I landed my initial contracts through registering on get a freelancer (GAF), getacoder, rentacoder (RAC), all the common freelance sites. It is very competitive

I landed my initial contracts through registering on get a freelancer (GAF), getacoder, rentacoder (RAC), all the common freelance sites. It is very competitive, and there are many bids posted on each contract/job listing. Most of the bids are generic replies from Indian companies, offering web services. They have a lower living cost compared to US/UK, so that is why they are sucessful in this industry. Setup a keyword alert on your skill and bid often and respond to exactly to the requirement, in order to 1-up on them. My advice is to find your niche. Do something different. When you bid on something that has a perfect fit to your skills you will have an advantage. Get in contact, build a rapport by responding fast, thoroughly and accurately. If possible, send some sample work or ideas on how to solve a problem. Try and bid on something you are likely to win, and always bid on a project that when you look back, it will seem like a stepping stone in what you learnt or experienced. Don't bid on dull jobs or those that require little skill. There are plenty of people around for that already. Be smart. If I started over, in hindsight, maybe I would have taken a different route, by researching companies and building a network of contacts, e.g. through HN or Linkedin. I would be more confident about my skills too. One last tip: work hard and read a book on self-motivation. Good luck! :)