ASK FOR HELP is an online networking platform that allows students, professors, and professionals to connect, share questions and insights, and find mentorship opportunities, internships, volunteering, and jobs. The site aims to create a comfortable environment where anyone can ask any level of question. Professionals can discuss industry needs and what is taught in school, while students can learn from professional forums and get career advice and guidance from mentors. The site also facilitates in-person networking events to help build relationships.

1. ASK FOR HELP creates an active networking environment for students, professors, and professionals
to share their questions & insights while making connections for mentorship, internships, volunteers,
and employment. The first step is comfort, so any participant should feel comfortable asking any
question within the site, however basic it may seem. Afterall, not everyone has the same level of
comfort with new technologies or access to the same set information.
Professionals and professors will be able to discuss what is needed in the field and what is being
taught in school, students can watch forums where professionals are discussing partivular needs,
and professionals can mentor, coach, and advise students and other professionals on how to get
started in or continue on their career path, what tools are currently available for networking and how
to best use them. Going beyond just a digital realm, real-world events will occur as well to make
personal connections and build stronger relationships.
© 2013 Patrick Fredrickson
PROBLEM
a twenty-something, motivated, graduate student actively develpping network opportunities and
professional experience and guidance NEEDS A WAY TO transer her education into aggressive chal-
lenges and opportunites right out of school BECAUSE the connections have been made, skills have
been developed, basic priciples of working have already been covered, and the future of life is not
yet getting in the way

2. to first access the site, you ask any job or career related question.

3. not sure where to start? need a boost? a list of past questions can help you get started.

4. a basic answer is shared from three sources: a student, an academic, a professional in the field

5. if it’s a new question, queries that seem related will be posed to help guide along. the question will
be submitted to advisors for a response.

6. after getting base answer, create user account to go further. the more info, the better the results.
adding in social media information will allow advisors to guide you on best use of these sites for
career development.

7. more indepth responses available after account is created. (thinking about it now, kind of webmd-
ish?) responses come from advisors again from students, academics, and professionals

8. responses and questions can be very specific

9. the meat of the application/site: allowing participants to actively engage with others in the field.
physical & virtual meet-ups are scheduled for more networking options, abilities to engage with other
students, mentors, professionals

10. tools to explore available options for mentorship, volunteering, interning, or jobs; area to post jobs,
internships, mentorships professionals have or have a connection to