I hear you. I played normal Creative for 3 years before I got my Creator Code. When I saw UEFN thank god I already had my code because if I didn’t I would have not been able to enjoy it. However you can get a code with 1,000 followers by submitting a map to Epic Games using a form. If Epic likes what you gave them, they may waive the requirement. That’s how I got my code.
Form: https://www.fortnite.com/creative/creative-submission-form