Actually if you have the skills people will seek you out. The trick is to repair things and demonstrate said skills. Since most of the vintage gear is easily covered by a 100Mhz oscilloscope, a DMM, and a 10Mhz signal generator you can do a lot of that. Fixing things you pick up at thrift shops will help you develop the mindset and 'bodging' skills, then work your way up to more interesting things. You will be amazed at what you find in the bin at some places.