Your 20s are often sold to you as the decade of “connections.” You’re told to meet people, build your circle, attend events, and collect contacts like they’re currency. Somewhere in that noise, a quiet but important question lingers: are you building real friendships, or just networking?
At first glance, networking seems like the smarter move. It’s strategic. It’s intentional. It promises access to jobs, opportunities, rooms you didn’t even know existed. In a world that increasingly rewards visibility and connections, networking feels like playing the game correctly. You shake hands, exchange LinkedIn profiles, and keep conversations just warm enough to stay useful.
But friendships? They don’t always look productive. They take time, emotional investment, and often give nothing “tangible” in return, at least not immediately. Yet, they offer something networking never fully can: depth. The kind of connection where you’re not performing, not pitching, not subtly trying to impress. Just being.
The truth is, your 20s are not just about getting ahead, they’re about figuring out who you are while you do. And the people around you play a huge role in that process. Networking might open doors, but friendships help you survive what’s behind them. When things don’t go as planned and they often won’t, it’s rarely your professional contacts you call at midnight.
There’s also a quiet power in genuine friendships that people underestimate. The strongest opportunities don’t always come from calculated networking; they often come from people who truly know you, believe in you, and want to see you win. A friend who understands your work ethic and character is more likely to recommend you in a meaningful way than someone who just remembers your elevator pitch.
That said, ignoring networking altogether would be naive. The world does run on relationships, and being intentional about who you meet and how you present yourself matters. The key difference is the approach. Networking driven purely by self-interest is easy to spot and easy to forget. But when you approach people with curiosity instead of calculation, something shifts. Conversations become real, and connections become more than just transactions.
So maybe the question isn’t “friendships vs networking,” but how you blend the two without losing yourself. Can you build relationships that are both meaningful and mutually beneficial? Can you show up as a whole person, not just a personal brand?
Your 20s are a long game. The people you meet now, whether friends or professional contacts, may shape your life in ways you can’t predict yet. But if you focus only on what people can do for you, you risk building a network that feels wide but empty. On the other hand, if you invest in real friendships, you create a foundation that supports both your personal growth and your professional journey.
In the end, what matters most isn’t how many people you know, but how many truly know you and still choose to stand with you as you figure it all out.
Brenna AKARABO
RADIOTV10
