Introverts. How do you network when your motivation is just money and you don't want to fake interest in people?
Context:
I consider myself an introvert. About once or twice a year I go through periods of intense social activity – during these times I easily make new friends, take part in different activities like acting classes or trampolining; in general, my social life is thriving. But then I start getting tired of it, gradually reduce the intensity of social interactions, and just stay at home. I have a wife and a couple of friends with whom we often play CS; this level of socialization is enough for me. Sometimes it's even too much, and I spend days completely alone. In most cases I feel self-sufficient when I'm alone, but sometimes I feel the need to recharge emotionally from people – when I go out, I like being the center of attention and I really enjoy provoking emotions in people, usually through humor. But this only happens in real life, I don't use social media.
Problem:
Right now reality is forcing me to build new connections with people. The job market has changed because of AI, and my old professional contacts have become irrelevant, while I haven't built new ones for a long time. So now is the moment when I need to do it in order to maintain my previous standard of living, but I'm currently in a phase where social interaction is difficult for me, which significantly reduces my creativity and engagement when dealing with new people.
My strengths in work are responsibility, honesty, moral principles, fast learning, and ability to design and develop full-stack systems. I don't like approaching strangers and pretending that I want to help them when in reality from the very beginning my goal is to earn money. I don't like pretending to be interested in something when my main interest right now is money. Actually, you need money first - it frees up space in your head from thoughts about basic benefits for your family, and only then can you think about contributing to society or your own interests. I can behave differently to achieve results, but this is how I feel, and from my experience, building a strategy based on my feelings is the most correct approach. But seriously, what kind of strategy is even possible in this case? Has anyone been in a similar situation?
TL;DR:
Introvert with cyclical social energy: I alternate between highly social phases and long isolation. Now I urgently need to rebuild professional connections because the job market changed (AI made old contacts obsolete), but I currently struggle with socializing and feel unmotivated/inauthentic networking just for money. Looking for strategies or experiences from people who've been in a similar situation.