If you want to get ahead, you're going to have to hustle; I haven't met any developers who were handed opportunities on a silver platter. I suppose a few developers got lucky, and maybe a relative hired them at a very nice salary right out of school. And a few other developers managed to get great internships that led to other good opportunities. But for the vast majority of the people currently in college or just out of college, the only way to differentiate yourself and get the experience is to work, work, work. Period.