More than one hundred dedicated Madison College students fought the subzero windchill and loss of early Saturday morning leisure time to practice upscale fork and networking skills at the third annual N.E.T. Saturday (Networking, Etiquette, and Technology) Conference on Feb. 13.

“The biggest challenge is getting students to come,” explained Meeting and Event Management intern Ashley Dragone, who has been helping to plan the conference since last November.

The conference is aimed at encouraging career success among college students as well as providing the skills necessary to make good first impressions and stand out among other applicants.  Breakout sessions included Networking for Introverts, The Power of Body Language, Salary Negotiations, and Generations in the Workplace.

Several booths were set up around Truax gateway entrance, including a Dress for Success and Professional Photo Booth.

Career development and success conferences such as these normally cost hundreds of dollars to set up, explained Dragone.  Madison College offers conferences like N.E.T. Saturday as well interactive workshops and lectures throughout the semester that are free to all Madison College students.

Dragone explained that older students are more likely to attend because they understand the cost value of events like this, whereas with younger students, “no one wants to go to school on a Saturday.”

“Nobody taught me how to eat professionally, for example,” Dragone said. “You don’t learn these things in high school, or straight out of college, which makes this worth it as a free, learning opportunity.”

“I’m all for getting to know people,” said Madison College student Le Racha Simon, who attended N.E.T. Saturday for the first time. “It’s nice that they [Career and Employment Center] had key themes that people were looking for. It’s a good idea to receive more information about networking, body language, and bettering interactions with people.”

Michael Johnson, President and CEO of Boys and Girls Club of Dane County, presented an inspirational keynote lecture in which he encouraged students to find their passions.

“Do something you’re passionate about, and the resources and finances will follow so long as you have the right credentials,” he said.

Johnson recounted his story of attending a technical college and how it took him four and a half years to obtain an associate degree, because when he graduated high school he wasn’t proficient in literacy or writing skills. Fast forward a few decades and he had the credentials to turn down a job with a Fortune 500 company, demonstrating the strength of perseverance.