Trying to break into the field...

Hi All! Back when the economy took a turn for the worse I had just earned my masters degree in training and performance improvement. Because of my lack of concrete work experience in this field, I have not been able to find a job doing what I really want to do...I have been working in training/performance improvement roles "unofficially" in almost every job I've had, but it doesn't really translate to my resume. And, the more I learn about instructional design, the more I really want to work in the field. I recently read an article with a great suggestion that even if you don't work in the field currently, you can still put a portfolio together using practice scenarios (for example: https://community.articulate.com/series/e-learning-challenges/articles/how-to-show-comparisons-elearning). However, these are hard to do without the proper software! I feel like I have a good background in the theory and concepts of the field, and I just really need someone to take a chance on me! Does anyone have any suggestions on things I can do to help me become a more marketable candidate? Are there additional key strengths that I can illustrate when trying to get a job in the field or suggestions for other ways to demonstrate my knowledge and abilities without that concrete work experience? I am very willing to start at the very bottom and go from there. Thanks for your time!