[greyostrich]

"Did you teach yourself most of what you know before going to college?"

No. It was during college. I transferred from community college, then graduated in 1.5 years. Outside of classes, I spent time on improving.

"Go to a company hosted meetup event, mingle with the employees and if your interested let them know."

This has worked twice for me already. The hardest part is usually everyone has 10+ years of experience, so it's tough to connect myself to them.

"Look for events that require participation from those attending and help others when they are stuck."

Good idea.