This is a course that pushes you to explore the world outside the boundaries of the course. You test a real-world application writing and evaluating bugs, perhaps contributing to the test plan or other troubleshooting. This gives you an opportunity to build a reputation with people who might help your career later, in many other ways.

There are different opportunities for software testers to interact with people with similar interests:

• International communities like The Association for Software Testing, Ministry of Testing, and Women in Testing offer many networking opportunities through their forums or slack channels, and more.
• Some renowned conferences, like EuroStar and Agile Testing Days, have discussion groups and blogs, where they create a context for you to engage with other professionals.
• Your local community is another place to get to know your peers, either by participating or actively contributing to their workshops and meet-ups.

Becoming an active part of these communities is a good way to get noticed – and if your participation is constructive and useful, it is a good way to build a path to your next job.

Phil Agre provides a superb guide: How to Be a Leader in Your Field: A Guide for Students in Professional Schools. This is primarily for university doctoral students, but much of the advice is useful for undergraduates or working professionals who want to reach out to a broader community.