I'd say get hired at any role that pays what you want for your seniority and simply work and learn. Courses won't matter that much if you don't implement somet

I'd say get hired at any role that pays what you want for your seniority and simply work and learn. Courses won't matter that much if you don't implement something (might give you a point or two on an interview but don't overinvest) and upwork would be absolutely exploitative work and you probably would not gain as much as working with others who can share a thing or two. Having a shared codebase is critical for growing as a software developer and not being too clever. OP should just work and learn. Bring his enthusiasm but also humbleness and grow. He can keep his options open and move companies rapidly if he is already there but getting stable work and improving his communication should probably be his first goals to achieve.