DIY: TECH cocktail where you can make friends and connections at the same time.

Times are hard. Not every graduate has his or her dream job. What's a struggling young professional to do? When the going gets tough, the techies go networking.

If you have an interest in technology, as in being online, working online, creating a the next "killer app," or just networking to find collaborators to help you create the startup business you know will succeed, first check out the Chicago TECH cocktail site , and then their events. TECH cocktail is an umbrella social network site with lots of local sites, designed as "A community for developers, designers, bloggers, technology enthusiasts & entrepreneurs interested in technology in local communities". As a student, going to events like those sponsored by TECH cocktail, will let you discover opportunities you hadn't heard or thought of. It is a way to meet people to find out about internships, "the next big thing," and to begin to establish your "brand" in the world beyond school. Lest it sound too serious, it is also a social event, where you can meet new friends F2F, instead of online.

See TECH cocktail COMMUNITY in action.

In April, they are sponsoring Startup Weekend , an intense 54 hour event aimed at bringing brilliant tech minds (developers, designers, marketers, etc.) together. The idea is to get people connected and working to create a company (or as many as the community wants) from concept to launch!

The idea of Startup Weekend is to combine fun and business, in a highly interactive weekend that encourages technology entrepreneurship. Over the weekend of April 3-5th, there will be Startup Weekend events in many other cities, pitting Chicago's best minds against the rest of the "technosphere."

To learn more about Startup Weekend Chicago please visit the website. http://chicago.startupweekend.com/ or to register, go to http://chicagostartupweekend.eventbrite.com/