cjo

I'm a programmer of several years and would like to start subcontracting but I don't know where to start. I was supposed to be bringing in money with this some time ago and I'm at a point where I need to make things happen or choose a new career path. My github and homepage are linked in my profile for reference.

What I've tried: I've been to a few meetups but I can get nervous in crowds and intimidated around good programmers. I've signed up on elance but I don't have the experience to bid or choose projects properly. I've tried networking with my existing social contacts.

What I can do: Python, Django REST Framework, PostgreSQL, Clojure. I like databases and I'd rather write raw SQL than use an ORM but Django solves other problems that make it worthwhile. I have some skills with HTML/CSS but I usually modify an existing template instead of writing from scratch. Though I feel most at home on the backend I'll be picking up a frontend framework soon, probably Angular with Bootstrap.

What I struggle with: High level design decisions that come with experience, networking.

Basically "explain it like I'm five". I would like to work for an experienced contractor who has the ability to code the entire project but wants to farm out the legwork, how do I make that happen? Are there good websites or job-boards I should know about? If I go full-stack JavaScript will I suddenly be in high demand?

I'll be checking the thread periodically and my email is in my profile, if you're in downtown Denver I'd be happy to buy you a cup of coffee and chat about it.