[mentalpiracy]

If not for employment opportunities, you should be (gently) exploiting these connections for educational value. They're in the industry and have likely seen examples of colleagues transitioning in from web/backend development. At the very least, they can easily tell you what mistakes to avoid.

I often have the same mindset you do about exploiting connections, and although it's been a struggle for me to change my habits, using people as educational outlets has been something that I've found to be extremely helpful to me personally and also often enhances my relationship with that individual as well.