It's all about the connections

I recently went to a cupcake place in downtown Wilmette, IL to apply for a summer job. I went in, asked about the available positions, picked up an application and left. That night, my mom mentioned to a family friend that I was applying there, and he immediately responded by sharing that they are really good friends with the owners. I found out later that our family friends texted the owners of the shop and gave me a good recommendation, without me asking or knowing. The next day, when I dropped off my application, the owner sat me down and told me that it bothered him that I didn't have any previous work experience, but since my family friends gave me such a good recommendation it didn't matter. I was hired within five minutes. I was shocked at the speed of the process. This reminded me of my previous blog post, where I talked about how college is mostly about making connections, those that will end up helping you later in life. I suppose that connections can also be made through family. It is interesting that you seem to need all of these different types of connections to be successful in the U.S., although we always seem to think that we can make it on our own. It is definitely harder for a student from a family with no college graduates to make it than someone from a family with a legacy.