trip to Croatia planned.

Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik.

The works.

Buzzing was an understatement.

The only problem – I didn’t have anyone to go with.

Sure, I had friends.

I was part of communities, like my football team.

But I didn’t have a group of 1-2 individuals I was happy going on holiday with. Where I’d be spending loads of time with them.

I’d always been close to my mates from uni. And I still love some of them.

But one year after graduating, the cracks formed.

One fateful morning tipped me over the edge.

I was woken up disgustingly early by the show the boys blaring from the TV.

Enough was enough and I had to move out.

At the same time, I was readjusting to single life and as Will Mckenzie from the inbetweeners would say, ‘I don’t know what the rules are anymore!’

After months of swiping on hinge, awkward conversations about where we grew up and staring at my phone for a reply, I made the leap.

My stomach was churning.

My brain exploded from the inner dialogue.

But after I did it instantly I knew it was the right thing.

I’d invested £2k into a Dating coaching program.

I didn’t know it then but it ended up being the best investment I ever made.

Anyway, the program had a Facebook group.

From there I got chatting to another London lad, not expecting much.

I didn’t ask him for anything.

I showed interest in him.

We got along well and met up for drinks.

When I struggled with the program, he massively helped me out.

He’s still one of my best mates, and his advice allowed me to develop relationships with amazing women.

He opened a whole new world to me.

Which all started from making friends online.

I’d never considered it but now I can see the benefits are endless.

Since then, him and another friend we made from the program meet up regularly.

We even had a great time in Lisbon together.

My online friends help me with my dating life, but it’s easy to see how this can expand to helping you develop your Data Science career.

Too many aspiring Data Scientists message me asking for something big (a job referral) but never bother to get to know me.

They place a huge expectation on the conversation instead of going with the flow and having fun.

That’s why I’m about to share the ultimate guide to networking: how to make friends on LinkedIn.

That’s got me thinking, what are your networking struggles?

Reply with your no.1 problem and I’ll help you out.