You're right, it's hard for beginners to break into the industry. But here's the thing — it was always hard, even when I was transitioning from graphic design to UX many years ago.

Here's how I did it: I freelanced, published my designs on websites like Dribbble to get more work. As a designer you also need to know how to promote yourself. I was continually reading up on how to improve my work, my processes, my mentality as a designer. This all reflected in the quality of my work as it gradually got better. Eventually I was able to write case studies and landed my first job.

It's not simple, it's quite hard actually. But it's one way that works.