The three steps to networking: 1. Find conversations with people who are working on problems aligned with your interests. Be present. Listen and pay attention.

The three steps to networking: 1. Find conversations with people who are working on problems aligned with your interests. Be present. Listen and pay attention. 2. Ask questions which demonstrate your genuine curiosity about their problems and how they overcame struggles with them. "Clean Language" questions are a neat hack which does authentically work here. 3. Do the boring admin work of sending an email expressing gratitude for their time and following up on opportunities to help out and learn more. The intro book here is How to Win Friends and Influence People. Also, Half of Models by Mark Manson is also relevant (gender is mostly irrelevant) because the underlying philosophical principles are the same. EDIT: Berne Brown is probably more relevant than Mark Manson.