Being shy and lonely sucks, but can chose to rise above it. My approach is to pretend (to myself only) to be an interviewer. Go up to people at gatherings and

Being shy and lonely sucks, but can chose to rise above it. My approach is to pretend (to myself only) to be an interviewer. Go up to people at gatherings and ask questions and be interested in the answers. You'll be surprised how quickly people open up and you will learn heaps of interesting stuff. BTW there's more to life than technology. I have been introduced to some amazing technical people through non-tech social contacts. When asked about what you do, you could briefly describe it and follow-on with a comment about not knowing many others in high-tech. You'll be surprised what the connections being offered.