We've found gigs through Craigslist (both through the gigs section and through posting a service offering). However, the sales cycle is also very long for anyt

We've found gigs through Craigslist (both through the gigs section and through posting a service offering). However, the sales cycle is also very long for anything dealing with businesses, so I'm not sure what your odds would be with starting and finishing a project in 6 weeks. Still, that's probably your best bet. Some are fakes, that's true, but some are real and if you're not getting a single response, your pitch might be off. You certainly don't want to say "I'm a student and have 6 weeks off and I'm bored". Maybe post what you are saying and we could critique. Longer term, you may want to pick up small projects through grad school. I know I did even in undergrad. That requires networking as the OP said. Once you've done a few gigs (and done them well) you tend to get repeat clients that can sustain you and referrals.