I am asking specifically from the Software Engineering / Development field fo work, but it can likely be applied to a great many other fields.
I would like to know how others go about finding peers to discuss the more abstract or theoretical aspects of their craft/trade/field to a degree that a "9-to-5er" would typically just not care about.
In my work life I find it difficult to engage others in discussions about computer science theories, or even obtain advice about perceived best practices. Those who have the knowledge and experience seem too burnt out with the industry to care, and those without are usually in the industry for the status & pay.
So how / where do you find people who care?
Basically looking for people interested in hacking on databases, compilers, emulators, browsers, operating systems, distributed systems, etc. Anything cool software internals? Come hang out. Introduce yourself in #hacking-introductions.
But also, you're in the right place. Hacker News and Lobsters are great communities for this. Plus good quality Reddits like /r/programminglanguages, /r/compilers, /r/emudev, /r/databasedevelopment, /r/networkdevelopment, etc.
The /r/emudev sub has an awesome Discord server and I hear the /r/programminglanguages sub has an awesome Discord too.
[0] discord.multiprocess.io
[1] meetup.com/hackernights