For a developer like you, there is a set of good jobs that you can get with some effort, and a vast set of jobs that you will never get, no matter what you do.

For a developer like you, there is a set of good jobs that you can get with some effort, and a vast set of jobs that you will never get, no matter what you do. Some jobs are either not serious about hiring or don't care about quality and are actively seeking the lowest price. They will be disappointed and their project will probably never be finished the way they want it. You don't want to work with these people, and you don't want to compete down to an unreasonable wage unless you're just starting out. There is, however, a smaller set of jobs which you are qualified for based on your unique skillset and which will recognize quality and ignore price. If you can convince these employers that you are the best for the job, you can get some decent, well-paying work. The problem is, with ubiquitous "race to the bottom" low bids on nearly every project (many of them automatically generated and of extremely poor quality) it's really hard to tell the difference between the two. Just apply broadly and don't set your heart on any one project - you can't know what the person behind it is really like, or if you ever really had a shot.