> he can raise his rates to $80 an hour and be swamped with takers right now.
I think it's late enough that I'm not diverting the thread here.
Any suggestions on how a developer can get himself noticed in this on-fire market? I'm competent, but nothing special by HN standards. Typical biz app type stuff that wouldn't impress anyone here. As far as I know I have no serious red flags: I have a modest portfolio of completed work, I'm friendly, responsive, etc.
My local economy is huddled up in turtle mode, there's not much going on locally. I find work sometimes from my personal network, and sometimes from Craiglist ("scrounging"). My former clients like me, but they rarely have any leads for new work.
(Note, I'm not actually a RoR developer. Looking for general advice. Also, I can't relocate, and I typically work remotely.)
I read comments like yours, and I think I must be missing something important. I know there are a lot of freelancers who have cracked the nut and have work coming to them. However, there's also a lot of other ones like me that can't seem to get any momentum going.
Any general advice for guys who'd like to be on fire, but somehow seem to be damp wood?