Of the many good comments, this is the one that IMHO is the most helpful. I got my first real job in a very down employment market--much worse than today. Got

Of the many good comments, this is the one that IMHO is the most helpful. I got my first real job in a very down employment market--much worse than today. Got skills, learned how business worked. Found a pigeonhole where I could profitably work for myself based on the new skills. Built a reputation. Was hired by folks who needed my expertise, etc. The key for me was to get an accurate read on the employment market and let it guide my decisions. My path night not be directly reproducible, but the orientation in OP's post nails the kind of thinking that's needed.