Are these viable ways to get tech writing experience prior to applying for a job?

##Three things I'm considering:

• Approaching companies about an internship. There aren't any listed in my area, but I live in Massachusetts and I know there are a lot of tech writers out here.
• Taking online classes. I don't have the money to take courses at a college or anywhere else. But I know there are some free courses online. If you think it's a good idea and you can recommend any I would seriously appreciate it.
• Making mock-writing samples. I don't have access to many programs but I can edit in Adobe InDesign and MS Word. (If there are free programs you could recommend, let me know!) I'm on the fence about which sector I would fit into (instructional design, software, manufacturing, govt are all things I'm interested in) so I haven't decided what kind of sample I should make. If you think this is a reasonable thing to do to get experience, what kind of mock-writing sample would look good in a portfolio?

##Brief, relevant background:

B.A. English, writing tutor for several years, briefly attended grad school in journalism (did not finish). All of my published experience is in SEO writing (marketing).

I've considered switching gears to tech writing for quite a while. It seems like it would be nice to write something that can actually be useful, rather than just clickbait bullshit. And I've always been interested in tech and STEM careers, I'm just not the best at coding and have no engineering experience.

Thanks for reading!