I can only give you some advice with what has worked for me. I'm 29 now, I've been programming something I'm very passionate about for the past 4 years, earning

I can only give you some advice with what has worked for me. I'm 29 now, I've been programming something I'm very passionate about for the past 4 years, earning just enough on the side to work on that. Last year, it took a big conversation with my girlfriend to accept that it was time to set aside the project for a bit and start working as a freelancer. For the first time I took a serious attempt at making a good CV/portfolio website and reached out through several channels to get some work. What worked in the end was to work though consultancies (which I had a grudge against). They gave me good connections which then gave me new work without the consultancy. I learned what I was worth per hour (much more than I used to ask). And because I did small jobs it was also very dynamic. The work wasnt always fun, but to develop myself like this was very much fun! And guess what, I grew a LOT in this time, my coding got better, mostly because I had to deal with lots of real life demands. My toolbox grew. My confidence grew. My professionality grew. My wallet grew. Then after bout a year I switched back to doing as little as possible and working on my own project. It took some effort, determination and time, because I had build up some responsibilities, and they tend to keep going for a while, but you also don't have to cut it all. Just keep the best :) .. right now I'm in a sweet spot of 1 day of well paid work and 4 days of doing my own project. And if you don't know what product to build next, I would suggest following your heart first, finding you passion, find what drives you. Give yourself the freedom to explore that. Because that's what will keep you going and motivated. And once you've found that... THAN it's time to find a way to make a living with it, preferable while helping others in the process. Good luck!