I've been lurking on here for a while, trying to pick up tips and while I haven't actively gone out and consciously planned interactions, I think I've subconsciously picked up a few techniques.

Firstly, I'm 23 and a pretty shy guy, and while I've pulled before, I'm still a virgin. I studied physics at uni which I loved but can corner you socially. I recently got a job at an investment bank and make more than I expected at my age, and definitely more than anyone I know. While there's a lot more to life than money, you have to exploit the opportunities available. Take confidence from what you've got. My career's fucking sorted, one less thing to worry about.

I went out to a bar on Friday night with some friends. One of my mates was meeting a girl he regularly hooks up with who was there with some of her friends. My mate knowing them avoided any approach anxiety. I was introduced to one of the friends, K, as "an investment banker" (not strictly true but fuck it). And that was it. Maybe this girl is fucking crazy, but it was fucking easy. I just acted confident - and I was confident. My mindset was "I'm interesting, doing well and you're lucky you got to meet me tonight". I didn't have to say much, just asked questions. Honestly I can't really remember what I said because it didn't really matter.

5 minutes later she's literally dragging me by the belt to be alone. 20 minutes after that we're getting kicked out and banned by the bouncers for "being amorous in the toilets" - that's going on my fucking tombstone. After spending hours together in secluded streets, we ended up back at her parents (she's on her holidays from uni), but unfortunately no f-close due to the placement of her bedroom in relation to her parents.

What I learnt was to utilise what I've got, draw confidence from wherever, even if the situation is different. I've had little success with women, but I'll use whatever's available. Now I can draw confidence from this latest experience.

Tl;dr Confidence doesn't always need context