Is it semantics?

I have become what I can only refer to as a teaching whore; I think the rest of the world refers to it as networking.

I work part-time in a retail store and see many customers each day. As someone who is desperate to have a teaching job, it is amazing how many people I have talked to in an attempt to get leads on jobs. My boss (her husband is in education) started it all. While talking to customers, who she has found out are teachers, she says, "Oh, Alli is a English teacher who is looking for a job. Are there any positions opening up at your school?" It sounds intrusive, but the way she does it is just so natural that it doesn't (anymore) seem weird at all. She probably knows half the town, and uses any contact she has in an attempt to get me an interview. The other day I had a question about following up on an interview. She picked up her phone, called her husband (who was in CA at the time), said, "Alli has a question," and handed me the phone.

My boss also told me about a regular customer who is doing a career change to education. Every time the customer comes in now we talk education, I rejoiced with her when I heard she passed her Praxis tests (I am hoping she will be a good contact in the future).

A teacher in the area comes to ship things for her school. I have had many conversations with her and her husband (a teacher at a school farther away) about upcoming positions at their respective schools.

Since it takes customers some time to fill out paperwork, I have become observant. I struck up a conversation the other day with a guy after seeing his school badge. Similarly, after swiping a customer's credit card (NEA issued), I asked her where she taught. Slightly taken aback at my impressive knowledge, she told me she was retired. We then talked about how hard of an area this is to get teaching jobs. She was kind enough to tell me to move somewhere else because it was basically hopeless to get a job with my certification in this area.

All this because I just struck up a conversation (NEA card again, though he was a dentist, his brother was the teacher) with someone who was a friend of a board member at my old school. He suggested I check out a school in the area once he heard of my background; he has a golfing buddy with the school and thinks they might be hiring. He also told me that he thought NEA stood for National Extortion Association, I chuckled.

Anyone who knows me, knows that besides the observation part, this is totally uncharacteristic of me. I hate networking and the whole concept of needing to know someone to get a job instead of being judged by one's own merit. Heck, I actually even dislike talking to people I don't know well, especially about something that I really want.

So, am I a whore or someone zealously pursuing networking connections to get a job?