Having been at OP's situation, I find this advice the best given that you want to earn money while doing it. Not only are local companies more reliable with act

Having been at OP's situation, I find this advice the best given that you want to earn money while doing it. Not only are local companies more reliable with actually paying (when compared to finding gigs online where people can just block your IM), you will also be able to meet them face-to-face, which will let you learn about social and sales skills when it comes to business (which are likely to convert into more money later on). In general I think you are on the right track -- you need to find some way to validate your skills when it comes to programming. That might take a few projects. It is also likely that the first clients don't care about the technical details as long as the thing works. It might feel like the people don't appreciate your skills, but as long as you are actually enjoying what you do, you shouldn't be worried (this also applies to the 'wtf go be young advice'). Better clients (or companies to which you interview to) will be able to understand you later on.