While college is the time to build up your resume with clubs, volunteering and internships as well as working to get your degree, people often overlook the opportunity to make connections and relationships with people that have more experience than you.
Your professors have had more time in the “real world”. They have their own academic, professional and life experiences that have ultimately led them to where they are, which is in front of you in a classroom. Besides sharing with you the wealth of information they have for that specific class or field, they also can make a huge difference in your life.
Showing up to a professor’s office hours more than once will show them that you really care about understanding the material that they are teaching you. It also opens the doors to so many opportunities. Building a professional relationship with your professor outside of the classroom could lead to hearing about internships, research, or other beneficial information that some students may not hear about before you do. Especially if a professor knows you, your goals and your aspirations well they may be able to give you exclusive information about opportunities that they feel you would be best qualified for.
Another great reason to connect with professors is that they can be great references for you to have when applying for jobs after graduation. As I mentioned, if the professor knows you well they’ll be able to give a great reference since they’ll know not only your character but also your work ethic. Additionally, to being a great reference, they would be a great person to ask to write a letter of recommendation if you find that you need one as they will have some great things to say about you. Professors also have connections of their own with people they’ve met, some of those might even be former students, and those people could be crucial to finding a job in your field.
Even if showing up to your professor’s office hours every single day and becoming their best friend doesn’t result in huge, career changing opportunities you will always have that connection with them. My motto is that you never know who will make a difference in your life someday or whose life you can make a difference in.