Networking without feeling pushy, administrative assistant here

I want to talk to people in a new field but I hate cold messages. I am in Raleigh, in case local advice matters. I worry about bothering people.

I asked what they wish they had known at my stage. People enjoy answering that.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.