I've experienced this time and time over, and I'm refusing to believe it's a coincidence. It's incredibly apparent nepotism is just a core human behavior, and it just kills my motivation to succeed.
On numerous occasions I've asked people for help on recommendations. Or I'll inquire about: Well, how did you start? How did you become successful? Do you have a suggestion for me? Can I use your name to get my foot in the door?
People just completely shut down in conversations like that. They will often change the subject to how successful they are, or how far they've come to get where they are, and how glorious their job and income is. But they rarely directly help you. And ironically, these are the same type of people to bitch about those receiving unemployment, or how “no one wants to work anymore”.