A lot of people will usually recommend signing up for courses or joining clubs to make new friends as an adult. This is definitely good advice, since it puts you in contact with people who share your interests! However, I've found that a lot of these courses or clubs cost money, or they require a schedule that's difficult to fit into an adult life. I've had the most luck making friends at local music shows so far. This way, you're around people that still share at least one of your interests (music taste), and you'll usually have more in common from there. After leaving the "bubble" of my university, I felt very isolated at first. After a few months of going to shows on my own here and there, I started to recognize some familiar faces in the scene & made new connections with a few people. I'd recommend picking a couple bands to keep up with, or following a few local booking companies on social media. If you don't vibe with the crowd at the ones you chose, you can always switch lanes and try different venues! Different groups/venues usually attract different age ranges as well, so if you notice people are too far out of your range at your show, just keep trying other options. I've realized that there's actually multiple scenes inside my local scene, which may be the case for a lot of midsize-to-bigger cities/areas. If you find venues, bands, or booking groups that support certain causes you care about, then most people in the crowd will also share your values, not just your interests! Typically the shows are very cheap, and they're irregular instead of attending a recurring class, so you can decide when you feel like socializing. Even if you don't meet people you connect with, it's nice to feel like a part of a bigger community & get out of the house sometimes. Going out frequently can be draining to some people, so once you meet some people from the shows, you can start inviting them to other activities or hangouts that might be more lowkey & easier to manage!
