> you wouldn't expect someone who's an assistant manager at McDonald's to finish their law degree and start a new job as senior partner at the law firm

I think the metaphor's a little off (I have programming experience, and what'd be more apt is a McDonald's corporate ops manager moving into in-house legal after getting law degree + passing the bar), but I get what you meant!

If you were in a similar position, how would you build a portfolio that shows you have programming skills, and aren't just good at prompting?