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A group of friends eat dinner and talk in Holladay Friday, March 15, 2013. As college graduates leave the cocoon of a strong social support network, learning where and how to meet people in the professional adult world as a young adult can help many feel connected again.

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY Twenty-seven-year-old Janae Jacobs has always had many friends.

From kindergarten to college, play dates to parties, each social network has facilitated the cultivation of meaningful relationships.

But when Jacobs graduated from BYU and moved from Provo to a professional adult world in San Jose, Calif., she felt very alone.

Without a close student community, I had no links to events that formed my social network, Jacobs said. I knew nobody.

Jacobs story is not uncommon. As college graduates leave the cocoon of a strong social support network, learning where and how to meet people in the professional adult world as a young adult can help many feel connected again.

In 2000, young adults, ages 25 to 34, consisted of 14.6 percent of Utah's population, according to theU.S. Census Bureau. That number continues to climb.By 2010, young adults consisted of 16.1 percent of Utahs population.

Great effort is given to networking for careers, with educators and mentors offering help to young adults as they head out into the world. But how do you meet someone for friendship, companionship, or for love?

Learning to look up

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Social networking : Young adults searching for a way to connect