People won't pay to hire people without a portfolio
They will pay me because I'm the best at what I do.
And I'll work on projects because I like programming a lot.
I did most of my first projects for free/tips just to start building my portfolio... No offense but I'm sure people would hire me over you since I have work experience to show them.
That's because you're not as good as I am. I don't need a portfolio, I'm just
extremely good at what I do.