[nmrm]

For me, the social aspect of college was about a lot more than forming a "professional network".

I learned a lot and grew as a person interacting with people outside of my area who will probably never (directly) provide me with a competitive advantage in the job marketplace. However, I know what I don't know in much deeper ways than I otherwise would.

Attending meetups might get you this for the very narrow slice of the world that is CS.