Not sure why you are getting downvotes, this is a sound take.
I'll springboard off it: what are some good ways to network? I'm 40 and have been ignoring these skills for too long, opting for the "hard work" path, and seeing the limits of that. Confs? Open source? Talks? Twitter (please no)?
Honestly I just like talking to people, so I automatically build a network.
The best why however seems to be helpful. Solving a minor issue for someone in accounting may seem like nothing, but it’s important to them and they will remember you.
networking to consciously grow your network is about as useful as growing your followers so... you have a lot of followers.
What can you offer? what do you want to share? what are your passions? What brings you great joy?
Define some of these and then look for people who share your values. "do things that don't scale" as in find a handful of people and reach out directly. small focused networks are superior to large dispersed networks
I'll springboard off it: what are some good ways to network? I'm 40 and have been ignoring these skills for too long, opting for the "hard work" path, and seeing the limits of that. Confs? Open source? Talks? Twitter (please no)?