Having conducted technical interviews after managers have screened the candidates' resumes, I second this. Businesses absolutely look at example works, precisely because it's what they care about: it doesn't take a leap of the imagination that if someone has churned out excellent work for hire, that they can do it again once hired on.

It's a bit harder for prospective employers to take someone at their word without works that they can point to, or can succinctly describe said works in sufficient detail.

Well, I have no previous work experience like that, but I have a friend that runs a house renovation business and one who runs a concrete finishing business. Both of them I think also have lots of good connections.

What I was thinking I could do is ask them if they need a website or anything or know somebody that does and do stuff either for free or for really cheap at first. Also, focus on making stuff that's better and more complicated (I mean, not just stuff like simple landing pages) than what an AI or cheap programmers from places like India or China could do.

Or larger companies start to notice the large gaps in security affecting their bottom line due to reviews with large lines of code getting what's a rubber stamp at best.

I'm guessing this will take years though, companies tend to not care unless they lose large contracts and are happy to throw individual managers or directors under the bus to appease a client.