There are extremely few employers willing to hire a coder before certification. You will even hear the problem of certified coders without experience struggling to find coding positions. Can you find employment in the medical field before certification? ABSOLUTELY, but typically not as a coder. Take anything you can find in a medical practice or health system. Insurance verification. Appointment scheduler. Registration office. Front desk. These are all related positions where that knowledge can help you become a more well rounded coder as well as your coding knowledge help you perform those responsibilities.
Regarding CPB (at least in my area) I've never spoken to anyone making hiring decisions who cared at all about CPB certification. Typically biller requirement is either some type of prior work in a medical office or having gone through a local business school program. I must have hired and/or worked with 100 billers in my career and none were certified (including myself).
The work of a biller and the work of a coder are often intertwined and related, but the necessary skills can be different. In smaller practices (which are not as common anymore), one person often does both or part of both of those responsibilities. In larger healthcare organizations, everything is more compartmentalized and typically hire for one or the other.
In my opinion, the best coders understand billing (even if not experts) and the best billers understand coding (again, even if they don't know the guidelines, they understand guidelines exist). Learning both should help you become a more desirable employee regardless of which path you choose.
If you've completed your coding courses, I would strongly recommend taking your CPC as soon as possible. Once you are no longer studying and not using those skills in your work, it is very easy to forget some of those guidelines. Also, since coding books are annual, if you don't take and pass the CPC before 12/31/2023, you will need to purchase next year's books for the exam. And if you're a BHAT fan (I personally am not), you will need to do all that annotation in your new books.
My recommendation summary:
1) Take your CPC ASAP.
2) Look for any medical field position while studying for CPB.
3) As soon as your billing training is complete, take the CPB.
4) See if your employer from #2 has any possibility of moving you to a position where your new certifications and skills will be relevant and compensated for. If not, then start looking elsewhere.
Good luck!!