I'm not going to tell you anything surprising here, it's an age old saying: Patience is a virtue.
There are monks that take an eternity to reach enlightenment, and if it's something you really want you should have passion for obtaining it. You're right, saying things like you need to go network and it takes time is very ambiguous and vague. But what fun is your journey if I gave you every answer? You'd lose passion, give up this hobby and like a lot of other people, sell off everything you have for another passion/hobby.
I still love keyboards today because there is still so much I can learn from people. I reach out, I email, I PM, I discuss and I try. It's a passion, something you have a deep intimate relationship for.