[p0d]

All the major changes in my life in IT have centred around networking or 'friends' as I would call it.

Key opportunites have come from a school friend, the husband of a wife's friend, a friend from church and a friend I worked in a supermarket with in my teens.

I'm not sure how much you can make these things happen. Be a good friend and try to live in the moment. As in don't stress about what may or may not happen in 6 months. Plan, work hard and see what happens.

There is a lot of good advice here about joining tech communities. These are great spaces for learning...not sure about them being a place where others will have your back. Stick to people you can literally poke on that front :-)