This is exactly right. If you are a salaried developer or lead who has not had too many jobs in the past, your chances of 'people you know who know how good you

This is exactly right. If you are a salaried developer or lead who has not had too many jobs in the past, your chances of 'people you know who know how good you are at your work AND have the authority to sign or highly recommend you for a contract' are pretty slim.