I agree even though there are several ways, having a portedolio is the best. The first method I personally used was to work for the guy one week with ludicrous

I agree even though there are several ways, having a portedolio is the best. The first method I personally used was to work for the guy one week with ludicrously low pay. He said yes at 7$/h, but I would have gone down even more. This kick started my carrier enough to not worry about searching for jobs anymore. Second method I employed to get to the place I wanted to be was to build something that would impress them and publish it. It took 2 years and it worked. This is all anecdotal but it worked for me.