Actually, I think it's worth considering the other side of the coin. Either work for free or ask for a wage that is comparable to your skillset (i.e. well beyon

Actually, I think it's worth considering the other side of the coin. Either work for free or ask for a wage that is comparable to your skillset (i.e. well beyond minimum wage). Working for free is a great way to build your portfolio of projects and get some "experience" to put on your resume. Go find a startup or small business and basically tell them you can build stuff for them for free for a month. After that period, if they like you then they need to hire you full-time. However, I do agree there is a fine line between doing this for portfolio/resume building and being used for bitch work.