As someone who has changed jobs twice in the last year, here's my tip: There're few reasons to worry.
One thing that'll happen eventually is talk about work. And any talk is good to open new paths of conversation. Someone complaining about the boss? Tell a personal history, filled with baits.
- Oh, I was working in city XXX when I was XXX years old, and got late because of XXX and my car XXX, and this really cool girl with XXX qualities saw me entering the building, and she said XXX but...
And these XXX will say something about your personality, and it's a hook to let the other person say something, family close to XXX, when their car also XXX, and how they like girls with XXX, and how Alice from accounting has these qualities, and Bob from Legal tried once to ask her out, etc...
I don't want to teach you how to socialize, but on a new job you might want to speed up the process.
Also, remember that old people with kids once were your age too. And you're going to be who they are, sometime in the future.
I have a boss, 40-something, with 2 kids. You would not believe the stories that he tell me about his past. He has 3 scars from knife fights, a part of his head where hair doesn't grow because someone hit him with a bat when he was with two girls in a bar, and so many others... now he's a PMI/ITIL/Scrum certified type of person, but also a god-like in Linux administration, who actually plugged the first server into the wall socket for the most successfull brazilian internet company (UOL), and I don't have any doubts he would sacrifice his life to give his children a confortable life.
One thing that'll happen eventually is talk about work. And any talk is good to open new paths of conversation. Someone complaining about the boss? Tell a personal history, filled with baits.
- Oh, I was working in city XXX when I was XXX years old, and got late because of XXX and my car XXX, and this really cool girl with XXX qualities saw me entering the building, and she said XXX but...
And these XXX will say something about your personality, and it's a hook to let the other person say something, family close to XXX, when their car also XXX, and how they like girls with XXX, and how Alice from accounting has these qualities, and Bob from Legal tried once to ask her out, etc...
I don't want to teach you how to socialize, but on a new job you might want to speed up the process.
Also, remember that old people with kids once were your age too. And you're going to be who they are, sometime in the future.
I have a boss, 40-something, with 2 kids. You would not believe the stories that he tell me about his past. He has 3 scars from knife fights, a part of his head where hair doesn't grow because someone hit him with a bat when he was with two girls in a bar, and so many others... now he's a PMI/ITIL/Scrum certified type of person, but also a god-like in Linux administration, who actually plugged the first server into the wall socket for the most successfull brazilian internet company (UOL), and I don't have any doubts he would sacrifice his life to give his children a confortable life.
Anyway, good luck, and try to have fun.