As you make your way into the lobby, with the click and clack of yourbest pair of shoes, you feel yourself become the target of eyes8212;somany eyes8212;eyes like coal-lit furnaces beaming negative thoughtsyour way. Undeterred, you direct your attention to the front desk.”I’m here for the networking fair,” you say smiling at the receptionist.”And clearly you’re going to do well,” she whips back sarcastically,nodding toward the enormous banner that should have indicatedto you where to go.Your smile turns sheepish but you propel yourself into a room fullof employers, secretaries, random people in suits hovering near thesnack table and a few who look completely lost. This is not at all whatyou had envisioned. The intimate setting, complete with candlelightand young, attractive CEOs who would be impressed with your firmhandshake, winning grin and overall coolness was way off base.Your mind starts to wander as you again consider the financial implicationsof graduation. You envision a stampede of buffalo rampagingtoward you as you lean over the precipice to glance at your prospects.It is a metaphorical cliff overlooking a dry, barren landscapewith nothing but forbidding cacti and tumbleweeds. Even your daydreamshave become pessimistic. Snapping back to reality you arekeenly aware that it is time to be bold and seize the opportunity.You cast off your doubt and head over to what looks like a line of veryimportant persons shaking hands, making connections, guaranteeingfutures and making people happy. Your beaming smile returns. Youmake eye contact with the first executive-looking person you see.Introductions are quick, but you’ve done it. Words have been spokenand some of them actually came from your mouth, however clumsilythey emerged. You turn to thank your gracious host and say, “Thankyou Mister … ” Your tongue is stuck in a perpetual r and you continuerolling it, hoping for something to spring to your mind. Suddenly youspy it, Anderson, boldly printed on his nametag! Success.You continue with the hand shaking and the anecdotes which clearlyindicate your sharp wit, keen mind and personality, which wouldsurely take hold in an office of driven individuals. But something isnot quite right, after thanking each person, you notice a common,confused look. You gaze back down the line and whispers are beingexchanged between your prior prospects. The realization also confrontsyou that nearly everyone else has a stack of business cards,while you’ve managed to collect none.Taking a step back, you realize that you have been interviewing tothe employees of the catering company. Turning in embarrassment,a speaker is announcing the end of the fair, and what a ride it hasbeen. Though a bright future in the food-service industry is almostguaranteed, you have managed to avoid a conversation with any ofthe actual companies you went there to see. Heading back to yourcar, you realize that most everyone seems similarly dejected. Andthough there is little comfort in commiseration, you are comfortedby the fact that you are not the only one. You know that tomorrowwill provide new opportunities for someone as bold and brilliantand brazen as yourself. Just ask the wait staff, they were pretty impressed.&-by Matt Boaz