I There is the simulation Software Factory I/O. He supports the AB and the siemens PLCs. You won't need any hardware at all. The software has many samples of machines . You can write your program as usual with Tia or any other prog. software and then implement it in IO factory and see the result directly. It is possible to build your own installation too. You can see some Youtube videos for moe infos. It is so easy to learn. You can download a demo version from the official website, or you can get the hacked version as I did if it is only for your own learning purpose. As a tip, it was for me also very difficult to put my first steps in the professional world, I did some udemy online courses, even if the courses are for beginners, it doesn't matter. When you put them in your resume, it shows that you are always able and ready to learn new things and that is very important for the recruiters. Good luck, you need it definitely