As Woody Allen said, the secret to success is, "Just turn up." I have seen this validated many times in life, often too late to capitalise on it myself, but in general aviation it is still very true.
Guys who hang around being useful may get some stick and teasing initially, but they soon get to understand the language and culture of aviation. And then they start to fit in. The phrase "sweeping the hangar floor" is as relevant today as it was 40 years ago when it was one of the few ways into aviation. These days you may need to go and do an H&S course in Sweeping to be allowed near the hangar, but in a strange way that makes you more useful.
I loved just being around aircraft in 1965 as a teenager, and hung around the local gliding club trying to be helpful. It worked, I was encouraged by good people and gained a grounding and understanding of that level of flying which helped me greatly in my aviation career. At interview at Biggin Hill, when the team saw that I had been flying gliders since the age of 14 they knew that I was not just interviewing for the glamour or the chicks, I was a "Total Aviation Person" as Flight Magazine put it.
And I still am totally enthralled by aviation, and when I see a keen but hesitant person hanging around I will try to give them something to see or do, some experience that they can take forward as a building block for their future. Guys did it for me, I shall keep on the tradition.
Little aside, recently we had an airshow near here, and a friend took a couple of his young staff along to watch. One of them said it was the best day of his life, and he is mid twenties.