What you do is say, "Screw 'em!" You get the experience YOURSELF. This is why each and everyone of us needs to have a community developed WHERE WE LIVE so that we can find those willing to hire us. Much of the time, it's who you know, not what you know.
Just recently, I went to Sherwood Forest Festival outside of Austin. They just concluded their fourth season (first opened three years ago). Anyway, I had emailed the yahoo group for the faire just before I left, saying that I was interested in joining the rennie world (a world where people who work in the Renaissance/Medieval/Fantasy faires or are ardent fans) and wanting to become an apprentice in a trade.
The ONLY reason that I have now an apprenticeship doing chainmailling and a possible one in sustainable-shelter-making is because of who I know. I was with my clan at the campground next to the faire on Friday night, and I happened to mentioned to one of them what I was looking for. He made the suggestion of picking up a trade that I can do at home to at least get my feet wet and not disrupt my present life by going on the road just yet. He hooked me up with my new master, who will be training me later this month. I walked around in the faire, and I noticed a dress shop that I had seen a few times in the past and wanted to get, but didn't have the money at the time. The tent making thing is separate from his faire business, but I had asked him about making the dresses he sells at his shoppe, and we had a long conversation in which we got to know each other fairly well. That led to the tent-making thing. So, I'm supposed to go back to Sherwood to help him make his tents on one of the performances stages which will provide the room. Hopefully, I'll be there for a solid week or two.
The job I got at REI happened ONLY because my sister had told me about a friend of hers who had a family member working for REI, and we rounded 'bout the loop to get me an interview. I've got ten years with them (I first started in '91 and took time off for a long time).
If you can't get in that way, you have to screw 'em and go your own way. Let me ask - what is it you want to sell?