Reply #35: No, it's not a dumb thing... happens to (almost) everyone [View All]

When you are in college you are surrounded by mostly single, young people with about the same social schedule as you. When you enter the workplace your co-workers are probably all in different stages of life, with families/ kids/ already established social lives.

What I did when I was in a similar position, was to make a special effort to do things that increased my chances of meeting new people with similar interests. I felt like I had out-grown the college bar scene, so I looked for other things to do. If you like playing Chess or Scrabble, there are usually local amateur clubs that meet in coffee shops in most decent-size cities - it's a great way to meet people. Look in your newspaper or internet for meeting times/ places. Also, volunteering with organizations like Habitat for Humanity will also help you meet people, while accomplishing something meaningful. Joining a gym helped me meet people too, oddly enough. Everyone at my gym was very friendly and I actually made some good friends from the gym, and with the added benefit of getting in shape! Another thing to try, if you have a favorite sports team, is to find a local fan club that meets at a sports bar to watch the game. It takes extra effort, but otherwise it's hard to meet people outside of work, especially if you have just moved to a new town from college.

Hope this helps :-) from someone who was in that position not too many years ago.

Edited to add a couple more suggestions -- if you like running or biking, there are all kinds of runners and bicyclists' clubs that meet on weekends. Also if you play sports look for local teams at the Y or corporate challege teams. You never know who you'll meet.