Hey!
1. It depends on whether you have a basic knowledge of engineering. If yes, there are fewer blockchain courses, but they exist. If you are only diving in, it will be easier to find something entry-level. With a decent knowledge of engineering, you may try to apply for different scholarships as well. Or, if there are any online bootcamps in your area.

2. Yep, check Coursera first, but outline the best one. Try to notice which ones offer certificates and which ones do not. In addition, it's always a great thing to start educating yourself via YouTube. I always recommend creating a LinkedIn profile, as many devs use it to share thoughts, present ideas, hire, etc...

3. Programming, blockchain fundamentals (I mean even the super basic things), smart contract development, familiarity with tools, and fields.

4. As I understood, you're only at the beginning of your path. I think at least 6 months to get used to everything. After? All the time. There is always something to learn about.
But if you're already a dev, much less, as you only need to dive into the smart contract development.

5. Nope, it's the best part of working in this field. Of course, it's a plus. But there will be many more steps in your interviews, where exactly only the real skills/knowledge will be evaluated.

Focus on forums; try to collect some kind of base where blockchain developers share thoughts and communicate. There is always something to read here. I often open the dev section and try to answer the questions from the discussion. Just for myself. This way you can test yourself. Good luck!

P.S. I can already see many sources, which Bitcointalk users shared here. It's great.