Same in the Bay Area. There are groups you literally have to be referred to get an audience. Then, there is a vetting process by the rest of the group. Some are very nice some are pure eitist.
If you don’t have anything to offer and just want to learn, and invitation is a great sign of what your peers actually think about YOU. A lot of the real techy types are usually Ham radio, heavy RC stuff, model railroaders and of course stereo buffs.. None of them make a living at their hobbies, that I know of. A lot of them work at the local labs in SV, Propulsion lab, Stanford and 50 others..
You all most need a securiety clearence to get into the club.. Some of these groups the patrons keep ice on their brain just to keep them from overheating.. :-)
Chicken feedin’ doesn’t come up too often either.. the subjet of dogs do.
I tend to lean toward the Stereo Terrier Groups.
They had really good groups in Oakland and San Francisco, but the whole group got stolen. They didn’t restart new ones. :-(
Regards