I studied audio engineering in college before I switched programs. I knew a lot of people graduating ahead of me with plenty of skill and talent who couldn't find jobs. Even internships were hard to impossible without being friends with someone who owned a studio. One of my friends told me to just drop out and spend my tuition money on my own studio, because he learned more in one year working for himself than he did in four years in school.
When I got interested in brewing, I ran into a similar situation with brewers. Even when I lived in Denver, I couldn't find breweries who were willing to take on interns or volunteers. Most of the breweries I talked to either had their friends volunteering already, or didn't want to deal with the hassle of volunteers. Like in audio, I think brewers are looking at the kids trying to get started and thinking about how that'll slice into their piece of pie, so I don't blame them for not training new people.
I know finding a way into the brewing industry is something a lot of people struggle with, even people with brewing degrees and lots of internship experience. If nepotism and money can get me into the brewing industry, I'll take it.