This is such an underrated way of getting jobs, but it's understandable given that this field is appealing to introverts and shy individuals. If you can networ

This is such an underrated way of getting jobs, but it's understandable given that this field is appealing to introverts and shy individuals. If you can network the old fashioned way, then you have a really powerful tool in your arsenal that can potentially blow away all the hours you'd spend finding jobs the online/millennial way. What it's all about is social proof. Merely showing up to some sort of technical meetup gives you more social proof than otherwise because it means you are at least interested in the work beyond the money making level. Give a presentation, no matter how shitty, and you are even more passionate than average. Talk to people and bring up "war stories", and you are relatable and you may even come off as smarter than you really are. If you can hang out with attendees afterwards at an after party or at a bar, people can know you're cool to be around at a personal level. Right now this will still hard to pull off properly because of the disease and all the mask wearing, but I foresee this strategy making a big comeback in the near future. It's not that you can't do it now, but I think there will be a hunger for this kind of interaction, and that's going to lead to the judgment of people in charge of hiring being compromised (in a good way). The "metaverse" and Zoom calls don't cut it in the face of the sort of one-on-one interactions you get with real networking.