IN DEFENCE of

You’ve been thinking about it,

Apparently, it’s a crime they used ed out to them. Think Euphoria star Maude Apatow, daughter of filmmaker Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann, or scream queen and newly crowned Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis, offspring to actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. or they, are any less deserving of an opportunity to earn a living, especially when the national unemployment rate is 3.5%? someone (or know someone who knows someone) who is a nurse or a teacher or a checkout chick (it’s a small world after all, I’m sorry I couldn’t resist). They don’t call Adelaide a big country town for nothing. Everyone somehow knows everyone. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve followed someone on Insta or sent a Facebook friend request only to discover we have 10 mutuals, despite knowing them from wildly different contexts. So why are we so surprised when we discover a celebrity, from the small circle of the elite, has a famous mommy and daddy who helped them get their start in entertainment?

I would argue that uni is not that diferent. Sure, most of us aren’t the progeny of public figures, but we get our foot in the door of our desired industries through internships and placements largely organised through our famed institution - opportunities and still just have your foot in the door. There’s a lot of work that comes after that.’ Your supervisors and co-workers aren’t entitled to give you a job or serve as a referee, it’s up to you to impress them and develop skills that show you’re the best candidate for a role. At the risk of espousing neoliberalism, I’d like to acknowledge that there are undeserving people who score jobs over harder-working but underprivileged candidates, based solely ontheir connections and not their skillset. My point is that we shouldn’t gripe about nepo babies, and others fortunate enough to have a head start, who’ve proven their merit.

Networking is not a dirty word and you should take advantage of every connection that comes your way. I know I will. You’ve earned it baby!