Personally, I've gotten tired of the "networking" buzz word. Basically it's the current way of stating the old proverb "it's not always what you know, but who you know".
Dismissing friend/family job opportunities outright may not always be to your advantage - but you need to be the judge about the type of "jobs" they are recommending. If it's them feeding you random job openings they are finding...only act if it's something you think you are interested in. If the person actually works at the place and thinks you'd like working there - that might be an opportunity to investigate, particularly if the friend/family member knows your qualification and passions and feels this job would make a good fit for you.
Sometimes those latter recommendations are better than a counselor's as your friend probably has a deeper understanding of what you are looking for.
That's how I got the career I'm currently in - via a friend's recommendation (or "networking" before it became a buzz term). We were friends from a dance club and from our common major in college. I was a few years ahead of her, and when she graduated and needed a job, I got her a job at a LensCrafters where I had made lab manager. After a few months there, she got a job at a computer programming company, and she recommended I interview there as they were looking for more people. I investigated the opportunity she provided me, got an interview, and eventually got the job...and it was a big step up from where I was.