hhmmm i've had a very different experience. i've never held a full-time working-for-the-man software development job but i've been freelancing for a bit over a year to bootstrap my own products. the money and flexibility is great. i got initial gigs because i'd been building my own product so i had something cool out in the world to point to. i think this is the single best way to get clients. have something that you - not you and a giant team of people, you - conceived of and built. when people see it (provided it looks good and works) they'll want to hire you. now i get gigs because i have happy clients and i'm a sociable person so they recommend me. people like working with me. so, build something you're proud of to show off and be a pleasure to work with. i've never gotten a gig through linkedin although recruiters contact me regularly. i have gotten gigs through hacker news, however, and they tend to be really good clients.
*edit: ALSO -- make friends with other freelancers and share your network! i've sent dozens of leads to people i know around Boston. this buys you social capital. people will reciprocate.
I've been running a website of my own for over 15 years and every job and client I've ever had stemmed from that site. This site got me my first job in college all the way until my latest client. I can't stress how important it is to build something on your own and keep at it. I've also never gotten a job through LinkedIn, but I have gotten local clients from Craigslist. I've also had a lot of success getting clients being established on forums and going to business conferences.
I agree. Being a freelancer means working on your own passion projects. The problem I have is the occasional inability to turn down lower paying or boring projects because I don't have a great buffer of savings. That's where taking a full-time salaried position for a while can really come in handy.
Great points. Thanks! There's more than one right answer and I certainly don't have them all. My blog post was just a reflection on what I've seen be most successful over the years.
*edit: ALSO -- make friends with other freelancers and share your network! i've sent dozens of leads to people i know around Boston. this buys you social capital. people will reciprocate.