In this video, I break down the “secret” behind how I landed my first three UX design jobs at big, well-known companies—and yeah, I’m going to say the quiet part out loud: a lot of it was luck. But the point isn’t that I’m some special case. My belief is that you can increase your luck, and the main way I did that was through networking—basically putting in the sweat so the “lucky” moments have a chance to happen. I walk through three real stories. First, I used LinkedIn networking and cold messaging to set up informational interviews (not begging for a job), and one conversation unexpectedly turned into a referral straight to a UX director. Second, I leaned on personal networking—staying in touch with UX friends, meeting a UX manager through a creative event in Atlanta, and getting an office tour—so by the time I applied, people already knew who I was. Third, I explain how personal branding (sharing my YouTube videos and articles on LinkedIn) helped a hiring manager understand who I was before the interview even started, which turned the interview into a genuine conversation. Also: I’m not saying big companies equal success. Success is subjective, and sometimes big companies can honestly suck. The real takeaway is that networking increases your surface area for opportunity—and that can take you far in UX and in life.