> but at least where I live knowing the right people is extremely important if you want to get a job in the IT/software industry.

I guess it really does depend on the place you live and the type of person you are as well. I graduated from college in the US in 2015 and had zero connections to the industry within my family or friend group. I still got an internship doing programming, and then after college managed to get my first job a few states away from home. And then after that I got a great job closer to home, and now work remotely at an awesome job.

Somehow, I got all of these job offers by cold applying through the company website. Zero referrals. Granted this was a few years ago and I know the job market has changed since then. But my point is it really does depend, every circumstance is unique.

i've seen people fail and struggle for many reasons. It's not easy out there!