Hi there, I'm in a similar boat as you, in that my social circle is decidedly non-geek. I've also been on a career path that, although pays well, hasn't been a

Hi there, I'm in a similar boat as you, in that my social circle is decidedly non-geek. I've also been on a career path that, although pays well, hasn't been anywhere close to the interesting stuff that I figure I should be working on given my background. So for the past couple of years, I've been working on side projects that have been much more interesting to me than my day job. It's been a bit of a sacrifice in terms of social life and other hobbies, but ultimately worth it. After my current contract ends in January, I'm planning to take some time off from my main line of work to try and get a personal project off the ground. If nothing else, I'll just get even more experience doing interesting stuff. It's up to you to decide on what kind of financial footing you want to be before making any kind of drastic change. Moving from Dallas to SF would (I think) be a bit of a hit on the wallet. I don't think you need to necessarily get out to California in order to get started. There are a bunch of things you can get involved in over the internet so that you can get geared up. That said, the meetups can be motivating, so it would definitely be a boost if you decided to move. In the meantime, maybe you can meet up with other like-minded folks around Dallas as well (or maybe Austin?) Anyway, sorry for the ramble, hope you figure out something that works for you!