As someone that has worked in the office and now from home I wouldn't consider making "friends" at the office to be a substitute for making friends outside of w

As someone that has worked in the office and now from home I wouldn't consider making "friends" at the office to be a substitute for making friends outside of work. Check some of the event type apps such as meetup, they usually have quite a few fun things on there with cool people to meet doing all sorts of hobbies. Then again, it is true that tech can be quite lonely and solitary work, so as you mentioned a career shift may be in order.