Hi,
I might do a quick video on this. That said, portfolio sites / examples ... if you will, are better if they are real project clients. Prospective clients will fill more comfortable if they see that you've done work for other companies. Do 1 or 2 small projects for free ... if need be. But you can start with the course projects.
... Remember, that professional development has a lot to do with the process.
Laravel is the most popular PHP framework ... that's what we use. I think you will find more opportunities with Laravel overall.
Hope that helps.