For us early career scholars, the IASC-ECN provides the space and time to build an intellectual community in which we can share and build social capital in a low-hierarchy environment as we find our “academic voice” and foster our leadership skills. Our participation in the ECN allows us to facilitate information flow, enlarge our professional networks, and create opportunities for cooperation, personal development, and mutual inspiration. Together, we continue to critically engage with the term “commons” and associated concepts, seek a deeper understanding of theoretical considerations and practical applications around informal rules, investigate the relationship between institutions and power, navigate interdisciplinarity, or explore polycentricity through different dedicated working groups. In this keynote, two of our members will share their personal experiences of becoming engaged in the ECN and how this has forged their personal and professional paths.