It's a whole lot easier to get started if you apply for jobs where you'd right in-house apps, for tech support or for system or network administration.

I did all three.

Actually the vast majority of computer software is never released to the public. For example I wrote image processing software for an aerial photography firm. Our "product" was hardcopies of our photos, as well as expert interpretations of what our customers should do, based on what our experts found in the photos.

So my own "customers" were those experts.