There are guilds capable of clearing 10n/25n raids that don't really require much gear. It's really easy to get 5.5k GS in a few days with some gold and spending time on dungeons/pug raids as much as possible. With that gear you can get into a 25n farming guild, specially if you prove you're smart and knowledgeable about the game. Farming 25 normals can get you around 6k+ GS, then you apply for better guilds to farm Heroic content. That's how WoW has always been. Of course your way to gear up and farm Heroic content will be easier and faster if you have contacts and friends to carry or vouch for you in good guilds.