I'm a freelance software developer. I don't even know if that's an appropriate title for me because I actually have a non-tech job that takes the majority of my time. But my dream is to make enough money from building software that I can afford to quit my job, because I hate it there.
Anyway, to answer your question, I don't know what the state of freelancing is, but late last year, I saw freelancers on reddit posting their "wrapped" - that is, amount of jobs and pay they secured from freelancing during the year, and I was amazed.
For me, I've only landed three gigs since I started freelancing last year. Already landed a new client this Saturday (yesterday). Hoping it turns a long-term thing.
This is what I want for me.
Same situation for me. I hate working in non-tech jobs; I want to spend my time improving my coding skills and earning money by building software. A small amount of money is good enough for me for now. I'm not married, and I want financial stability so I can focus more on my coding skills.
Yea.