[fepa]

Of course you need to start networking, your network is the number one thing that will help you pursue your career and open doors to places you want to be. The question is not if, it is how. I suggest you go to local meetups (perhaps hackathons or usergroups, for example here in Sweden we have SHRUG, Stockholm Ruby User Group) and meet other hackers, people that are passionate about programming. Talk to them, get to know them and hit them up on LinkedIn and Twitter afterwards. Remember to keep in touch, a good way is over lunch if your work locations are nearby. Networking and keeping ones network alive is hard and requires effort, but it will pay in the long run.