I went through the same path. I started with some personal projects. I used them to get part-time programming jobs in a university hospital. I used that to get

I went through the same path. I started with some personal projects. I used them to get part-time programming jobs in a university hospital. I used that to get a job at a desperate startup. I used that to get a job at a larger company. And so on. It is easier to move up gradually than in big leaps.