One of the ways I started and continually improve that network is by interviewing for programmer jobs. I am almost constantly interviewing. It keeps my skills u

One of the ways I started and continually improve that network is by interviewing for programmer jobs. I am almost constantly interviewing. It keeps my skills up to spec, helps me do well with typical programmer interviews, I always have my ear to the rail for a new opportunity, and best of all, I'm continually meeting new and interesting people working on cool projects. I've been interviewed by people that later I befriended and then helped get positions at companies that I knew were hiring. It is an excellent way to form and maintain this network of like-minded people. I'll warn you though that this is a time-consuming and sometimes very draining hobby. I've never gone into an interview saying to myself that I would not take the job, but there have been times when I regretted going. It sometimes helps you know which companies to avoid. I'd start local and then if this is something you can handle, only then start interviewing in other cities.