Find someone you respect and send them a short 1-2 paragraph email or DM with a specific question asking for advice. If they reply, thank them and send another question in six to twelve months. If they subsequently ask you for a favor or question, do what you can to help. If they don’t reply, don’t worry about it; just move on without comment. This works surprisingly well, and the worst thing that can happen is totally fine: they’ll just never reply.
