Hacker? Find some local hackdays (ideally with a vague topic) and go along. Build anything you like, then try to find a way to make it from a hack into a product - viable or not.
There's nowhere better to find non-bullshitters and get attention if you're not awesome at networking. Small steps though.
There's nowhere better to find non-bullshitters and get attention if you're not awesome at networking. Small steps though.